THE LIFE OF TORPID
Directed by Shariful Anik
Run time: 5 min
Language: Bengali (with English subtitles)
Country: Bangladesh
Year: 2015
Synopsis
This animated film follows the life of a young boy through his life, shown around a swing on which he played as a boy. The swing remains steady as everything else around continues to change.
Director’s Bio
Shariful Anik is studying architecture in Bangladesh University of Science and Technology. Recently he was awarded the Jahir Raihan Best Short Award for his animated shortfilm “Bossidea” in International Inter university short film festival. The film “Bossidea” is also officially selected for screening in MuktoPran Cholochitro Utsab. His other two recent animations are “The Life of Torpid” and “Lost in mechanical”
POUNOPUNIK – The Hamster Wheel Rebellion
Directed by Khandaker Sumon
Runtime: 17min
Language: Bengali (with English subtitles)
Country: Bangladesh
Year: 2016
Synopsis
The story of Pounopunik (‘recurrent’ in Bengali) revolves around the struggle of a female sex worker to give her daughter the light of education.
Director’s Bio
Khandaker Sumon is a young promising director from Bangladesh. To become a film maker he completed course from “Bangladesh Film Institute (BFI)”. He has performed in several films: “Windy Road”, “Nikumvila”, “Nari”, “Sanatarium”. POUNOPUNIK is the first short film that he directed.
SAKHARAM
Directed by Sarthak Bhasin
Runtime: 19min
Language: Marathi (with English subtitles)
Country: India
Year: 2016
Synopsis
Set in a tiny, tribal village of rural Maharashtra (India), this non-fiction film documents the life of Sakharam Mangya Bhagat. Water is in severe scarcity in Sakharam’s village. So, Sakharam has devised an ingenious solution to this grave water problem – he keeps three wives.
Director’s Bio
Sarthak Bhasin is a third year Film Direction student at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII, Pune). He pursued his graduation in Economics from Delhi University and his post-graduation in Mass Communication from AJK MCRC, Jamia Milia Islamia. He has also acted in two Bollywood feature films namely Percept Picture Company’s “MP3” (2005) and UTV Motion Picture Company’s “Aagey Se Right” (2007). His first year film at FTII, Pune “The Photograph” was the official selection at various film festivals in India and abroad. Directing films is his passion and he intends to continue doing it for the rest of his life.
FANNY PACK
Directed by Uttera Singh
Runtime: 12min
Language: English
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Synopsis
Fanny Pack is a comedy about a young Indian-American woman who wants to follow her dreams, and a fanny pack clad Indian father who follows her.
Director’s Bio
Uttera Singh is an actor and director, known for Svaha (2015), All I Ever Wanted (2011) and The Necklace (2013).
8:30PM: RECEPTION – DJ Rajesh Soy – Bangladesh Dance Performance – delicious light dinner by Moksha & wine
Refreshments, including wine, will be served in the Foyer. A Bangladeshi dance group will perform during the reception in the foyer. Music by DJ Rajesh Soy
Performers:
Sarnika: Sarnika Ali is a 7th grade student at North Tapps Middle School. She has loved to dance ever since she was four years old. She is currently a Kathak student at Anga Kala Kathak Academy. Sarnika has been performing at local Bangladeshi cultural festivals since 2010. She has also performed at other local stages such as Ananda Mela and Northwest Folklife Festival. Besides dancing, she enjoys playing piano, flute, and arts and crafts.
Naosheen: Naosheen began her journey as a dance student in 2006 at Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (BIPA) in New York. After relocating to the Seattle area in 2011, she trained at Anga Kala Kathak Academy for 2 years, and is currently an Odissi student at Urvasi Dance Academy. A pharmacist by profession, Naosheen finds it extremely rewarding to provide service to her elderly patients. She also enjoys volunteering for a Redmond based nonprofit organization called Spreeha, which works to provide healthcare, education, and skills training to women and children in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Taneema: Taneema has been performing Bangladeshi dance since her childhood. When she was 4 years old, she started appearing on stage for the first time in Kuwait, at local Bangladeshi cultural programs. She has continued to love performing through her adulthood. She has appeared in multiple Bangladeshi cultural programs here in the Seattle area. Some of her other hobbies include traveling, watching movies and learning new languages. She’s currently working as a consultant at T-Mobile.