Experience Asian culture through film at this new Charlotte festival
When Anand Kothari decided to start an Asian festival in Charlotte, he wanted to do something different. Instead of using dances and food and music to showcase Asian culture in Charlotte, he chose to focus on another medium: film.
The first Charlotte Asian Film Festival will debut May 26-27 at UNC Charlotte Center City. With showings of full-length feature films, shorts and documentaries, the festival will acknowledge different aspects of Asian history, culture and society.
Many cultural festivals celebrate their unique traditions with dances, food and music. CAFF’s co-chair Anand Kothari wanted to do something different.
“There’s no platform to experience Asian culture through films in Charlotte,” Kothari, the festival’s co-chair, said in an email. “We consider films and TV as a modern art form by which someone can be exposed to cultural aspects. The attempt here is just that for not only Asians but to provide a window to (all Charlotteans) to discover Asia through films.”
International film, and in this case, films with an Asian focus, allow viewers from all cultural backgrounds to take a look at not only how different, but also how similar one’s culture can be to your own. This year’s selection of films features an array of ethnicities from the world’s largest continent. They include:
- “Holy (UN)Holy River“: Follows the Ganges River of India, the world’s most revered and reviled rivers.
- “Right Now, Wrong Then“: Captures a film director and a fledgling artist who accidentally meet and end up revealing all sorts of secrets as time passes.
- “Soul On A String“: Recounts the tale of a Tibetan brought back from the dead by a Buddhist Lama.
- “Seto Surya (White Sun)“: Depicts a former Maoist who struggles to reintegrate with his unwelcoming community and move beyond a bad past.
- “Sameer“: A suspense and political drama that portrays a young and innocent Muslim engineering student who must help the Anti-Terrorisim Squad in a mission to find his own roommate.
- “Remarkable Journey“: Explores the ‘pioneer’ generation of Indian immigrants to North Carolina through first-person stories.
- “Teheran Meantime“: A silent short that contemplates the despair and alienation of modern urban life through imaginative cinematography.
- “Amarta“: Tells the story of a girl who tries to free the people from the ‘Boss,’ who forces people to pay for water and work.
- “Summer Park“: A short of a girl who succumbs to stealing after the death of her parents.
Food items from several Asian countries will be provided at the festival, which will take place at UNC Charlotte Center City in Uptown. Screenings will run from 6-8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 26, and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturday, May 27.
There is no cost to attend the CAFF, but the festival’s committee encourages attendees to make a donation in order to offset the costs of the event.
To register or learn more about the festival, visit www.CharlotteAsianFilmFestival.org.
Photo: Anand Kothari
This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 9:37 PM with the headline "Experience Asian culture through film at this new Charlotte festival."