|
Thursday, May 24
6:30 pm: Reception
7:30 pm: Screening
8:30 pm: Panel discussion
Take the bus! Free shuttle bus to the DMG departs 401 Richmond West, Toronto at 6 pm, to return at 9:15 pm.
Organized by SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre) in partnership with the DMG, Acting Upon a Needle is a survey of short films hailing from the last five years of the Toronto Tamil Film Festival. The five films being screened, by J.P.J. Anantharamanan, Subas Kamalendran, Abhilash U, KBB Naveen and N. Sundar, confront the harsh realities of war and genocide from within South Asia and its diaspora, through experiences both everyday and fantastic. The screening will be preceded by a reception and followed by a panel discussion with Vino Shanmuganathan and Ragunathan M., Director of the Toronto Tamil Film Festival.
ABOUT THE FILMS
Knives (J.P.J. Anantharamanan, 2010, Sri Lanka, 8:00)
Knives follows a man and his infant daughter as they attempt to escape ethnic
violence in their village. The film begins with a simple familial act of a father,
trying to make his daughter laugh as she gets her hair cut, and ends in violence
as a group of men with machetes enter the village and begin their slaughter. We
follow the father through his anxiety-ridden journey as he seeks safety for what is
left of his family.
Vanni Mouse (Subas Kamalendran, 2009, Norway, 12:00)
Vanni Mouse is the journey of two mice. Having fled from the woods of Vanni in Sri Lanka, the mice find themselves in Manik Farm, an internment camp set up by Sri Lankan authorities, to house 300,000 civilians who fled during the final weeks of fighting between the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The two mice witness the tragedy of innocent Tamil civilians behind barbed wire, which remains as unspoken truth.
Kanmani (Abhilash U, 2008, India, 12:00)
Kanmani touches upon the issue of female infanticide, following the lead character, Selvi who is being forced to abort her female fetus. On the way to the abortion clinic, she changes her mind, facing the pressures enacted upon her by her family.
Arumbu (KBB Naveen, 11:17)
Arumbu follows a pre-pubescent boy as he works in a mechanic shop trying to make his wage, while enduring constant abuse by older employees. Employing the trope of a "coming of age," this film tackles issues of child labour, adding poignant remarks to the growing list of labour related issues that arise from South Asia.
The Last Board (N. Sundar, 2008, India, 11:29)
This short experimental film begins with Einstein discussing the atomic bomb and traces the attack on Japan through the child victims of Hiroshima. The terror of war can be traced back and forth, across generations and geographic regions. While The Last Board does not overtly address the plight of the Tamil population, the connection is noted.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Ragunathan M. is a programmer, literature critic, and the Director of the Toronto Tamil Film Festival. His articles have been published in several magazines in Canada, India and Europe. He also served on the Board of the Regent Park Film
Festival in Toronto.
Vino Shanmuganathan holds a Masters in Social Work and a Graduate Certificate in Refugee and Migration Studies. Her past research has concentrated on migration experiences and diasporic identity politics. She continues to contribute to the Toronto community in various capacities - including advocacy and popular education - on issues revolving around migrant justice, education and poverty. She is also a JD candidate at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.
|
