Animator. Director. Artist. Scapegoat.
Sorry for the delay. I’ve been jetlagged and, dare I say it, a little depressed – must be that post-partum thing they warned me about. I’m only talking about my mood here, not my reality – my reality is great! I’m very lucky, very blessed, and I know it. I just wish my brain chemistry corresponded. Anyway, photos here. (Photo above by Markus Kempken.)
…because, much to my delight and surprise, she was listed as a TEDDY film: the GayLesbianBisexualTransgender category at the Berlinale. Films were classified as follows:
G / g : Gay
L / l : Lesbian
T / t : Transgender
GS : Gender Studies / Role Models
C : Queer Context
Sita Sings the Blues is “C: Queer Context.” The film may not be specifically pro-gay, but it’s pretty anti-het. Or maybe the film, like me, is so utterly non-straight it has to be queer. Whatever the reason, I am thrilled: queer cinema on the whole tends to be much more interesting than mainstream. Thanks, Teddy people!
What with the Berlinale and all, I forgot to mention ninapaley.com is included in Sarah Boxer’s new anthology, Ultimate Blogs: Masterworks from the Wild Web. She’s doing a reading from it TONIGHT:
at the Chelsea Barnes & Noble (6th Ave and 22nd St.) on Monday, Feb. 18th, at 7 pm.
Two of the bloggers in the book, Alex Ross of The Rest Is Noise and Jennie Portnof of johnny I hardly knew you, have kindly agreed to help me out. I’d love to see you there!
— Sarah
If I’m awake, I’ll be there too, so come on down!
I’m back! Sorry I couldn’t blog from Berlin, nor clean up the comment spam until just now. Photos and stories to come after I sleep off my jetlag, but first some news in brief:
1. Sita got a Special Mention from the Generation 14plus Jury
2. Someone took a hot photo of me at the premiere
In addition, everyone loved the story of how you blog-readers helped the film, especially with the 35mm print. Congratulations to all of us!
Both! Big thanks to Markus for getting these printed in Berlin.
The “Goddess” poster is A1-size – big!
“Agni” is A2, smaller but more convenient.
I recently met a film producer who, after congratulating me on Sita’s admission to Berlin, patiently explained that I’m a “shiny little fish about to enter a shark tank.” I’ve long avoided thinking about the real business side of my feature film endeavor, but suddenly I’m paying attention.
Which calls to mind this audio clip. Sound Designer Greg Sextro recorded numerous improvised conversations for the ironic “Intermission” scene. Some of these are very clever; some take advantage of Indian accents; and one is even in Hindi. But I’m thinking of this one, where Will Franken channels a Hollywood executive discussing the film’s sales potential, or lack thereof. Enjoy.