English, Hindi, Tamil and Marathi with English subtitles | 59 mins
“What sin did I commit to be born a woman?” Lakshmi wonders aloud. A 21-year-old housemaid in Mumbai, she works 10 hours a day, seven days a week. One of her employers is Nishtha Jain, who begins to make a documentary that explores their relationship. Nishtha films Lakshmi at home and at work in various houses. Lakshmi’s is a precarious existence to begin with; illness and romance compound her problems in unexpected ways. As the filmmaker is drawn deeper into Lakshmi’s life, she is forced to question many of the things she takes for granted. During a year and a half of dramatic changes, the process of filming has its own impact on unfolding events and on the relationship between two women.
Part of th ... Go to event
The Center for Asian America Media presents the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) every March. The SFIAAFF is the largest and most prestigious showcase for new Asian American and Asian films in North America, annually presenting approximately 120 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. SFIAAFF also features the best in Asian American music and digital and interactive media. Since 1982, the SFIAAFF has been an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian cinema.
When: March 8-18, 2012
Where: Various
Schedule & Tickets
For more info click here.
The documentary film, directed by Turkish filmmaker Aslihan Unaldi, tells the story of Istanbul’s struggle to come to terms with accelerated population growth and car-centric policies that have dominated its development in the last five decades – issues that are challenging megacities around the world. Once an ancient imperial capital, now a bustling modern megalopolis, will Istanbul renew itself once again, or succumb to uncontrolled motorization and urban growth? Featuring interviews with Dogan Kuban, John Freely, Edhem Eldem and others.
A question & answer session with Director Aslihan Unaldi and Executive Producer & EMBARQ Turkey Founder Sibel Bulay will follow the film screening. An opening reception will be held.
“Overdrive” is produced by EMBARQ- a pr ... 
The American Sephardi Federation is please to present the 16th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. The First International Sephardic Film Festival was founded in 1990 by Sephardic House. Many of the screenings will have a post screening discussion with the filmmakers.
When: March 15 – 22, 2012
Where: Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
Schedule & Tickets
For more info click here.
We are also excited to announce that for the first time in the Festival’s history our Opening Night Gala & Awards Presentation for the Los Angeles Festival will be held at the state-of-the-art Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios Lot on March 15, 2012. If you would like to purchase advance tickets for Opening Night, please email info@israelfilmfestival.org.
When: March 15 – 29, 2012
Where: 6404 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
For more info click here.
Get carried away at the 36th Cleveland International Film Festival — the premier film event between New York and Chicago. The CIFF includes a full survey of contemporary international filmmaking with approximately 150 feature films and 130 short subject films from over 60 countries.
When: March 22-April 1, 2012
Where: Cleveland, Ohio
For more info click here.
13th HAVANA FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK (HFFNY) takes place April 12-20, with special events April 20th at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and April 20-22 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. HFFNY features more than 50 highly anticipated and influential films from and about Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinos in the U.S. including Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Venezuela and the U.S. They span a variety of genres and themes, ranging from comedy, thrillers, action, drama and documentaries to children’s tales, as well as films from and about indigenous peoples from Guatemala, Colombia and Bolivia. A complete schedule of events and venues will be available at www.hffny.com
What: HFFNY is a highly anticipa ... 
Co-presented by Asia Society and Mar Creation, Inc.
Highlighting some of the most exciting new voices in cinema, these seven award-winning shorts, including live action and animation, offer rich insight into the imagination and creative impulse of seven U.S.-based filmmakers. Program attended by filmmakers. Reception to follow, sponsored by Asahi Beer.
When: 8 June 2012
Time: 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Where: 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY
Admission: $7 Asia Society members; $9 seniors and students w/ID; $11 nonmembers.
Buy Ticket
For more info click here.
The Queer Women of Color Film Festival is held every year in June in San Francisco and features films that address the vital social justice issues that concern women of color and our communities, authentically reflect our life stories, and build community through art and activism. Enjoy the creativity of emerging media atrists who are Asian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Chicana/Latina, Native American and Mixed-Race lesbians, bisexual, queer and questioning women in the Bay Area. The festival started in June 2003 in one room at the San Franciscos LGBT Center with a free screening that drew standing-room-only crowds. In 2005, the packed annual screenings expanded into the 1st Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival. The festival is still free, thanks to generous grants, donors ... 
This years festival takes place on June 16th & 17th on the Fillmore. We have lots of community events and something for everybody. We will have live entertainment, movie screenings (brought by the San Francisco Black Film Festival), events for children and seniors, and a great place to bring the family.
The biggest Juneteenth on the West Coast!
When: June 16 – 17, 2012
Where: Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
For more info click here.
