Nina Paley Sings the Blues

 

 *** 2021 UPDATE: THIS POST WAS WRITTEN IN 2009, PRIOR TO THE FILMMAKER'S GENDER CRITICAL STANCE. TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS. **** 

 The Dubai Film Festival, like all other things coming from the Golden City, is all gilded decadence but no substance. So while everything becomes abuzz with star sightings and lavish red carpet displays, the actual films become lost in the shuffle. That goes double if you're a small foreign indie with no star power. 

I attended the 2008 festival, where I fell in love with a couple of smaller films that never really got any attention. Perhaps last year's festival was especially tough. The opener was Oliver Stone's W and much of the tail end of the December festival was already stricken by Slumdog fever. A brightly animated retelling of an Indian religious folktale, touching on the theme of gender and relationships never really stood a chance with that crowd. 

 So that's what brings me to Sita Sings the Blues by American animator Nina Paley. Outside of the festival circuit, Paley was besot by difficulties in distributing the film- particularly of the copyright variety. Due to the hurdles in getting her film released in any form, Paley eventually took it unto herself and went all "Radiohead" on the distribution process- releasing it online, for free. 

You can stream/download the whole film in various formats here. Paley's copyright even extends to free use in public screenings. 

 So what's it about anyway? Sita is essentially a retelling of a story from the Ramayana. The film is framed by that of a modern day couple, modeled on Paley herself and her ex-husband, whose increasingly rocky relationship parallels the Sita-Rama story arc. The film struck a chord with me not just for its storytelling, but the visual style itself. Narrated by Shadow Puppets with a tendency to talk over one another, Sita's musical monologues, (which are all tunes by 1920s jazz singer Annette Hanshaw), are done in a bright quirky style, as seen above. 

These are undercut by vignettes done in the style of traditional Rajput paintings, and Dr. Katz-esque Squigglevission. My favorite part is a rotoscoped fire dance sequence, which you can see here, at around 6:40. Lovely, ain't it? I don't know if the web format even does it justice; this sequence alone warranted a viewing on the big screen in all it's giant impactful glory. I could describe more of its content to you in detail, but you should really just get on and watch it. And if you end up liking it, pick up a DVD or a Tshirt. Support real independents!

You Call This Capitalism?

I've fallen in love. Well as much in love as one can be with an intangible ideology. The object of my affections is the increasingly popular strain of New new socialist tinged capitalism. [note: the repetitive use of "new" is to distinguish my usage from the right-wing neo-socialists of 1930s France.]
This do-gooder incarnation of industry is a fresh development in an age where all signs point to the ominous lurching death of everyone's favorite greed machine. One of the front-runners of the movement is a shoe company by name of TOMS A wholly for-profit endeavor, TOMS nonetheless ensures that for each shoe sold another goes to a child in need.
It's high time companies realize that giving doesn't subtract from profits. TOMS isn't going out of business anytime soon. Maybe some of that hokey, mystical nonesense is true: you only get back what you give to this world.
The age of the Haliburton-ites and their brethren is ending. The new school-socialism is here, and this time around, the philosophy is more in the vein of "Gain as much wealth as you can so that you can redistribute it as you see fit." I just recently bought a pair of TOMS (the style pictured, actually). I couldn't be happier with them. They look like sweet moon shoes and I feel pretty styling knowing somewhere out there a child will be getting his own pair of shoes soon.
So are we expected to just shut down our spending habits and soley buy from these Social capitalists? Not at all. But it is significant to note how one can enjoy all the perks of free American enterprise, without selling their soul or cascading into shamefully indulgent uses for wealth.

Viva La Revolucion!

Visit TOMS

Welcome to the Jungle

A curious new article and accompanying video about Pakistan appearing in the New York Times this week. The piece covers the operations of bondage and fetish gear makers in Karachi.

What makes this reportage surprising or shocking? The fact that people in other countries, regardless of how stifling local custom is, are after all people? That they come in the same myriad of attitudes, interests and desires as those that reside in the West?

Watch the video here:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/04/27/world/1194839708301/a-pakistani-underworld.html

Pakistan Primer; Case File #1: Let Me Be Swallowed By the Hills.

In the midst of Pakistan being increasingly lumped in with all-things-terrible, it's become imperative to preserve its secular identity. Pakistan Primer is my small effort in this vein, as we all watch the country and its people descend into dust.

There's a lot to be learned by the stories we choose to keep. Like all other cultures, Pakistan too, carries in its fiber a tale of separated lovers. What is it of the star-crossed love affair that has kept mankind so entranced for centuries? The tale of the doomed lovers permeates time and culture, it is as old as storytelling itself.

Pakistan's lovelorn saga takes place at the archaeological site of Bhambore, located in interior Sindh. Before it was a UNESCO world heritage site, and before archaeologists had their take of it, Bhambore was home to just about every civilization or subculture ever to live in, or come in contact with South Asia. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists not to mention ancient Arab and Chinese traders, all left their mark on the region.

Perhaps it is indicative of a larger cultural truth that our story begins with a displaced female child. An infant girl named Sassi was born to the King. However, a sorcerer warned that she would be a curse upon the throne. So, like many little girls before her, (and many after), she was cast out, thrown into the Indus River to die. A childless washerman found her, and believing her to be a gift from God, took her home and raised her as his own.

Years passed and Sassi grew to be renowned for her beauty. The prince of nearby Makran came to see her, and they both fell in love instantly. Eventually the reluctant washerman gave his consent to the marriage.

Naturally, such a tale is not destined for an easy ending, and the lovers' union was halted by the prince's jealous brothers. However, the prince refused to heed their objections.Perhaps once again indicative of a larger cultural theme, the brothers attended the wedding in full form, but secretly stole away the very inebriated prince back to his own kingdom.

Awaking the next morning a grief-stricken newlywed, Sassi journeyed on foot to the town of her beloved. She was nearly assaulted by a shepard, (a cautionary example for girls who dare venture alone?). Following the assault, Sassi prayed to God to hide her away, a prayer that is uttered I'm sure, by many a woman who finds she cannot control the world around her.

And so, upon her request, God had her swallowed up into the mountain, her lover's name still on her lips. When her beloved returned for her, he too, uttered the same prayer so that he could join her under the earth.

The solution presented by this tale- drowning in the dust of the desert, rather than live with a grim reality-is this the reason so many Pakistanis stand idly by as their country falls apart? Would we, as a people rather disappear into the mountains than deal with the looming threat of fundamentalism?

View my photos of Bhambore here. (Photos of Bhambore start about 35 frames in).

And so it begins!

Welcome to the inaugural post of this blog! Go ahead, pop open a juice box, (or champagne if you prefer), and buckle down for a mediocre ride!

Oh yes, there will be action! Excitement! Danger!

You'll be treated to:

-Crazy conspiracy theories-- Vampires live among us! Get the full scoop!
-Assorted general nerdery-- Watch in amazement as I pick things apart until they are completely stripped of entertainment value!

Also, occasionally, you'll be treated to some self-indulgent photography projects, and observations/chronicles of my globetrotting adventures. Watch as I take you to the hills of Pakistan, and the inner depths of Saudi Arabia, down to surfing the gulf coast in the UAE.

So come one, come all!

Let's spend some time together. At the very least, linger for a few moments to distract from the dreadfully lonely abyss that is unemployment.