GemArts Masala Festival: Momentum

Date: Tuesday 19th July 2022
Time: 7pm
Venue: BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, S Shore Rd, Gateshead, NE8 3BA
Tickets: £5 (includes welcome drink)
Box Office: Online at Eventbrite or 0191 440 4124

There’s something so incredible that is you.
 
You, Me, Him, Her, They
We are what we – are
Stepping out – cautiously bold
We do what we – do
Into the night – and the light
Embody the spirit – that makes us whole
My life and – agency
Reverberates
Together – we wait
For the day – alone
 
Contemporary South Asian film shorts about facets of identity: inherent nature, physicality, values and purpose. How we are shaped by what we say, how we look and what we do? Films include ‘The Misfits’ by Varun Chopra, ‘The Lyrics That Took Me Home’ by Jan Rufus and more. Curated by Bobby Tiwana.

Post-screening discussion with industry contributors.

Read about Bobby's film choices in his blog post here.

GemArts Masala Festival - Momentum – Full Programme

The Misfits
A portrait of four 'others' in the density of Mumbai, as they share in their own words a transformative journey from a life of discrimination to becoming fiercely original.
D: Varun Chopra
Featuring: Shane Lonen, Nikita Letitia Fernandes, Rosalyn Manuel Fernando, Tenzin Dalh
 
Devi
A closeted lesbian risks tradition and social boundaries as she pursues her attraction towards her household maid, Devi, in New Delhi.
D: Karishma Dube
Cast: Aditi Vasudev, Priyanka Bose & Tanvi Azmi
 
The Lyrics That Took Me Home
A short documentary film about music, art and culture featuring three young British South Asian women who transverse their heritage with contemporary urban expression through their art.
D: Jan Rufus
Featuring: Vidhu Sharma (Poet), Priyanka Chauhan (Dancer), Jasmin Sehra (Artist)
 
By the River
Stretching along the river Ganges rests Varanasi, considered by some as the holiest of India’s seven sacred cities, and a place where devout Hindus go to die in hopes of achieving moksha - becoming liberated from the cycle of rebirth. Several so-called ‘death hotels’ exist to accommodate believers who abandon their lives and come here in wait for death - some for as long as 40 years.
D: Dan Braga Ulvestad
 
Tigerman
Vinodh is a devoted father, a loyal friend and a Tiger man. This is a film of epic intimacy, a rare glimpse into a man and his remote community as they come together in a visceral and immersive ritual in Thrissur, India.
D: Lisa Gunning
Tigermen: Vinodh PG, Sudheer Thadathil, Team Naikkanal Pulikkali, Sangham Thrissur
 
Darling
As an erotic dance theatre in Lahore prepares for a new show, a sacrificial goat goes missing, a dreamy trans girl vies for the spotlight, and a naïve young boy falls in love.
D: Saim Sadiq
Cast: Abdullah Malik, Alina Khan
 
Post-screening discussion with industry contributors.

Age 14+

Running time: 120 minutes

Trigger warning!
The first film contains flashing images. 
Some films contain strong language: racist, prejudicial, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic and reference to self harm. 

Presented by GemArts and BALTIC.

GemArts award winning Masala Festival is a weeklong festival celebrating a mix and blend of the finest South Asian Arts and Culture, packed full of performances, exhibitions, events, workshops, pop ups and demonstrations, presented in venues, places and spaces across the North East.  GemArts Masala Festival is from 18th to 24th July 2022, visit gemarts.org for full programme.
 

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