21st Annual University of Richmond International film Series: Vanaja November 13, 2009

This series is free and open to the public. All films are shown in Jepson Hall 118 unless otherwise noted. Friday showings are at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday showings are at 7:30 p.m. The films are shown in the original language with English subtitles. For more information, please contact Paul Portefield.

Vanaja
November 13 & 15

India, 2007

Directed by Rajnesh Domalpalli

111 minutes (No MPAA rating)

Language: Telugu

With the haunting adolescent drama Vanaja, Indian writer-director Rajnesh Domalpalli rewrites the tale of a young girl’s journey into womanhood, by filtering it through an indigenous Indian cultural lens and the caste system. Vanaja is set in rural South India and focuses on the 14-year old Vanaja who is the daughter of a low-caste fisherman. With the encouragement of a local sooth-sayer, Vanaja goes to work in the house of the local landlady, who teaches the young girl the art of Kuchipudi dance. The story takes a darker turn when the landlady’s son arrives home from America and Vanaja is faced with what so many women from the lower caste face. Shot over a period of years to fulfill his Master’s Thesis requirements at Columbia University, Domalpalli creates an extraordinary film presented from the insider’s perspective, complete with shocking cultural mores that will have a stranglehold on the viewer.

Official Website: http://library.richmond.edu/mrc/international-film-series.html