| SOMA GIRLS Directed by Nandini Sikand and Alexia Prichard. India, 2009, 27 min. In Bengali and English. World premiere.  Synopsis: The red-light district near the famed Kali Temple of Kolkata is the setting for this touching and inspiring documentary revolving around the daughters of sex workers. Each girl is painfully aware of their individual circumstances and yet they play, dance, study and speak of wanting to grow-up to become independent, and find a way to get their mothers and sisters out of the trade.With SIXTEEN BLADES OF GRASS Directed by Sweta Vohra. US, 2009, 44 min. In Gujarati and English. World Premiere. Synopsis: Sixteen 10th-grade girls in rural Gujarat prepare for a crucial board exams that will largely determine their futures. This perceptive documentary offers an eye-opening, if dispiriting, look at how schools are run in villages India, in sharp relief to the bright-eyed young girls eager to overcome roles and futures assigned to them by tradition. Screening Venue: The Quad Cinema - 34 West 13th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues. Friday, November 13 at 3:00 PM Purchase tickets at Quad Cinema or MovieTickets.com With thanks to our screening partner, Sakhi |