is proud to co-present the screening Babaji, an Indian Love Story, at the 33rd Annual Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival, November 12-15! All screenings are held at the American Museum of Natural History.

CLOSING NIGHT
Hair India
Raffaele Brunetti and Marco Leopardi
2009 • 75 min • India, Italy
New York Premiere

Legend has it that in order to pay for the wedding of Vishnu to the Goddess Padmavathi, the gods’ treasurer granted a long-term loan to be paid off by future generations. Today, Hindu believers still offer money and jewels to service the centuries-old debt. The very poor, we are told, sacrifice their only possession—their hair. At an impartial remove, Brunetti and Leopardi follow the course of this hair as it is sheared in an ancient, sacred ritual, sold at auction to the highest bidder, and ends up strutting down the red carpets on top of the world’s most famous heads. Featuring Sangieta, the editor of Hello! magazine in Mumbai; Mayoor, a hair wholesaler in Bangalore; Thomas, an Italian who repackages the hair into extensions; and Hemlata and Gita, a mother and daughter who trek to Simhachalan Temple to make their offering, the documentary observes these ordinary people as they negotiate life’s pressures and problems. One part of India is sacrificing their “crowning glory” so another part can look good. By thoughtfully interweaving these various narratives, the filmmakers leave us wondering, in the end, which part is really better off.

Sunday, November 15
8:00 pm, Program F27
Brunetti in person

For all Mead programs enter at 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

To Order Tickets:
By Phone: 212-769-5200
Online: www.amnh.org/mead
On-site: During Museum hours at the Advance Group Sales desk in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda (Central Park West at 79th Street entrance), and at the Rose Center for Earth and Space (81st Street entrance).
  
Mention to receive Member price of $10!   

To view the festival’s full schedule please visit www.amnh.org/mead.


The 2009 Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival, the longest running showcase for international documentaries in the United States, celebrates 33 years!