Dekh Indian Circus
Directed by Mangesh Hadawale
India/2011/101min Hindi (English subtitles)
Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Virendra Rathod

Winner Audience Choice Award, 16th Busan International Film Festival, 2011.
 
After a small seed begins to grow in the heart of a young girl who is enchanted by the notion of a circus character, a sweet and profound struggle for the simple act of watching the circus ensues. How far will a poor family go to take their two little children to the circus? With drama and pit stops at every turn, we are taken on a comedy of errors and triumphs.


with

Do Pahar by SHAZIA SHRIVASTAVA / SHARIFA ROY
Directed By: Shazia Shrivastava/Sharifa Roy
Cast: Rohini Hattangady, Dibyendu Bhattacharya
India. 2011. 28 mins 49 sec. Hindi/Marathi (with English subtitles).

Sudha, an old woman survives her remaining days on scraps of leftover food, abuse from her son and watching the world from the countless windows of her ancestral house. It's Diwali. For two days now, she's noticed a man, Bilal, outside her window waiting for someone. With unabashed curiosity, Sudha keeps vigil on Bilal. When Bilal catches her staring and confronts her, she audaciously invites him in for a glass of water. Do Pahar is about an unlikely bond that develops between an old woman and a hit man. As the afternoon progresses in wait for Bilal's target, Sudha kindles in him humanity and a few forgotten memories of his childhood while he, in turn, instills in her a newfound fortitude. Endearing and fearless like its protagonist, Do Pahar is a compelling tale about two people that blur the lines between right and wrong.

Born and raised in India, Shazia Shrivastava earned her first degree in Literature from Mumbai and a second degree in Directing from New Zealand during which she directed short films, theater pieces and documentaries. Her graduate film, Downtime was screened at the Belladonna Film Festival in Christchurch. She then returned to India to work on Rajat Kapoor's feature film, Mixed Doubles as an Assistant Director. She was also an Assistant Director and Stage Manager on the Los Angeles production of Richard Kalinoski's award winning play, Beast on the Moon produced by Olga Konstantulakis. She lives in Los Angeles and works in Mumbai with her mother and writing partner, Sharifa Roy under their company, Mothers & Daughters Films. Do Pahar is her first independent short film as a Writer/Director

Sharifa Roy is a Writer/Director at Mothers & Daughters Films, co founded with her daughter, Shazia. She started her career teaching English Literature in high school for seven years. But films always beckoned and her first opportunity came in the form of a TV play she wrote and directed for Doordarshan in 1989. She broke into the film industry as a Set Dresser under her husband and renowned Production Designer, Nitish Roy and worked on noted films like Shyam Benegal's Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda and Disney's The Jungle Book among many others. Through Set Dressing she discovered a flair for Costume Design and subsequently worked on music videos, commercials, Bengali features, Ek Poshla Bristi and Tobu Mone Rekho and prime time television serials likeShikast, Sea Hawks and Yeh Ishq Nahin Aasaan. Writing however was always her primary calling. In 1999, she co-wrote the popular TV series, Hip Hip Hurray with Vinay Pathak and Nupur Asthana. Do Pahar is her first independent short film as a Writer/Director.