June 18: 5pm-6pm 555 Lerner Hall
Films @SAJAConv 2011
WEDDING NIGHT
Directed by Sabina England
USA, 2010, 21 minutes, English
A bride arrives in the USA from Pakistan for an arranged marriage with a Pakistani American man. They meet on their wedding night for the first time.
Sabina England was born in Leeds, Great Britain and raised in England and United States. She studied at University of Missouri and London Film Academy, having received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a Certificate in Filmmaking respectively. In 2009, her play, How the Rapist was Born, was produced at Tristan Bates Theatre in London. It received a second production at East 15 Acting School in Essex, UK. Sabina writes & performs her own comedy webseries The Velma Sabina Show,having caught the attention of famed movie critic, Roger Ebert, who praised one of her videos, Allah Save the Punk! in his newsletter. Sabina has been profiled in national and international publications such as The Guardian, Start BiH (Bosnia), Alternet, Sepia Mutiny and BITCH. In the spring of 2011, Sabina will appear on ARTE-TV for French and German audiences. She has been deaf as a child and is a trained equestrian. More information about her works such as plays, writings, and film/videos can be found at www.SabinaEngland.com
FATAKRA
Directed by Soham Mehta
USA, 2010, 19 minutes, English
Naveen left India to chase his dreams in America. Three years and a recession later, his wife and son finally join him. ‘Fatakra’ (‘Firecracker’) tells the story of the sparks that fly on their first day together as dreams collide with reality.
Soham Mehta is a theatre and film artist who splits his time between Texas and New York.
Born in India but brought up in Houston, Soham became interested in theatre at an early age, acting in his first play when only eight years old. Although he continued collecting stage credits for the next twenty years, his interest gradually shifted towards writing and directing. As an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin, Soham studied theater and computer science. He spent the early part of his professional life working in technology by day and directing plays by night. Soham founded Shunya, a Houston-based theater troupe dedicated to providing a voice to the South Asian American experience. After leading the troupe for four years, Soham returned to school to pursue his MFA in film production where he received the Warren Skaaren Fellowship.
As the founder of Shunya, Soham directed and oversaw the production of numerous plays. His award-winning short films have played in festivals around the world. Survivors, one of Soham’s short films, is available on iTunes from Shorts International. Soham cowrote the feature film Where's the Party, Yaar? which starred Kal Penn and is available on DVD from Lions Gate.
He continues to develop his own work while working as an editor for film and television.
