Projects in genres: Asian

Synopsis

It's been 20 years since Peri the Kurd first walked into the town of Halabja in the aftermath of the chemical gas attack Saddam Hussein launched against the Kurdish people. 20 years since he buried his best friend and his Kalashnikov and walked west. West and West and West and until I ended up in Glasgow, which was as west as I could get. Filmed over 5 years, Kurdi tells the story of a man in search of himself, his people, his gun and a country that doesn't exist.

Synopsis

At three, Budhia Singh had already run six 13-mile half-marathons. Born into the slums of Bhubaneswar in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, Budhia's mother sold him to a peddler for 800 rupees. Not long after Biranchi Das, a judo teacher who also runs an orphanage, bought him back, and soon discovers Budhia's talent for running. But when Biranchi has the four year old Budhia run 42 miles, the debate begins: is he providing Budhia with a rare opportunity, or is he exploiting a boy too young to know what he really wants. When the government gets involved the case becomes a political football, and rumours of vast sums of money attract gangsters eager to drive a wedge between Biranchi and Budhia. What starts out as a real Slumdog Millionaire turns into a the stuff of film noir, a tale of dreams, greed, and envy, with a child at its centre.

Synopsis

Tony is a teenager whose inscrutable Chinese dad has a near-death experience in a car crash. Tony yearns to break down the cultural barriers between him and his Dad before it's too late.

Synopsis

This is a film about two comedians. Maung Thura, better known as Zarganar, is Burma's greatest living comic. Relentlessly victimised by the Burmese military junta, he is now in prison. Michael Mittermeier, in stark contrast, is free to practise his art of humour and provocation as one of Germany's leading stand up comedians.

Synopsis

'A girl's life is cruel - A woman's life is very cruel', notes Sampat Pal, the complex protagonist at the centre of Kim Longinotto’s latest foray into the lives of extraordinary women.   Sampat Pal should know, like many others she was married as a young girl into a family which beat her often. But unusually, she fought back, leaving her in-laws and eventually becoming famous as a champion for beleaguered women throughout Uttar Pradesh, many of whom find their way to her doorstep.    Rekha, a 14 year-old untouchable, is three months pregnant and homeless unable to marry her unborn child's father because of her low caste. Fifteen year-old Renu's husband from an arranged marriage has abandoned her and she's threatening to throw herself under a train. Both desperate young women, reach out for their only hope - Sampat Pal.   Pink Saris is an unflinching and often amusing look at these unlikely political activists and their charismatic leader.  In extraordinary scenes, we watch her launch herself into the centre of family dramas, convinced her mediation is the best path for these vulnerable girls.  Her partner Babuji, who has watched Sampat Pal change over the years, is less certain.

Synopsis

As a result of the bombarding, many people of the war-torn Afghanistan have gone homeless and more poverty-stricken. In order to earn a living and after many sufferings, Aziz s family and some other Afghan families are going to Pakistani border with their infants to…

Synopsis

An engaging film documentary in the style of 'What the Bleep Do We Know', 'Sicko' and 'SuperSize Me' which follows writer/producer Paul Duddridge as he attempts to host his own 'mini Olympics' where teams are split by race rather than nationality. It's all quite harmless and silly but exposes some uncomfortable questions, misconceptions and prejudices that most of us hold. Experts discuss: What race really is, how many races there are, how they evolved, the differences between them. Filmed on location in California, Arizona, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio and the UK - A Film About Races is an irreverent exploration of the common myths and misconceptions about race - definitely not a film about racism.

Synopsis

In a secret world a family's code of honour is under threat, and an ancient way of life is knocked off it's axis by one small boys act of grace. A young Dezzie befriends Yasin, a Chinese boy who has recently arrived from Hong Kong, little does he know his life will take an unexpected turn that ultimately shape his future. They become firm and loyal friends until Yasin is taken away suddenly by his godfather, Kai. Ten years pass until Yasin returns and offers Dezzie an envious position at his side within the family firm. But this is a firm with a difference: Dezzie, the only white man to do so this side of the Atlantic is to be a triad member and run the family business in Manchester.

Synopsis

Suicide of the dolphins because of the sea pollution.

Synopsis

Three students drift through the genres of their favourite Asian flicks. Their arguments take them into an array of comic fantasy scenarios, from Bollywood song-and-dance spectaculars through to blood-soaked bulletfests and creepy nighttime terrors in this entertaining comment on modern British filmmaking.

Synopsis

Diana takes place the day after the Princess of Wales’ death and follows Mohit, an Indian pre-op transsexual on an emotional journey set against the backdrop of a day that shocked a nation and will change his life forever. Rejected by his family in India and working as a prostitute in London to pay for his hormone therapy, Mohit’s past continues to scar his life and he strongly relates to the isolation and loneliness suffered by the Princess. It is this connection that binds Mohit so closely to this iconic figure and ultimately acts as a catalyst in helping Mohit set himself free.   Winner of the Screen Academy Wales Best UK Short - Iris Prize 2009 Winner of the Jury Award for Best Short Film -  Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2009.

Synopsis

A journalist whose family was killed by the Khmer Rouge spends a decade making friends with the men and women who directed and perpetrated the Killing Fields. He obtains ground-breaking accounts from the notorious Brother Number Two and the grassroots killers and gains a new and terrifying perspective on the genocide. But the truth he discovers comes at a price.