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In 2017, the 6th annual DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) brought a variety of compelling new feature length films, shorts, and documentaries to Washington D.C. area. The MurthyNAYAK Foundation is a sponsor of this annual event, and Sheela Murthy and Vasant Nayak frequently are on hand for the festivities. Hosted by the nonprofit DC South Asian Arts Council, Inc., the festival is designed to showcase alternative cinema from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. This festival was held at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD, and included screenings of more than 30 films, as well as workshops and panel discussions.
The MurthyNAYAK Foundation (MNF) has long been a proud sponsor of the DCSAFF, and Sheela took an active role in the festival this year by participating in a panel discussion that followed the screening of Anatomy of Violence. The film’s director, Academy Award nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta, is known for choosing provocative subjects in an effort to start a dialogue to bring about change.
Also selected for the 2017 festival was a short film created with a grant from MNF – Under the Open Sky, from directors Shilpa Phadke, Faiz Ullah, and Nikhil Titus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. This documentary tells the inspiring and thought-provoking story of a group of underprivileged girls in Mumbra, India (near Mumbai), who are given a lesson in self-confidence through weekly football (i.e. soccer, for our American readers) sessions at a public park. Nikhil Titus, who was pursuing a doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh at the time, represented the film at the festival as a guest of Sheela and Vasant.
Numerous awards were bestowed at the conclusion of the festival. Among MNF’s favorites: Hotel Salvation, The Violin Player, and Lipstick Under My Burka.
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20 November
