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Films
Amu
Kaju, a 21 year old Indian American woman is visitng her family in India. In wandering around Delhi she is overcome by déja vu and stumbles upon secrets and lies from her past. Aided by Kabir, a young man who is deeply attracted to her and her quest, she embarks on an unstoppable journey that uncovers the suppressed history of the 1984 genocide in Delhi. How does this past event affect the two young people in the present? Why are they blocked at every turn and will they ever find the truth.
Ancestors in the Americas: Coolies, Sailors, Settlers
The untold story of how Asians--Filipino, Chinese, Asian Indian--first arrived in the Americas. Film crosses centuries and oceans from the 16th century Manila-Acapulco trade, to the Opium War, to the 19th century plantation coolie labor in South America and the Caribbean.
BBQ Muslims
In the days following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, there was a media frenzy pointing fingers at the North American Muslim community. Several weeks later, Oklahoma police arrested Timothy McVeigh, a white American. The cruel irony of that historic moment inspired this offbeat tale of two Muslim American brothers’ backyard barbecue mishaps.
Bittersweet
Interviews with East Indians living in the United States and with Americans of East Indian descent are intercut with fictional exchanges between members of an Indian-American family.
Crossing Lines
Crossing Lines is a film about an Indian American woman's struggle to stay connected to India after the loss of her father.... This film takes you on a journey to India, where Indira [Somani] visits her father's extended family for the first time after his death
Every Good Marriage Begins with Tears
East London Muslim girl Shahanara is changing form pink hot pants into a sari to meet her husband at the airport. She has only met him once before, when she was married in a union arranged by her Bangladeshi family. Shahanara only agreed to the marriage to try and heal old wounds with her father, who had banished her from her family for her Western ways. Meanwhile her devout Muslim sister Hushnara is being groomed for her own arranged marriage, something that at 19 she does not feel at all ready for. Filmed by a close friend of the family this film explores universal theme of love and the conflicts between first and second generations of a British Bangladeshi family.
Hearts Suspended
Documentary about the plight of women on dependent visas (H4) in the US.
Man push cart
Every night while the city sleeps, Ahmad, a former rock star in his native Pakistan, drags his heavy cart along the streets of New York. Every morning, he sells coffee and donuts to a city he cannot call his own. One day the pattern of this harsh existence is broken by a glimmer of hope for a better life.
Mississippi masala
In this exotic and erotic interracial love story, an African American businessman falls for a beautiful Indian immigrant, only to encounter shock and outrage from both families.
My son, the fanatic
Parvez, a cab driver who left Pakistan in search of a better life, must choose between his friendship with a woman not his wife, and his son, who has adopted increasingly traditional beliefs.
Nalini by day, Nancy by night
A documentary about the outsourcing of American jobs to India. From the perspective of an Indian immigrant living in the United States, using humor and satire to capture the lives of Indian telemarketers who undergo voice and accent training to speak to US customers with an American accent. A complex look at life as per Eastern Standard Time in India.
Namesake
The American-born son of Indian immigrants feels pulled between his ethnic heritage and his desire to assimilate, especially after becoming involved with two very different women.
The new Americans
Depicts the journeys of five families from their homes in the Dominican Republic, Nigeria, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Mexico and India to new lives in the United States.
Pilgrimage to Pittsburgh
Documentary film of the Hindu community at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Pittsburgh. In 1986 the community celebrated the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the temple. Thousands of Indians from other U.S. cities traveled to Pittsburgh to participate in the celebration. Activities at the temple foster an understanding of the Hindu religion and the Indian culture and lifestyle.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
When an American academic in Pakistan is kidnapped by anti-American radicals, the CIA thinks popular young Pakistani professor Changez is involved. But as Changez tells his story about his life in the US to an American foreign correspondent, the truth becomes harder to pin down.
Roots in the sand
Through a combined use of extensive archival material and personal interviews, this documentary examines the lives of the Sikh, Moslem and Hindu immigrants of the early 20th century who farmed California's desert regions, particularly the Imperial Valley. There they had to circumvent racism, miscegenation laws, barriers to land ownership and citizenship and even Anglo farmers seeking vengeance. This Punjabi version of the "taming of the Wild West" addresses what media has omitted from history books and the western genre.
Signature move
In Chicago, Zaynab (Fawzia Mirza) is a thirty-something American-Pakistani lawyer who lives with and cares for her recently widowed, TV-obsessed mother (legendary Indian actress Shabana Azmi). Alma (Sari Sanchez) is a free-spirited Mexican-American bookshop owner. After meeting in a bar, the two quickly fall into bed with each other and embark on a romance ... but problems aren't far behind. Zaynab's traditional mother still expects her daughter to marry a man, while Alma finds herself reluctant to get involved with the closeted Zaynab, leaving them at odds despite their strong attraction for each other. And then there's Zaynab's latest interest: training in Lucha-style wrestling with a former pro grappler.
Taqwacore : the birth of punk Islam
Taqwacore chronicles the nascent Muslim punk rock movement in America. It was inspired by the work of Michael Knight, a convert to Islam who wrote the novel The Taqwacores (a term combining the Muslim concept of God consciousness with hardcore punk). The film follows Knight and a variety of young Muslim musicians on tour through the U.S. before bringing their music to Lahore, breaking taboos along the way-- from staging a lesbian thrash act at an Islamic convention to stomping on the American flag, or as Knight explains, giving the finger to both sides. Taqwacore charts their attempts to navigate the gap between their cultures and their countries, their religion and their individuality.
West is West
Adventures of an Indian immigrant student who arrives in San Francisco to find his host family has moved. He stays in a hotel in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco where he interacts with a variety of Americans.
When Mother Comes Home for Christmas
Josephine is a migrant worker from Sri Lanka appointed to take full time care of little Isadora in Greece. Josephine's own children are left to a less fortunate fate in the home country. After an absence of 8 years, Josephine travels to Sri Lanka to visit her children for a month and the camera captures the complicated feelings of loss and longing that are the inevitable companions to this transitory union.
Whose Children Are These?
WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THESE? provides a gripping view into the world of three Muslim teenagers affected by post 9/11 domestic anti-terrorism security measures. One such program, 'Special Registration,' required male non-citizens – as young as the age of 16 and from 25 countries – to register with the U.S. government and resulted in the discriminatory deportation of many. This film introduces Navila – an honors student who fought to release her father from detention; Sarfaraz – a popular basketball player who confronts pending deportation; and Hager – a young woman who faces prejudice and is spurred into activism as a result.
Series
Brown Girls
webseries by Fatimah Asghar
The FOB and I
Jisha, a FOB from India and Sita, an Americanized Indian are forced to live together in one Hollywood apartment. These two girl cousins find that even when you see seem similar, you can be so different.
Geeta's Guide To Moving On
“Geeta’s Guide to Moving On” is the story of Geeta Gidwani, a lovable, imperfect, all-American brown girl who's always believed in “happily ever after.” When she's dumped by her fiancé after 10 years of dating--on the day of their engagement party--she's completely devastated. She moves in with her family, where East & West collide, wackiness ensues, and the journey to move on begins. Her best friend, Akua, is a smart, ambitious, film producer, on her own black girl magic journey, who encourages Geeta to pursue her passion for “Indian-classical-dance-hip-hop-fusion” and embrace happiness. With the magical Akua, her traditional Indian Auntys, her hilarious family, and a quirky divorce support group rooting her on, Geeta learns to move on.
Halal in the Family
Aasif Mandvi’s Halal in the Family is a sitcom parody web-series about an all-American Muslim family. Halal in the Family aims to combat bias and challenge misconceptions about Muslims and communities associated with Muslims.
Shugs and Fats
In the world of Brooklyn, where everything and anything is possible and permissible, two Hijabis strive to find themselves by adopting the latest Western trends of self expression and personal growth. At once a cultural commentary and slapstick comedy, ‘Shugs & Fats’ navigates the absurdities of social conformity through the curious, loud-mouthed perspective of two veiled women.
Swiped to Death
Swiped to Death is a web series that explores the messy realities of online dating, told from both the male and female perspective.
The series follows two recently single South Asians in New York as they try their luck on a new dating app.
Unfair & Ugly
#UnfairAndUgly is a new dramedy TV series about a South Asian Muslim American family in 'The OC' trying to keep it together. Created by Nida Chowdhry & Yumna Khan.