Our Family film screening

Our Family_thumb
Directed by K. P. Jayasankar and Anjali Monteiro
October 20, Tuesday
7 to 9 PM
CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue, Room 9204-05
between 34th and 35th Streets
2007, 56 min., India
Tamil with English Subtitles
Set in Tamilnadu, India, Our Family weaves together excerpts from Nirvanam, a solo theatrical performance by Pritham K. Chakravarthy, and the lives of three generations of transgendered females. Aasha, Seetha and Dhana, a family bound together by ties of adoption, belong to the community of Aravanis (also known as hijras in some parts of India). The performance by Chakravarthy and the daily lives of the three family members bear witness to the tumultuous journey towards a reinvented selfhood, a journey fraught with violence, exploitation, affection, and courage. This award-winning film allows the viewer to reinterpret Nirvanam, a Sanskrit term with religious connotations, as an act of liberation and transformation—from male to female.
Post-screening discussion with the filmmakers.
K.P. Jayasankar and Anjali Monteiro are professors at the Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
For more information about the film visit: http://ourfamily2007.wordpress.com/
Presented the CUNY Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) and co-sponsored by CSGS.

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