Austin’s Indie Meme film festival may be one of those hit by the wave of coronavirus cancellations, but it’s heading online with a new screening series, starting with animated romance Bombay Rose.
The festival, which concentrates on films from South Asia, was supposed to run this weekend at AFS Cinema, but the festival organizers announced on March 11 that they were postponing this year’s event until a more suitable and safer time. At the time, Indie Meme president Animon Jose said that the festival would not only be looking to reschedule, but also for ways to keep highlighting those same films during the interim.
To fulfill that second promise, the fest is turning to online screenings, starting tonight at 7:30pm with Bombay Rose, the animated tale of a young woman, Kamala (voiced by Cyli Khare), living on the streets of Bombay after fleeing her Hindu family and a childhood marriage, and making a living as a club dancer. There she falls in love with Salim (Amit Deondi), a young Muslim man orphaned by the conflict in the Kashmir. The romance blends high fantasy, Bollywood-tinged drama, political reality, and an arresting visual style all of its own.
The film – plus a post-screening Zoom chat with director Gitanjali Rao – is open to all members. Non-members can join for only $35 at www.indiememe.org.
This article appears in April 10 • 2020 and April 3 • 2020.
