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By JENNIFER HOPFINGER

"I feel very confident about our selections, as they represent a balanced view of what filmmakers want to showcase about South Asian culture, and they cover a variety of genres through features, shorts and documentaries. We chose these films based on the stories that are being told, the performances, and overall production value. For our first year, I think we have a great lineup," said Mileen Patel, the festival's programming director. "As we begin the first of many festivals to come, we invite all of Chicago to join us in celebrating our culture, and in celebrating that which brings us all closer—our community."

Kicking off the festival is the Chicago premiere and directorial debut of Deepti Naval's Two Paise for Sunshine Four Aanas for Rain, starring Manisha Koirala, Rajit Kapoor, and Sanaj Naval. The red carpet event will be held on Friday, October 1 at the Chicago Cultural Center. The film's cast along with many other prominent South Asian and Bollywood celebrities will attend.

Making its U.S. premiere at the festival is Chicago native Ajay Naidu's directorial debut Ashes, starring himself, Faran Tahir, Heather Burns, Piper Perabo, and Firdous Bamji. "I feel deeply honored to have my film picked for the first South Asian film fest of Chicago. I originally wanted to shoot this film on [Chicago’s] Devon Avenue but couldn't make it happen. It is a very sweet homecoming for this story," Naidu said. "People should see it to know that the South Asian community is not just producing tinkerbell movies about cultural confusion but rather viable powerful stories about social issues. Ashes was very difficult to make and even more difficult to finish. I would like to share that effort with the people who are trying to tell stories through cinema. I want people to see it because it may help people get past their own guilt in the face of loss." 

Screenings on October 2 and 3 will take place at Columbia College Chicago's Film Row Cinema. Select films will also be screened for free at the Chicago Cultural Center on October 2. Organizers expect about 2,000 to attend the festival. 

For more information, including how to purchase tickets and festival passes, visit www.csaff.org.

Feature Films include: 

Two Paise for Sunshine Four Aanas for Rain / India (Director: Deepti Naval) — Set in Mumbai, the story brings together a struggling gay lyricist, an aging prostitute, and her 12-year-old son in one unlikely household. The film is about the mystery of human relationships and the search for happiness. Chicago Premiere 

Ashes / US (Director: Ajay Naidu) — Ashes follows the story of two brothers whose lives are unraveling. As one brother plummets deeper into mental illness, the other, Ashes, copes by throwing himself into the community that consumes him. US Premiere 

7 Days in Slow Motion / India (Director: Umakanth Thumrugoti) — Ravi is a typical middle-class child in India—he must have no ambitions or aspirations that aren't academic in nature, or so his mother says. When he stumbles upon on a lost camera, he and his friends are taken on a comical journey over seven days where they are faced with choices, conflicts, and paths less traveled that include a mother's hopes for her son, looming final exams, an arranged marriage, and a tinsel-town dream. 

Antaheen (The Endless Wait) / India (Director: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) — Antaheen is a rich tapestry of intensely woven relationships, which embody our endless search to fulfill our destinies. A human drama played out in many layers, each merging into the other to create a vivid collage of emotions and experience. Antaheen won India's prestigious National Award for Best Film in 2009. Chicago Premiere 

The Japanese Wife / India (Director: Aparna Sen) — Snehamoy, a school teacher in the Sunderbans, and Miyage, a young girl in Japan, meet through letters, fall in love through letters, and even get married through letters. Having been married for 15 years, but having never met, this is a story of improbable love, faith, and devotion. Chicago

Premiere 

Ramchand Pakistani / Pakistan (Director: Mehreen Jabbar) — Based on true events, Ramchand Pakistani is about an eight-year-old Hindu Pakistani boy and his father, who accidentally cross into India by mistake, and about the consequences of this unintended action on the lives of the boy, his father, and his mother. Chicago Premiere 

Ringa Ringa / India (Director: Sanjay Jadhav) — The story of a woman caught in her own psychological child's play, while she is actually a pawn in a masterminded game of wits. She is swept up in a world of conspiracy, deceit, and impending disaster, and she isn't even aware that she has forgotten to mourn her husband's death. Chicago Premiere 

Sita Sings The Blues / US (Director: Nina Paley) — Sita is a Goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband, Rama; Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. 

Raspberry Magic / USA (Director: Leena Pendharkar) — Using touch therapy to help raspberries grow faster in her science experiment, eleven-year-old Monica Shah believes that if she wins the upcoming science fair, she can bring her estranged father back home. 

Documentary Films include: 

Water Pressures / India (Director: William Natale) — Water Pressures uses the power of media to connect the water scarce region of Rajasthan, India with the water rich campus of Northwestern University. World Premiere

Warrior Boyz / Canada (Director: Baljit Sangra) — To date, more than a hundred young men from the South Asian community have died in gang-related violence in metro Vancouver. Gangs are a reality of urban life, yet behind the body count and the headlines, a far different battle is being waged. Warrior Boyz takes an unflinching look at the

root causes of gang violence, and offers real solutions and a hard-fought hope for the future. Chicago Premiere 

Babies Made In India / India (Director: Stephanie Lebrun & Philippe Levasseur) — With lax laws and lower costs, "renting a womb" has never been easier in India. The documentary gives a comprehensive look at the issues raised by commercial surrogacy in India with stories that will give both proponents and opponents pause. Chicago Premiere 

Short Films include: 

Victor Ramirez Asesino / US (Director: Ravi Kapoor) — Young Victor Ramirez lives a listless life, until one day he decides to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming an assassin for hire. Chicago Premiere 

The Professional / Bangladesh (Director: Oniket Alam) — Joshim, a simple mill worker comes face to face with the doctor whose negligence crippled him for life. A chance encounter gives Joshim a rare opportunity to set everything right. World Premiere 

Dida Reema Anjana / US (Director: Bornila Chatterjee) — A story of three generations of Indian women who share a desire to be understood on their own terms, all while holding close the bond that ties them together. Chicago Premiere 

Wild Things / US (Director: Sandeep Sharma) — An 18-month journey involving over 100 patients to create this film inspired by Maurice Sendak's classic children's book.

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August 28, 2010