Desi plays Hamilton

I Want To Be A Desi plays The Hamilton Film Festival on Wednesday, November 3 at the 7:00pm Comedy Shorts program. Come out and have a hilarious time. Tickets and directions: http://www.hamiltonfilmfestival.com/

Pal Uncle (Jazz Mann) welcomes you to The Hamilton Film Festival

I WANT TO BE A DESI wins 2nd place and premieres at GRFF

My short comedy, I Want To Be A Desi, took second place at the 2010 Grand River Film Festival's BMO SHORT Shorts Competition and premieres there on Saturday, October 23.

At a recent ceremony held in Kitchener, ON, the judges praised Desi for its witty writing, assured direction and smart cinematography, and for addressing the issue of identity in modern Canada. "The acting was excellent, the editing thoughtful, and the use of music very clever," announced one of the judges, Phillip Bast, a Kitchener filmmaker and journalist. "I Want To Be A Desi is a delightful film, a comic social investigation into multicultural identity for second generation Canadians in large urban centres, particularly the Greater Toronto Area."

Fellow judge and Toronto filmmaker, Benjamin Rousse, added that Desi is "a solid film with no weaknesses in any area of film production. Writer/director Allan Tong demonstrates a firm grasp of the art of filmmaking."

Desi bride (Tari Joshi on left) and Pal Uncle (Jazz Mann at right) celebrate with wannabe Desi, Roger/Raj (David Yee)

I Want To Be A Desi will screen in a program devoted to the BMO SHORT Shorts on Saturday, October 23, 1:00 p.m. at the Galt Little Theatre in Cambridge, next to Kitchener-Waterloo. The screening will be the World Premiere of I Want To Be A Desi. Click here for schedule and tickets. Waterloo Record article about GRFF.

Click here to see the trailer

Desi 2 plays Barrie Film Festival

I Want To Be A Desi 2 screens at this weekend's Barrie Film Festival north of Toronto. It takes part in the festival's Short Film Showcase on Saturday, October 16. The winner will be announced at the Awards Party later on Saturday night.

I Want To Be A Desi 2 completes American schools tour

As I Want To Be A Desi embarks on its festival run, Desi 2 has completed the first tour of American schools as organized by Asian CineVision (ACV). ACV are the same folks who premiered Desi 2 at New York's Asian American International Film Festival in July last year.

Desi 2 and other shorts played New York and New Jersey schools "to promote the vision of Asian and Asian American media artists...and inspire and inform the Asian American community and audiences everywhere," said ACV.

Plans are afoot for Desi 2 to take part in the 2010-11 tour. Stay tuned.

I Want To Be A Desi wins at Grand River Film Festival

I Want To Be A Desi captured second-place in the BMO SHORT Shorts Competition held at the fourth Grand River Film Festival.

"The acting was excellent, the editing thoughtful, and the use of music very clever," announced one of the judges, Phillip Bast, a Kitchener filmmaker and journalist. "I Want To Be A Desi is a delightful film, a comic social investigation into multicultural identity for second generation Canadians in large urban centres, particularly the Greater Toronto Area."

Fellow judge and Toronto filmmaker, Benjamin Rousse, added that Desi is "a solid film with no weaknesses in any area of film production. Writer/director Allan Tong demonstrates a firm grasp of the art of filmmaking."

Things are looking up for "desi" Roger (David Yee)

Allan was on hand at The Museum in downtown Kitchener, ON last night to receive the award from the festival and awards sponsor BMO. The presentation was part of GRFF's annual Chairman's Gala and Festival Launch taking place at The Museum in Kitchener. I Want To Be A Desi and other finalists' films were was shown on a silent loop in the resplendent open-air lobby of the The Museum.

The judges praised Desi for its witty writing, assured direction and smart cinematography, and for addressing the issue of identity in modern Canada. I Want To Be A Desi will appear in a program devoted to the BMO SHORT Shorts on Saturday, October 23, 1:00 p.m. at the Galt Little Theatre in Cambridge, next to Kitchener-Waterloo. The screening will be the World Premiere of I Want To Be A Desi. Click here for schedule and tickets. Waterloo Record article about GRFF.

I Want To Be A Desi finalist at Grand River Film Festival

I Want To Be A Desi has been chosen as a finalist in the Open Category of the 2010 Grand River Film Festival's BMO SHORT Shorts Competition. The winning films will be announced at the annual Chairman's Gala and Festival Launch on Tuesday, September 28, 2010, taking place at The Musuem, 10 King Street West, Kitchener, Ontario.

David Yee as Roger ("Raj") learning to be a desi

Desi2 comes full circle at Masala! Mehndi! Masti!

The Masala! Mehndi! Masti! festival will screen I Want To Be A Desi 2 on Sunday, July 25 at 4:00 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on the CNE grounds. The film is part of a program of shorts programmed by the FILMI South Asian Film Festival.

After a festival run that began exactly a year ago at New York's Asian American International Film Festival that extended across North America including Washington, Vancouver, San Diego, and Portland, Desi 2 returns home with this screening. It's only fitting because a big portion was filmed at the 2008 Masala! Mehndi! Masti!

Admission is free, and the festival runs all weekend with a full schedule of dance, music, parties, food and of course films. Familes welcome. Events held indoors and out, so enjoy the sun.

And if you're in Kelowna that weekend, check out the Okanagan International Film Festival where Desi 2 will play on July 24. Click here for details.

The west coast loves Desi 2

Following screenings in Vancouver, Portland and San Diego, I Want To Be A Desi 2 will next play at the Okanagan International Film Festival on July 24 in beautiful Kelowna, BC. Director Allan Tong's earlier film, Grange Avenue, screened here two years ago.

Click here for tickets and full details.

I WANT TO BE A DESI completed

Production of the short film, I Want To Be A Desi, has ended and the completed film has been delivered to broadcaster, Bravo. The six-minute comedy will play the festival circuit for the next 12 months before Bravo broadcasts it across Canada.

In the film, a young man of multiracial origin, Roger (David Yee), doesn't know who he is, and so hires a suspicious Indo-Canadian (Jazz Mann, see below) to teach him to become a 'desi' in one day. That includes choosing a beautiful bride who can cook a perfectly circular roti. But is it that easy to step into someone else's skin?


The film was shot over two days in December in North York. DP Daniel Grant shot the film on the Red camera while Rose Legace acted as the Production Designer. Baun Mah edited the film, while Danijel Margetic completed the online edit in addition to his producer's duties. The film was made by Balkan Films and the executive producers are Michael McNamara and Judy Holm.

The film was a pleasure to shoot, according to director Allan Tong. "The film was a pleasure to shoot," he recalls today, extending his thanks to a hard-working and dedicated crew.


Bravo and the Toronto Arts Council invested in this six-minute production. Special thanks also go to ACTRA for its TIP program, and the CFTPA. (Click here for the cast and crew list.) Check back for regular updates as Desi during its festival run.

T R A I L E R

Desi2 to screen at Okanagan Film Festival in July

The West Coast loves DESI. The Okanagan International Film Festival has chosen the short documentary to play at its annual festival taking place July 21-25 in lovely Kelowna, B.C. Desi2 has already screened in San Diego, Vancouver and Portland.

Screening times will appear on the Okanagan site as soon as renovations are done, but sign up at the festival's Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=36407298283&ref=ts&v=info

Desi2 plays DisOrient on April 24

I Want To Be A Desi 2 screens at the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon in Portland on Saturday, April 24 at noon as part of the Life As We Know It program. The screening marks yet another west coast screening for the six-minute documentary, following successful festival appearances in San Diego and Vancouver. Full festival details and ticket orders at:

I Want To Be A Desi 2 named top doc at U of T Film Fest

I Want To Be A Desi 2 was awarded the Best Documentary prize at last night's University of Toronto Film Festival. Director Allan Tong was on hand to accept the award and thank the Hart House Film Board which organized the jammed-pack one-day, multimedia event, and his collaborators including cinematographer, David Eng, who picked up an award for one of his films.Two DV cameras from the Hart House Film Board, a battered, old Canon XL-1 and a 24P Panasonic, were used in filming Desi 2. One scene was later shot in Hart House, which sits on the grounds on the downtown UofT campus.

For those who missed the screening yesterday, I Want To Be A Desi 2, can be viewed for a little longer at the National Screen Institute's Online Film Festival.

Desi 2 plays at 2010 University of Toronto Film Festival

IWTAB2 plays on Saturday, March 13 at the University of Toronto Film Festival. It appears in a one-hour program devoted to non-student shorts at 5:45 pm. All screenings at this fest are free and take place at Hart House just west of Queen's Park. Go to the second floor Music Room. Full schedule at: http://uoftfilmfest.ca/wp/

Desi2 @ ReFrame Peterborough

Director Allan Tong and co-producer Dinesh Sachdev attended the screening of I Want To Be A Desi 2 at the ReFrame Peterborough International Film Festival on January 30. The film played to its largest audience-to-date, where over 200 Peterboroughians laughing and applauding at the beautiful Showplace Performance Centre. Desi 2 played alongside the films Terra Sacer (Sacrificed Land) and Six Miles Deep, directed by Alberto Guevara & Elysée Nouvet, and Sara Roque respectively.
Immediately after the late-afternoon screening Allan joined those filmmakers plus documentarian Amy Miller (right in photo above) and ReFrame programmer Wanda Nanibush (left) for a discussion with the audience about truth in documentary film.

In the audience was local filmmaker (who is screening a film at the festival) and ReFrame projectionist, Lester Alfonso (left in photo below).
Allan and Dinesh (right in photo above) thank Wanda for inviting them to her impressive film festival, and Allan thanks Greek translator Irini for her assistance, linguistically and photographically.

I Want To Be A Desi 2 screens at ReFrame in Peterborough

I Want To Be A Desi 2 will screen at the ReFrame Peterborough International Film Festival on Saturday, January 30, at 4:00 at the Showplace (with Terra Sacer and Six Miles Deep). Director Allan Tong and co-producer Dinesh Sachdev will present the film. Allan will also speak at the Filmmakers Panel immediately following the screening, also at the Showplace.

Director Allan Tong interview on CFFF-FM

Director Allan Tong will be talking about "DESI 2" with CFFF radio's Barry Boyce on his Social Justice Power Hour program on Monday, January 18, from 3:30 to 4:00 pm. CFFF is Trent University's radio station, and Allan is promoting the January 30 screening of "DESI 2" at the ReFrame International Film Festival in Peterborough.

Listen online at http://www.trentu.ca/org/trentradio/