Desi 2 returns to Toronto

I Want To Be A Desi 2 returns to Toronto on Friday, April 13 at 4:30 pm as part of ReelWorld Film Festival. Desi 2 will preceed the feature, Arab Rap, and take place at the Famous Players Canada Square Cinemas 6 at 2190 Yonge Street (at Eglinton).

The lucky April 13 screening caps an award-winning three-year run which took the six-minute short from San Diego to Peterborough across North America.  Click for tickets.

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

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 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

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.

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/

Desi 2 at Vancouver Asian Film Fest

Following two screenings at San Diego Asian Film Festival and Washington's DC APA last month, I Want To Be A Desi 2 continues its festival tour with a screening at The Vancouver Asian Film Festival on Friday, Nov.6 in the Mighty Asians & Funny Canadians program.

I Want To Be A Desi 2

documentary
6 minutes ~ 2008/9
Directed and written by Allan Tong
Produced by Allan Tong & Dinesh Sachdev
Edited by Ngardy Conteh
Cinematography by David Eng
Music by DJ A.P.S.

excerpt

This hard-hitting six-minute documentary asks the perennial questions:
What does a non-Desi have to do to become a Desi?
What does the word "Desi" mean to you?


"Desi"
Used colloquially to mean South Asian immigrants and their descendants, carrying a subtext of inclusiveness and unity...

The filmmakers interviewed dozens of people at two South Asian cultural festivals (Masala! Mehndi! Masti! and FILMI South Asian Film Festival) in Toronto in the summer of 2008. Young and old, male and female, Bengali and Sikh alike gave us their heartfelt answers:

What does a non-Desi have to do to become a Desi?


"do Bhangra"


"watch Sholay"


"First of all you don’t stand in a line-up like this.
You stand in line for two minutes then your patience runs out,
then you start pushing the people to get into the thing,
and if that doesn’t happen you start screaming and shouting."


What does the word "Desi" mean to you?

"...if you’re a Canadian you’re a Canuck;
if you’re American you’re a Yankee,
and if you’re 'toned' you’re a Desi.'


"Anything that really reminds me of India,
but not necessarily Indian people."


"In East Africa we did not have 'Deshi.'
We were Indians or there were non-Indians."

SCREENINGS

Just completed, I Want To Be A Desi 2 will do the film festival circuit starting in spring 2009. Screenings will be announced here.
This the pre-sequel to the serious comedic short I Want To Be A Desi
which will be made in 2009.