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 returns to New York

New York's Asian American International Film Festival has invited I Want To Be A Desi to screen at its festival in Manhattan during August 10-20. In July 2009, the AAIFF premiered the pre-sequel, I Want To Be A Desi 2, to wide acclaim.

Needless to say director Allan Tong is thrilled that Desi is playing in New York, the greatest city on Earth, at a renown festival. Allan and co-producer and star, Dinesh Sachdev, attended the 2009 screening. No word yet, however, on whether either can attend the screening in August, given work commitments.

The AAIFF will release a full schedule and ticketing details soon. Stay tuned for updates.

Meanwhile, The Mississauga Independent Film Festival (MIFF), will screen Desi sometime between July 20-24 in western Toronto. Details coming soon.

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.

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