Desi premieres in Toronto this summer

I Want To Be A Desi has been chosen as an official selection in the Short Film Program for The 2011 Mississauga Independent Film Festival, July 20-24. Screening details to come at: http://miff.ca

I Want To Be A Desi...In Short on May 11

I Want To Be A Desi will have its Canadian broadcast premiere on Bravo!FACT's new show, In Short, at 10:00 pm ET/7:00 pm PT, Wednesday May 11, 2011 on Bravo! Since Desi is presently touring the North American festival circuit, only an excerpt will be aired.

The theme of the May 11 episode is Envy and Kindness. Launching at the beginning of May 2011, In Short is the only Canadian TV destination in an easily accessible time slot dedicated to short films. Eight new one-hour specials featuring Canadian short films will air over eight consecutive weeks. The shorts have all been produced with funds awarded by Bell Media's Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent).

Each episode is based on one of the seven deadly sins and their accompanying virtues: pride/humility, envy/kindness, lust/chastity, greed/charity, wrath/patience, sloth/diligence and gluttony/temperance. Renowned film critic Richard Crouse hosts all eight In Short episodes, serving as a guide for the viewer.

Desi American premiere in Oregon on April 29

I Want To Be A Desi makes its U.S. premiere at the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival on Saturday, April 30 to kick off the 3:00 pm Shorts Program. Details and tickets.

Desi invades America

I Want To Be A Desi has been chosen as an official selection at the Sixth Annual DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon. DisOrient take place at the Bijou Arts Cinema in Eugene, OR April 29-May 1, 2011. This will be the American premiere of Desi.

Details to come.

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.