UR International Film Series: Vanaja November 15, 2009

With the haunting adolescent drama Vanaja, Indian writer-director Rajnesh Domalpalli rewrites the tale of a young girl's journey into womanhood, by filtering it through an indigenous Indian cultural lens and the caste system. Vanaja is set in rural South India and focuses on the 14-year old Vanaja who is the daughter of a low-caste
fisherman. With the encouragement of a local sooth-sayer, Vanaja goes to work in the house of the local landlady, who teaches the young girl the art of Kuchipudi dance. The story takes a darker turn when the landlady's son arrives home from America and Vanaja is faced with what so many women from the lower caste face. Shot over a period of years to fulfill his Master's Thesis requirements at Columbia University, Domalpalli creates an extraordinary film presented from the insider's perspective, complete with shocking cultural mores that will have a stranglehold on the viewer.

Location Information:
University of Richmond - Jepson Hall
Room: Room 118
Admission Information:
This series is free and open to the public.

Official Website: http://calendar.richmond.edu/EventList.aspx?view=EventDetails&eventidn=179&information_id=1266&type=&rss=rss