Indian-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta‘s acclaimed „Elements Trilogy“ consists of the provocative and controversial films Fire (1996), Earth (1998) and Water (2005), which are now considered classics of South Asian diasporic filmmaking. Fire depicts a lesbian relationship within a joint family household; Earth portrays the conflict and violence surrounding the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947; Water addresses the life of (child) widows in the Gandhian era. These films have not only sparked academic interest, but also been met with fierce political protests and even violence in India. We will watch these films in chronological order, on three consecutive Wednesday evenings :- join us just for one, or two or three! Prof. Nisha Kommattam (Comparative Literature) will give a few informal, introductory comments before each movie (5 minutes or less). You are welcome to stay and chat for a bit afterwards! Pizza & Popcorn will be served!
Fire: Wednesday, March 27th 5:30 pm in Cobb 202
Earth: Wednesday, April 3rd 5:30 pm in Cobb 202
Water: Wednesday, April 10th 5:30 pm in Cobb 202
If you require assistance to attend this event, please contact Gabrielle Choi at gchoi@uchicago.edu