“3rd i’s Queer Eye” will turn a South Asian lens on the gay experience, with an evening of short films and the San Francisco premiere of a new documentary about Indian-origin rock star Freddie Mercury, June 6 at the brand-new VIZ Cinema.
“Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story (Director’s Cut 2010)” is a documentary by Rudi Dolezal that traces the life of the legendary frontman of Queen, from his formative years in India to the height of his flamboyant fame in England. The film features previously unseen interviews with Freddie Mercury and more live performances, and has recently earned accolades at the Chicago International Film Festival and at Roger Ebert’s Festival of Overlooked Films.
The evening includes a program of shorts, “Queer South Asian Shorts,” including “Are We Talking Straight?,” an enlightening survey on the streets of Kolkata about current cultural attitudes towards homosexuality in India; Sachin Kundalkar’s “The Bath,” a poignant film about a Mumbai male sex worker; Jehangir Jani’s “Make-ups,” a poetic observation of an aging actress (Bollywood superstar of yesteryear Zeenat Aman), a gay man cruising the local train station, and a call-girl on the way to her John; Bay Area filmmaker Punam S.’s Hollywood spoof “Mr. and Mrs. Singh”; Tejal Shah’s “I Think There’s a Spider Living Between Us,” a frank and biting short where the filmmaker ponders the sexual life of her parents; and “Chingari Chumma – Stinging Kiss” (made in collaboration with Anuj Vaidya) in which a hackneyed Bollywood ending gets an explicit treatment. Local filmmakers will be in attendance.
The VIZ Cinema, located at 1746 Post Street, is a 143-seat underground cinema inside the New People shopping center in Japantown, and is equipped with a cutting-edge HD digital projection and THX®-certified sound system. The shorts program begins at 5 p.m. and “Freddie Mercury” begins at 7 p.m. For tickets and information, visit link. link
7PM FEATURE PRESENTATION
Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story (Rudi Dolezal, USA,
2010/2000, 111 mins)
DIRECTOR’S CUT, SF Premier
A study of a man who reinvented himself
in ways that might seem unthinkable from his origins. – Roger
Ebert
Rudi Dolezal’s documentary traces the life
of the legendary frontman of Queen, from his childhood in Zanzibar, his
formative years in India and then England, and at the height of his
fame. 3rd i is pleased to offer the San Francisco Premier of the
soon-to-be-released Director’s Cut, featuring previously unseen
interviews with Freddie Mercury and more live performances. This
updated version was recently featured at the Chicago International
Film Festival and at Roger Ebert’s Festival of Overlooked Films.
TRT: 111 mins