Nina Paley, director of the animated film Sita Sings the Blues, will discuss her film at two free screenings in Chicago before it travels to Ebertfest 2009.
The first screening, using a 35mm print, is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, April 19 at the University of Chicago Film Studies Center, 5811 S. Ellis Ave., Cobb Hall 307. The second screening, using a DVD, runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 20, at the downtown Gleacher Center, 450 N. Cityfront Plaza Drive. Anthropologist Michael A. Di Giovine, an Asian classics lecturer at the University of Chicago's Graham School for General Studies, will make introductory remarks at the Gleacher Center.
"Sita Sings the Blues is an exhilarating, modern cartoon based on the classic Sanskrit epic, the Ramayana," said Marissa Love, assistant director of humanities, arts and sciences at the Graham School, which is sponsoring the events. "The film interweaves the tale of Rama's wife, Sita, with the story of a modern American woman in a troubled marriage."
The film has been well received at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. It will travel next to Ebertfest 2009, Roger Ebert's Film Festival.
Seating is limited for both screenings. RSVPs are recommended through http://grahamschool.uchicago.edu/. For more information about the film, see http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/.