“Stories From the Heart” (RT: 77 min.)
Love, devotion, and letting go are the narrative threads that weave together these works by and about South Asians. A returning VC FILMFEST artist is joined with three newcomers to offer a moving program that aims straight at the heart.

LIGHTING THE LAMP
(United States, 2002) Director: Rani Grassi Breslow
Deepika is a newly-married 27-year-old Indian. She is a strong-minded person. She is having trouble with her mother-in-law, Yashoda, who is subtly pressuring her to have children. Deepika has other plans. She wants to complete her Ph.D. before settling down. Anand, Deepika’s husband isn’t helping her any. Though an educated computer engineer, he is a mama’s boy who wants what his mother wants—children. Their story is paralleled with that of their neighbor Raquel, a single African American and a successful professor who has an infant daughter, Panninah.
Beta SP, 15 minutes, Narrative Short Video

NADAH
(Pakistan, 2002) Director: Afia Serena Nathaniel
Nadah’s father, Nabeel, awaits the birth of his fifth child. It turns out to be yet another daughter. Nadah observes her father’s disappointment. There is tension in the family. Nadah overhears her parents argue about having a sixth child- the mother is firmly against it, but the father wants to try one more time. Slowly, they all slip into their various worlds: Nabeel withdraws into his game of cricket, the mother becomes wholly occupied with children and housekeeping and Nadah slips into daydreaming of playing cricket on the street. The protagonist, Nadah, covers a journey in which she shakes up the passiveness creeping up in her family threatening to destroy them as individuals. She is also the catalyst of change in her father’s life and she does this in a way peculiar to children- by being honest with their feelings.
Beta SP, 10 minutes, Narrative Short Video

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
(United States, 2002) Director: Emily Ting
In a world where destiny has been replaced by speed dating, is arranged marriage a hassle-free way of getting hitched in the new millennium? WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? affords a humorous look at young American Desis who are willingly placing their destiny into the hands of their parents, marriage brokers, and internet matrimonial ads.
Digital, 29 minutes, Documentary Short Video

BUTTERFLY
(India, 2002) Director: Tanuj Chopra
Ghani, a blind traditional Muslim man calls Doctor Aadam to his home to check up his only daughter Miraal. However, the only way Dr. Aadam is allowed to examine Miraal is through a hole cut in a large curtain hanging in the middle of the room. When Dr. Aadam discovers that Miraal shares a love of butterflies, an intrugue is sparked in both of them, providing Miraal and the doctor a chance to determine their future free from Ghani’s rule.
Beta SP, 23 minutes, Narrative Short Video