Mustard Seed Film Festival celebrates three years in Philly

While most of the country gears up for the opening weekend of Crazy Rich Asians, the first all-Asian and Asian-American led film produced by a Hollywood studio in 25 years, Philadelphia’s Mustard Seed Film Festival prepares to launch its third annual event. The weekend-long showcase comes to multiple venues throughout the city from August 16 through 19, and features films from the South Asian subcontinent, South Asian Americans, and those living in diaspora elsewhere.

Longing and belonging

This year’s festival “explores longing and belonging, forging forbidden relationships, and experimenting with unconventional forms of storytelling,” says Mustard Seed cofounder Hariprasad Kowtha. With more than a dozen high-quality films hailing from many countries outside of South Asia, including Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, and Spain, this year’s selections present the festival’s largest regional diversity to date.

“Even the films from India span from the far reaches of the Himalayas to the plains of Assam and the Deccan Peninsula,” Kowtha continues. “Regardless of the distance [each] film has traveled to find us in Philly, each carries a new narrative journey about the true nature of relationships.” Mustard Seed has taken particular care to center femme narratives in this year’s program, with a three-to-one ratio of female to male directors. Even the films directed by men tend to focus on women’s stories and perspectives.

A Philly first

New this year is a soft opening on Thursday, August 16, which the festival promotes as Philadelphia’s first South Asian Drag Night ($10). The entire cast and crew are of South Asian descent and will feature performances by five drag kings and queens. It’s hosted by Neha Ghosh, a leader within Philadelphia-based queer POC community group Qunify, and performers hail from Boston, Philly, and New York. Doors open at 8:30pm; the show starts at 9pm on the third floor of Asian Arts Initiative (1219 Vine).

On Friday, August 17, Mustard Seed’s official Opening Night will be under the Reading Viaduct, on Pearl Street between 12th and 11th streets. Presenting their take on a South Asian street bazaar, there will be vendors selling art prints and zines, along with henna and eyebrow threading, starting at 4pm. At 5pm, the festival will present a program of short films dealing with marriage and the pressures of institutionalized relationships, all directed by women filmmakers. One short documentary, In Between, tells the story of Bangladeshi immigrants living in Madrid, Spain. A fictional narrative short titled Red Sari addresses fear of the unknown as a young Indian couple take their engagement photos — with director Ruhi Radke and lead actress Anisha Jagannathan expected to attend. The program will conclude with a presentation of feature comedy Keeping Up with the Kandasamys, a femme-centric film about the South Asian community in South Africa. Admission to the screening program is a sliding-scale donation recommended between $7 and $10.

Forbidden love, hauntings, and a disappearance

Events on Saturday, August 18, spread across multiple venues, including daytime film screenings at Twelve Gates Arts gallery in Old City (106 N. 2nd St.), and a drag workshop with Lawhore Vagistan from 4 to 6pm at Headlong Studios (1170 S Broad St). Starting at 7pm, Lightbox Film Center hosts Mustard Seed’s spotlight on Indo-Caribbean cinema. The program includes a panel discussion, poetry, and a screening of Trinidad’s Moko Jumbie ($8 to $10). This narrative feature tells the story of a young South Asian woman drawn to a local fisherman despite her family’s disapproval — set against a backdrop of political turmoil and mysterious hauntings from ancestral spirits. Director Vashti Anderson is expected for a post-film Q&A.

On Sunday, August 19, Dana Mandi, an Indian grocery store and restaurant (4211 Chestnut St), hosts a 12:30pm screening of narrative feature Half Widow, about a Kashmiri housewife who loses her sense of self when her husband suddenly disappears. Tickets are $15 and include an Indian lunch buffet (seats are limited).

Closing night
That night, the festival’s close heads to Drexel’s URBN Annex (3401 Filbert St) for a 7pm event spotlighting Assamese Cinema ($8 to $10). The program starts with short documentary Dancing the Divine, which captures the essence of a 500-year-old dance tradition from Assam in Northeast India. Director Madhusmita Bora is expected for a post-film Q&A. Next is feature film Village Rockstars, a dramedy about a young village girl who hopes to become a musician, despite challenges of poverty and gender. Afterwards, attendees can join the festival’s official after-party at Veda Indian Bistro (1920 Chestnut St) from 10pm to 1am, with a live DJ and pay-as-you-go drinks and snacks.

Mustard Seed Film Festival runs Thursday, August 16, through Sunday, August 19, with various events throughout the city. For tickets and the full schedule, visit online.

Above: The fest includes Moko Jumbie (screening Saturday) and Village Rockstars (screening Sunday). (Images courtesy of Mustard Seed.)