Woman_In_Burka_2008 torrent

Monday, June 23, 2008

2008 FRAMELINE32: WOMAN IN BURKA—Q&A With Director Jonathan Lisecki


As Kate Carroll details for the Frameline program, Jonathan Lisecki's short Woman In Burka "follows real-life actress Sarita Choudhury through fictionalized auditions for a new film. Is it a drama or just a cheap horror flick? None of the auditioning actresses (each of whom, it seems, have appeared in Law & Order at some point) really know. But who cares? It's a job! This darkly comedic short shines a spotlight on race, aging, gender and the actor's eternal quest for validation—and a paycheck." As part of the "Don't Go" program of shorts, I was alerted to Woman In Burka by filmbud Barry Jenkins (Medicine for Melancholy).

Winner of this year's Spirit of Slamdance Award and the Arizona Film Festival Merit Award, Woman In Burka is—as Nick Haramis accurately describes it for Black Book—"a real knee-slapper." One might say it's a post-9/11 sandwich served on dark wry. I joined the appreciative throng who poured into the AT&T Festival Pavilion to take part in the program's Q&A.