At Least One Thing Pittsburgh Can Learn from Portland, Oregon

I recently reconnected online with my old pal DJ Anjali. She’s a DJ in Portland, Oregon where she spins danceclub music heavy on South Asian beats and vocals, throws dance parties all over town, and hosts a Bollywood Bike In. She and her partner, The Incredible Kid, were the first ones to introduce the beats of “bhangra & Bollywood” to the dance floors of Portland.

The website for the India Cultural Association of Portland states, "Portland and neighboring suburbs currently boasts a thriving community of nearly 10,000 Indians, primarily in high-tech, engineering, medical, teaching, research and healthcare professions." It’s a very similar story in Pittsburgh. According to a Trib-Review article earlier this year, "about 14,000 [Indian-Americans] live in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area...predominantly white-collar professionals, doctors or workers in the high-tech sector." It was harder to find statistics on the per-capita DJ ratios, but I know that each city has a thriving underground dance scene.

So, why doesn’t Pittsburgh have a Bollywood party or bhangra-beat dance nights at clubs and dance halls? When is DJ Anjali going to fly in and show us how it’s done? I propose importing her to kick off a Bollywood movie and dance night, sponsored by Dollar Bank, co-hosted by Pittsburgh Filmmakers and CMU, held at Filmmakers’ Melwood theaters in (heavily Indian) North Oakland. The dancing could start at Filmmakers and maybe the late-night after-party could move on to Brillobox. Any counter proposals?

Russian Film Symposium & Silk Screen Film Festival

Pittsburgh gets some amazing film festivals, and they're not always that well publicized. Since I moved to Pittsburgh, I've seen fantastic films at festivals dedicated to Czech Republic directors, Jewish-Israeli directors, GLBT topics, Chinese directors, Global themes, and local filmmakers. This doesn't even count the many film series and festivals I've missed, such as the Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano, Romanian Cinema on the Edge, the Cine-stan Festival for Turkmen and Kazakh films, the Polish Film Series, the Indian Film Festival, the Italian Film Festival, the Syrian Film Series, the German Avant-Garde Film Series, and many more.

Last night was the kickoff of the public segment of the 12th annual Russian Film Symposium, with the screening (at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Melwood) of a powerful mother-daughter film, "Wolfy." The next three nights continues the Russian Film screenings (all films from 2009), also at Pittsburgh Filmmakers on Melwood (North Oakland). Tonight's film, "Oxygen" (a "rap parable") comes highly recommended.

As Merge Divide has mentioned, starting Friday is the Silk Screen Festival of Asian films (screening at all three theaters connected with Pittsburgh Filmmakers--Harris, Melwood, Regent's Square). This festival is aiming to put Pittsburgh on the map by being the best of its kind.

In one of my Pittsburgh fantasies, I put the Melwood screening facility more obviously on the map by getting a Sprout grant to paint a red carpet on the sidewalks all the way down Melwood Avenue, from two or three blocks away, leading right to the door of the theater. I love this theater and photgraphy/film facility, but I wish it was a little easier for newcomers or visitors to find, and that it wasn't so dangerous to cross Baum Boulevard as a pedestrian.

Harmony Ridge Amateur Film Festival Accepting Submissions

It just seems like film and video, is a great way to bring people together and make connections across the region. I mean, it's not like your transporting a giant painting or sculpture.

With that in mind, I came across this small film shorts festival being held in Ambridge, PA in March 2010.

1. Films must be 30 minutes or less in length.
2. Film must be the original work of the submittter.
3. All entries must be accompanied by the official entry form (see below) and a non-refundable $10 fee. Multiple entries from the same submitter must be submitted individually.
4. Work must be submitted on VHS or DVD. DVD must play in a stand alone DVD player (not just a computer). Do not send film reels.
5. Do not send originals. Films will not be returned.
6. Harmony Ridge is not responsible for shipping damage or films lost by the postal service.
7. Deadline for submissions is January 15, 2010.
8. Title of work and name of submitter must be on the mailing container, tape or DVD container and tape or DVD. No stickers or tape on DVDs please.
9. Submit only complete films. The festival staff cannot fix sound or image quality.
10. Submitter is responsible for all copyrighted material in film. Unlicensed use of music and images may be prosecuted under law.
11. Submissions must have been completed within the last two years and not have been shown to a commercial audience.
12. Addition of a black 5 second head and tail to the film are appreciated.
13. Films will be screened at the festival as time permits. The number of screenings will be determined by the festival committee. Films to be screened at the festival will be listed on this website on or about March 1, 2010.
14. The top three films, as judged by an independent panel, will receive monetary awards. The winners will be notified individually before the festival.
15. The decision of the judges is final.
16. Submission of a film constitutes acceptance of these terms.

As near as I can tell, it's open to filmakers from all over.