Presa House Gallery is proud to partner with ITVS, Indie Lens Pop-Up, to host a FREE In-Person Screening of Writing with Fire. Meet the fearless women journalists of India’s only all-female newspaper in this advanced screening of the first Indian feature documentary nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The short film The Unlikely Fan, directed by Jeff Bednarz, Sai Selvarajan and curated by Manuel Solis of MonteVideo, will precede our feature film. On view in the gallery is Houston-based interdisciplinary artist Verónica Gaona’s solo exhibition in Search of a Better Death.

Writing with Fire

Filmmakers: Rintu Thomas (Co-Director, Producer) and Sushmit Ghosh
(Co-Director, Producer)

Approximate running time: 60 mins.

In a media landscape dominated by men, the women journalists of India’s all-female Khabar Lahariya (“News Wave”) newspaper risk it all, including their own safety, to cover the country’s political, social, and local news from a women-powered perspective. From underground network to independent media empire—now with 10 million views on their YouTube site—they defy the odds to redefine power.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Rintu Thomas is an award-winning director-producer, whose debut feature documentary, Writing with Fire, won two awards at Sundance ’21 and is a NYT Critics Pick. A 2021 IDA Courage Under Fire Award honoree, Rintu is also an IDA Logan Elevate grantee and a Sundance Fellow.

Sushmit Ghosh is an award-winning director, cinematographer who co-founded Black Ticket Films, a film company invested in the power of storytelling. Sushmit’s debut feature documentary Writing with Fire is a double Sundance award winner. Sushmit is a 2021 IDA Courage Under Fire Award Honoree and a Sundance Fellow.

Unlikely Fan

Filmmakers:
Jeff Bednarz, Sai Selvarajan

Approximate running time:
8 mins.

Sri Lankan born, Dallas-based, retired teacher….and hoops nut. Meet “The Unlikely Fan,” a basketball enthusiast who definitely doesn’t fit any preconceived image. This multimedia documentary is an ode to the power of sport to rally and inspire, to see the art of passing, dribbling, and shooting as balletic, and to share that appreciation with your loved ones. Especially when your loved one is the mother of all b-ball fans.
Sai Selvarajan was born on
a Wednesday night during a coup d’etat. He grew up in Nigeria playing soccer and eating bananas. After a brief stint in the UK, Sai moved with his parents to Dallas at the age of 9. Sai sold his soul to pop-culture and graduated in 2001 from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in Film & Graphic Design. In his last semester, Sai stumbled into stardom with a short film called Blood & Oil and parlayed that into superstardom with a narrative short, Separated by Light. Sai spends his days editing at Video Post and Transfer in Dallas and his nights dreaming, writing, thinking and trying.

What: In-Person Advance Outdoor Screening of Writing with Fire and The Unlikely Fan

When: Saturday, March 19, 2022 from 7 PM to 11 PM

Where: Presa House Gallery, 725 S. Presa St., San Antonio, TX, 78210
Admission: FREE

Ticket Link: https://kinema.com/events/writing-with-fire-rkotu/tickets

Event Link: https://presahouse.com/portfolio/indie-lens-pop-up-writingwithfire

Venue Contact:
(210) 913-5842 or
presahousegallery@gmail.com