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The San Jose Museum of Art will present a special screening of the acclaimed animated film "Sita Sings the Blues" (2008, 82 minutes, unrated) at Camera 12 Downtown San Jose. Nina Paley directed the film based on the epic Indian tale, the Ramanyana. The screening, part of the Museum’s “Creative Minds” series, will be followed by a private tour of the exhibition "Roots in the Air, Branches Below: Modern and Contemporary Art from India" at the Museum. The exhibition features imagery of Sita and other epic figures. The film is unrated; parental guidance is suggested.
In her film, Paley set the story of Sita, a character revered for her chastity, to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. The director connected the tale to her own experiences of life, love, and relationships. Sita Sings the Blues has been hailed for its “beguiling, consistently inventive visuals and sly yet melancholy tone” (Village Voice). The New York Times called the film “affecting, surprising, and a lot of fun.”
The program is offered in connection with the exhibition Roots in the Air, Branches Below: Modern and Contemporary Art from India, a landmark survey of Indian art from 1947 to the present. The exhibition includes works by internationally renowned artists M.F. Husain, Sayed Haider Raza, Tyeb Mehta, Bari Kumar, Jitish Kallat, Rina Banerjee, and others.
