KPBS Events

FILM FORUM CORONADO 'Sita Sings The Blues'

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 6 PM

Coronado Public Library

Free

FILM FORUM CORONADO presents “Sita Sings The Blues”
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 6 p.m.

Coronado Public Library (Winn Room)
640 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118
Phone: 619-522-7390
Website: www.coronadolibrary.org

Film & Discussion
Adults
Free

“SITA SINGS THE BLUES” (2008. 82 minutes) - Nina Paley’s audacious, original, cranium-bursting jukebox musical. Using an eclectic array of techniques — cutouts, painting, collage, photos, underground comic books and Yellow Submarine — she mingles an autobiographical tale of romantic woe and mythological travails of Sita, the Hindu Goddess from the epic Sanskrit fable “The Ramayana”. Set to the 1920s cool jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. (Animated). (In English).

FILM FORUM CORONADO is held in the Winn Room at Coronado Public Library, on the first and third Wednesdays, with a brief introduction before the film and a discussion afterward, led by Ralph DeLauro.

FILM FORUM CORONADO is presented by Coronado Public Library, Friends of the Coronado Library and Coronado Island Film Festival.

"Sita Sings the Blues" is based on the Hindu epic "The Ramayana." Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina Paley is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Ramayana. Set to the 1920's jazz vocals of torch singer Annette Hanshaw, "Sita Sings the Blues" earns its tagline as "the Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told." It is written, directed, produced and animated by American artist Nina Paley. "Sita Sings the Blues" was released in 2008 only after long negotiations with the copyright holders of the 80-year-old songs recorded by Annette Hanshaw. Following the experience of almost having her film blocked from distribution, Nina Paley released it freely under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and now devotes a significant portion of her time to free culture activism. She is Artist in Residence at the non-profit QuestionCopyright.org.

Event Supported By

The Coronado Island Film Festival

https://coronadofilmfest.com/

Coronado Public Library

640 Orange Ave.

Coronado, California 92118

619-522-7390

eskelly@coronado.ca.us

The mission of the Coronado Public Library is to acquire and make available a collection of books, audio-visual and other library and information resources to meet the informational, recreational and cultural needs of the community and to actively promote reading, life-long learning and the pursuit of knowledge.