Real Talkies
🏳️🌈 SHER VANCOUVER AWARD FOR BEST LGBTQ+ FILM 🌟
The International South Asian Film Festival of Canada 2024 is proud to present this year’s Sher Vancouver Award for Best LGBTQ+ Film to AMMA’S PRIDE, directed by Shiva Krish. 🎬
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/59wvbp6k
OCTOBER 2024
We’re thrilled to finally share the exciting news! Amma’s Pride will be showcased at the 25th edition of the prestigious Woodstock Film Festival this October. As an Oscar-qualifying festival, Woodstock is known for championing visionary cinema, and we’re honored to be a part of it. This year, Amma’s Pride is featured in the We’re Out Here shorts category, celebrating bold and transformative LGBTQIA+ stories
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/wx5utmpw
SEPTEMBER 2024
In her interview with PS - Feel Good About It, DESI MOM documentary subject Lakshmi Iyer describes the circumstances that motivated her to become more civically engaged following the 2016 election. Watch the full A-Doc’s Our Stories, Our Voices Microdocs series at bit.ly/adoc-ourstoriesourvoices to see how people and communities have made their voices heard as we approach the 2024 elections.
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/y4wxstt5
AUGUST 2024
We’re thrilled to announce that Desi Mom will be showcased at the New Orleans Film Festival this October! Huge thanks and congratulations to the A-Doc Our Stories Our Voices series team and filmmakers. More updates soon
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/mr3n379w
AUGUST 2024
Join us for a screening of DESI MOM by Chithra Jeyaram followed by a panel "Documenting Good Trouble" where filmmakers, journalists, and narrative strategists help us imagine and remember that a new world is possible and discuss how we all have a role in building power and infrastructure for our multiracial movements.
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/2xhzswxm
AUGUST 2024
11 films you should not miss at the BlackStar Film Festival: “In the short documentary Amma’s Pride, director Shiva Krish shares the journey of Valli as she watches her trans daughter, Srija, fall in love and fight to marry in a traditional small town in south India. The film follows Tamil Nadu’s first registered marriage between a transwoman and a cisgendered man, zooming in on Srija’s biggest supporter, Valli. — HQ
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/43p3py6z
JULY 2024
We’re thrilled to announce that Amma’s Pride will be showcased at the BlackStar Film Festival this August! This year’s films engage with self-discovery, climate justice, immigrant rights, decolonization, and queer liberation. It’s an incredible honor to be part of this prestigious festival in the US.
Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/4unupe5j
JUNE 2024
MORE SCREENINGS
You can watch A Thousand and One Berber Nights on May 24th in Dubai at Cinema Akil and on May 26rh in New York City at Harlem International Film Festival, Maysles Documentary Center
NYC screening tickets: https://shorturl.at/c2T6O
Dubai Screening tickets: https://shorturl.at/laSCm
MAY 2024
AMMA'S PRIDE
Akila Kannadasan spotlights our film, AMMA's PRIDE, and its world premiere at the Krakow Film Festival in The Hindu, an Indian English-language daily newspaper. "This is not your average love story. Of course, it starts with two people falling in love. But what makes it extraordinary is the love of Srija's mother, Valli."
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/ywYqz
MAY 2024
OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES
2024 Asian American Documentary Network Microdocs series - Our Stories, Our Voices, centers around how individuals and communities advocate to have their voices heard in the 2024 elections. I made a bite-sized documentary, "Desi Mom" (2 mins) that's both funny and impactful. It features the one and only Lakshmi Iyer.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/FJT01
MAY 2024
Apolitical mom finds her voice: Lakshmi urges South Asians to shape their children’s and local future.
Desi Mom is part of 2024 Asian American Documentary Network Microdocs series - Our Stories, Our Voices, centers around how individuals and communities advocate to have their voices heard in the 2024 elections.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/ouwH7
MAY 2024
WORLD PREMIERE
AMMA's PRIDE chronicles Valli's trials and tribulations as she watches her trans daughter Srija, fall in love, marry, and fight for state recognition of her marriage in a traditional small town in South India. When societal pressures push Srija’s marriage to the edge, Valli clings to the hope of a miracle.
Link: https://www.krakowfilmfestival.pl/en/film/4349-ammas-pride/?64
MAY 2024
WORLD PREMIERE
"A Thousand and One Berber Nights" a feature documentary that was filmed and edited by Chithra Jeyaram will premiere at the 31st NY African Film Festival on May 17 at Maysles Cinema.
Hearty Congratulations to the film team.
54 minutes | United States | 2023
MAY 2024
VdR Rough Cut LAB
Our Daughters team is very grateful and excited to be a part of the 2023 Visions Du Reel Rough Cut Lab. VdR–Industry is a competitive and prestigious forum dedicated to helping filmmakers realize their creative projects.
Link: https://bit.ly/3Gqt7r8
April 2023
CHICKEN & EGG LAB
Chithra Jeyaram was announced as a grantee of our prestigious 2022 (Egg) celerator Lab. Chithra will receive a $40,000 grant, to be put towards the production of her film Our Daughters, and a year-long mentorship program designed to take her to the next stage of her career.
Link: https://bit.ly/394y3UU
April 2022
NYC WOMEN'S FUND
Chithra Jeyaram received the 2022 NYC WOMEN"S FUND for Media, Music, and Theatre for the project Our Daughters engagement and dedication to community building, and strong potential to make a meaningful contribution to an evolving and expanding documentary field.
March 2022
BGDM ARTIST GRANT
Chithra Jeyaram is a 2021 BGDM Sustainable Artist Grantee. These unrestricted grants support BGDM members whose filmmaking talents dovetail with their clarity of purpose as an artist, engagement and dedication to community building, and strong potential to make a meaningful contribution to an evolving and expanding documentary field.
Link: https://bit.ly/2PE6DvR
March 2021
FOREIGN PUZZLE
Thrilled that our feature documentary Foreign Puzzle won the “Best Documentary Feature” award at the Fayetteville Film Fest. A big thank you to the festival for a great virtual screening and this beautiful recognition.
Link: https://bit.ly/3dMHIPS
Nov 2020
ONLY IN NEWYORK
Thrilled that our feature documentary Our Daughters is part of the DOC NYC film festival's "Only In New York" work-in-progress lineup. DOC NYC Is America's largest documentary film festival.
Link: https://bit.ly/3d1UGam
Oct 2020
SYMBOLIC JUSTICE
Chithra Jeyaram edited the CBSN Originals documentary, "Speaking Frankly | Symbolic Justice with producer Leila Abu-saada and the CBSN Originals team.
Watch: https://bit.ly/3lgHrpf
Sept 2020
IFP PROJECT FORUM
In a year like no other, we feel lucky that Our Daughters will participate in IFP week's "Spotlight on Documentaries" alongside fabulous projects with creators we admire and respect.
Congratulations everyone.
Link: https://bit.ly/3iY66yf
Jul 2020
JOINED FILM FATALES
Chithra Jeyaram became a member of Film Fatales, a nonprofit which advocates for parity in the film industry and supports an inclusive community of hundreds of women and non-binary feature film and television directors nationwide.
Link: https://bit.ly/3eqyIhi
Jun 2020
IFP DOCUMENTARY LAB
Our Daughters is one of the 10 projects selected for their creative vision and outstanding promise. The lab is an year-long intensive and will provide invaluable access to the industry and thought leaders and help us make the best film we can.
Link: https://bit.ly/3107muA
May 2020
SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST
MEET MARKET
Our feature-length documentary, Our Daughters is one of the 48 projects, chosen from over 500 applications, to pitch to international industry representatives at the 15th edition of the MeetMarket.
Link: https://bit.ly/2RKGut4
Apr 2020
MENTAL HEALTH PANELIST
NYWIFT and The D-Word hosted a panel discussion moderated by Doug Block (The D-Word), panelists include Rebecca Day (Producer/ Psychotherapist), Kelsey Koenig (Impact Partner Films), Heidi Reinberg (Documentary filmmaker) and Chithra Jeyaram (Documentary filmmaker).
Link: https://bit.ly/3dlP6OO
Mar 2020
NYSCA GRANT
Received the New York State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Grant for the feature documentary Our Daughters.
Jan 2020
EDITING PANELIST
Chithra Jeyaram was a panelist for a workshop on 'How to create a perfect work sample? The event was co-presented by Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, Women Make Movies and NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with Robin Hessman, Leigh Johnson and Rabab Haj Yahya.
Dec 2019
JEROME GRANT
Received the prestigious Jerome Media Grant for the feature documentary Our Daughters.
Link: https://bit.ly/30ZfECZ
Dec 2019
CAAM GRANT
Received the Center for Asian American Media Grant for the feature documentary Our Daughters.
Link: https://bit.ly/3fL0DsI
Mar 2019
MADE IN NY FELLOW
Received the Made in NY Fellowship for the transmedia project 1001 Breast Cancer Nights. Link: https://on.nyc.gov/2YXpSky
Dec 2018