Down Dog
Richard Roll’s satiric look at Los Angeles yoga culture has already begun to take film festivals by storm. At its first showing at the Boulder International Film Festival, Down Dog walked away with the “Best Short Film Award.” What was it about the 22-minute film that viewers found so appealing? Well, for starters, it’s funny. Down Dog pokes fun at the inconsistencies in the yoga community that so often go unmentioned.
The main character of the film, Guru Dave, is heralded as the “yogi-to-the-stars.” This duplicitous yoga teacher swaggers around his studio, waxing spiritual to a riveted troop of physically flawless yoginis. This self-proclaimed enlightened one is caught off guard, however, when he comes across a truly enlightened woman named Grace. When Grace enters Guru Dave’s studio, she sticks out immediately since she is the only woman in the room that looks more like the Buddha than a supermodel. Guru Dave suggests that Grace attend an easier class. Dave’s interactions with Grace reveal the alleged Guru to be closed-minded and spiritually ignorant. Through the exaggerated character of Guru Dave, Down Dog draws attention to the danger of mistaking charisma for holiness.
Shiva Rea’s Latest DVD Offering
Shiva Rea, who has become something of an institution in the California yoga scene is currently working on her latest and most innovative DVD project to date. Produced by Yoga Tribe and Culture Productions, and commissioned by Acacia, a division of Acorn Media, the yoga DVDs (four in total) promise to be a true departure from what has previously been done in the fitness and yoga video/dvd world. The DVDs are shot on location at White Sands National Monument in Alamagordo, New Mexico. The gifted crew includes Director of Photography Sion Michael--whose recent credits include Collateral and Memoirs of a Geisha--as well as producer Mark Stevens and director James Wvinner. Together, they are creating a visual journey that includes stunning scenery, live drumming, Indian and fire dancing, not to mention Shiva’s spectacular, one of a kind yoga sequences and trance dance. The two main DVDs will be titled Trance Dance Including Prana Yoga and Fluid Power. Get ready to sit up and meditate on the spectacular views and feel your original shakti awaken as Shiva once again reunites yoga and dance in a truly awe-inspiring setting.
The Overture
The Overture is a difficult film to classify. It seems to have it all. It is part love story, part political commentary and part coming-of-age-tale. The engaging plotline is driven by the tension between tradition and innovation, specifically as it applies to music.
The Overture follows the life of Sorn, the youngest child in a family of musicians, whose innate musical prowess is recognized from a very young age. When he plays a wooden xylophone called the ranad, he produces sounds that people never thought possible. Sorn’s musical progress is briefly thwarted, however, by circumstances beyond his control. Sorn’s older brother, who is also a musical prodigy, is murdered by rival musicians. In order to protect his youngest son from a similar fate, Sorn’s father forbids Sorn to play the ranad. Through perseverance, however, Sorn convinces his father to allow him to play his beloved instrument.
Sorn encounters his next musical hurdle when he loses a competition to Thailand’s ranad master, Khun In. Although the loss initially leaves Sorn crestfallen, it eventually motivates him to develop an entire new ranad technique. Sorn’s innovative style is tested later in an intense rematch with Khun In.
Khun In, however, is not actually Sorn’s greatest competitor. Instead, the greatest threat to Sorn comes from the Japanese occupation of Thailand. As the 20th century begins, the people of Thailand are under the rule of a group of military leaders whose primary goal is modernization. To these leaders, modernization entails forbidding the very music that has come to define Thai culture for so many people. This riveting tale of cultural change is director Itthisoontorn Vichailak’s adaptation of the true-life story of Thai musician, Luang Pradit Phairao.
The City of Angels Film FestivalBy Robin Palmer
In light of the tragic images we’ve been seeing in the media lately, who wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to be moved to laughter instead of tears? Thanks to the people at the 12th Annual City of Angels Film Festival which runs from October 21-23 at the Directors Guild of America, you’ll soon have your chance. Dedicated to “finding and exploring meaning in even the edgiest cinematic masterpieces,” this year’s theme is Divine Comedy: Spirited Laughter. It will feature ten classic films from around the world such as Duck Soup, Annie Hall and Blazing Saddles in order to explore how comedy helps us cope with even the most severe social problems, including racism and genocide. “Comedy that evokes spirited laughter gives us new leases on hope and love,” says festival director Scott Young. Now, who couldn’t use some more hope and love? - cityofangelsfilmfest.org 626.304.3775
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