Invitation to film fundraiser, Sept. 6, 6 PM, Washington, DC

[Henry Schwarz]

Dear Friends of Budhan,

A Special Invitation

You are invited to an exclusive work in progress screening and reception to raise money for an exciting new documentary film by Shashwati Talukdar and P. Kerim Friedman, produced by Georgetown professor Henry Schwarz. Please join with the filmmakers and actors on Tuesday Sept. 6th, from 6 - 8PM at the home of Andrew Rubin

2853 Ontario Road NW
Apt. 503
Washington, DC 20009

Dakxin and Uttar Bajrange will be honored guests.

RSVP: Henry.S...@gmail.com

Kindly open the attachment in Word or visit our website for more information and to donate online.

www.dontbeatmesir.com

About the Film

Please Don’t Beat Me, Sir! is a film about a troupe of young Chhara actors using theater to fight police brutality and the stigma of criminality.  The Chhara are one of 198 communities in India, over sixty million people, whose grandparents were labeled “born criminals” by the British.  Although the British are long gone, the stigma still remains.

Our guides through the twisting streets of Chharanagar, the urban ghetto where the Chhara live, are Roxy and Dakxin. Roxy's father was beaten to death for speaking out against the police. His best friend, Dakxin, was thrown in prison for writing and directing street plays about police brutality. Yet, despite everything, they continue to speak out and perform their plays. From busy street corner protests to a nerve-wracking performance in front of cadets at the Police Academy, Please Don't Beat Me, Sir! takes us inside the lives of these young people as they use theater to carve out a place for themselves in the world.

The film brings us inside Chhara society. Former nomads, they are outside of the caste system. Yet social prejudice keeps these talented young people from succeeding in mainstream society. It is a film about a society in transition: the older generation did whatever it took to make ends meet, but they want a better life for their children. Dakxin's Dadi (grandmother), tells us about life in the government-run prison camps. Having internalized British stereotypes, she can't understand why her grandchildren don't steal. With social prejudice blocking all exits, for some young people theater offers the only way out.

Hope to see you there,

Henry

-- 
Henry Schwarz
Professor
English Department
Georgetown University
Washington, DC 20057
414-795-0017
Profile: http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/schwarzh/?PageTemplateID=155
Recent book: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405120576.html
Nightlife: http://lannan.georgetown.edu/
Publishing: The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Postcolonial Studies (3 vols.)

<Don't Beat Me Sir Invitation.doc>