 |
 Home |
Films |
Multimedia |
Donate |
| Mission |
Staff |
Newsletter |
Partners |
|
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Subscribe to The Brown Bag by sending an email to mailinglist@brownscapeprod.com Dear Reader, If you are reading this now, you are probably a friend of Brownscape Productions. If you are not, you shouldbe! We are on the cusp of launching something very big and exciting, and we want you to be a part of the action! Brownscape's Mery Diaz has taken over the position of Project Director/Newsletter Editor. Mery will be overseeing the production of our new on-line monthly newsletter, The Brownbag. This fuller and fancier newsletter is replacing our other version, but one thing has not changed- our mission to inform the world of Brownscape's multimedia projects and draw the focus to minority-based creative endeavors. We hope you enjoy our many articles by our talented staff writers. As always, we appreciate your Sudha Narasimhan Featured Story: Made In India? by Mery Diaz
On February 9th, 2006, a synergetic evening of music, comedy, poetry, and art was held in honor and support of the much awaited public introduction of Made In India?, the first in line of the many projects spearheaded by Brownscape Productions. The Made In India? fundraiser was not only an attempt to raise funds for purposes of a wider product distribution, but also a celebration of what has been a long road of growing pains, hard work, dedication, and, above all, the belief in the message the film aims to deliver. Made In India?, a 60 min. feature length film completed in February 2006, is an ethnographic project that focuses on culture from a personal level. Director Deepti Paul states, “This film documents my quest for cultural and emotional balance as I survey my family and my two distinct homelands (India and New York). Through this documentary, I strive to learn how to bridge the gap between my American life and my Indian life. I discover that perhaps, it is simply a matter of having pride in my past, acceptance of my present, and hope for my future.” Deepti functions not only as the director of the film, but also as the film’s main character, editor, and lyricist! What the film has become, however, is far different from how it began. Made in India? has experienced a vast transformation since its original conception. Despite the initial partnering and motivation behind it, the film has risen from the conflicts of creative differences, complete with a new title, to become a compelling product detailing the balance between culture and compromise. Through the shared vision of Deepti Paul and Sudha Narasimhan (producer), a newfound synergy has emerged, and has since become the motto of all Brownscape endeavors. The cohesive partnership between Sudha and Deepti has developed into a film that is most honest to their experiences and to the story they are eager to share. “Family issues transgress culture…so this is a story everyone can relate to. I’ve learned I am not alone in this experience,” states Deepti. Sudha adds, “Being Indian means many different things. One tends to forget these specificities of identity living in America.” Currently, the film has been submitted to 15 festivals, and is awaiting 10 more submission decisions during the 2006 year. Although there have not been any formal acceptances at this time, the filmmakers, as well as fans of the project, are hopeful that it will be well received. Inspired to keep pace with the flow of their work, Deepti and Sudha are open to other mediums as means of distribution, and are considering submissions to television networks like PBS, as well as alternative medias like POV, ITVS, iFilm, and podcasting. The Brownscape family wishes this project and its creators much luck and success! For more information or donations please visit brownscapeprod.com/mii
The next filmic project on the Brownscape agenda is Browntown, a feature-length narrative. Still at the scriptwriting stage, the movie will feature the adventures of Indian-born NYPD detective Srinivasan Ravichandran and his partner Ana Ramirez, a New Yorker with Caribbean roots. The pair is assigned to investigate racially motivated crimes, and the film will address racism and minority issues in America today. New York’s diverse streets are the perfect backdrop to the story, as minority characters step out of the shadows of background roles to take center stage. Although fun is sure to be poked at the pair, serious issues will be raised regarding our perceptions and expectations of social norms, in both life and art. While the film promises to represent a particularly minority experience, its appeal will be far more broad. According to chief scriptwriter Sudha Narasimhan, the underdog, the disenfranchised, and the alienated are all represented. As Sudha puts it, the target audience is “anyone who has ever felt different”. We can all identify with that! While using humor and subtle inversion of traditional roles to get their message across, writer Sudha and returning director Deepti Paul won’t be afraid to get gritty on the streets of the fictional Queens precinct in their aim to “keep it real.” Sudha lists her screenwriting influences as tough ‘70s cop dramas like The French Connection, Serpico, and Dirty Harry. More recently, she cites Law and Order SVU as a good template for the male-female detective partnership dynamic. The project currently has a summer production target, with a tentative 2007 release date. Dependent on a favorable response to the original, the ever-ambitious Sudha and Deepti hope to expand Browntown into a trilogy of films. For now though, it will be interesting to see how the evolving first installment turns out. Don’t forget to keep your eyes on The Brownbag for regular progress reports.- noel@brownscapeprod.com
D-aRts by Josh Moore As a twenty something, it is hard to believe that a 15 year-old could have anything to teach me. Yet, while attending a performance of D-aRts in Washington Heights, I was proven dead wrong. I was shown that truth can come in many colors and ages, and that the philosophies of bright young minds struggling to find their place in the world can be far more sincere and compelling than those of the world’s more seasoned inhabitants. The brainchild of Susan Diaz and some of her closest friends, D-Arts is a non-profit after-school arts initiative for youth ages 14 to 20. With a focus on getting youth involved with the arts, performance opportunities include spoken word, fine arts, dance, music and fashion. “We are trying to give kids an embracing and loving space where they can creatively and openly express themselves and be inspired and moved by others,” says Diaz. Currently D-aRts meets every month at a bookstore on 200th street in Manhattan, but will soon have to find new space due to the growing number of both teenagers and adults who are participating. “Eventually we would like to have our own café space,” states Diaz, “to serve as a safe productive space for youth to spend their time after school.” Although operating as a Washington Heights teen-based program, D-aRts draws its members from all age groups, and from all boroughs. “I came to realize just how hungry these kids are for an outlet,” said Diaz in an interview after a performance. She is correct. With very little funding being given to desperately needed after-school and arts programs serving inner-city youth, D-aRts is providing a profound and much needed service for our kids and for our city. After seeing the performance, it seems likely that D-aRts will serve as more then a safe after-school space. With young minds eager to create and express their struggle, D-aRts has the potential to become much more. For more information to the D-aRts please logon to: www.dartscafe.com
Introducing Soul of a Foodieby Ines Saldana Like most stories, mine will start at the beginning. My passion for food is part of my familial inheritance and what bonds and ties me to “la familia.” My fondest childhood memories all revolve around my mother preparing food. I can still see my mom in the kitchen, all four stove burners going at once. I can hear the clap-clapping of my mom flatting corn dough into tortillas and the crisp sound of meat sizzling as it hits the hot oil. This full sensory experience is what sparked my desire to try new ingredients, and motivates me to research restaurants with the same earnest diligence as if I were conducting academic research. It is with this same zeal that I follow chefs as if I were a groupie. This past Saturday my husband Thomas and I decided to take a daylight walk through the lower east side. Most of the time when we frequent the area it is during the night time hours, when we are too rushed trying to make dinner reservations to notice the character of the buildings or the myriad of boutiques and other gentrifying establishments that have overtaken the area. Our first stop was The Dumpling House on Eldridge Street. It is a tiny place with only a few tables inside, a small counter where orders are taken and a window looking out onto the sidewalk for orders on the go. There was a long line with locals from Chinatown, a few tourists and some “hipsters” that looked like they had just rolled out of bed at four o’clock in the afternoon. The sparse menu is prominently displayed outside and consists of dumplings, soups and sandwiches called sesame pancakes. Thomas and I ordered the beef sesame pancake for $1.50 and an order of pork and chive dumplings for $1.00. The sesame pancake was warm and doughy, filled with parsley, shredded carrots, drizzled with a marinade, and topped with slices of beef. The beef slices looked a bit unappetizing containing numerous rings of fat, but and having a dark brown color that made the slices look like worn leather. However, being the adventurous eaters that we pride ourselves in being, we ate the sesame pancake with childish delight. The sesame pancake was good, the bread never got too soggy with the marinade and the carrots were crisp and fresh. The flavor of the beef slices were indistinguishable, nevertheless the next time we go we will have the sesame pancake sans the beef. The pork dumplings on the other hand were great- not too greasy, very generous in size, and the meat was flavorful. I would definitely stop by The Dumpling House again if I was in the area, but I wouldn’t make a special trip to go to the Dumpling House. After eating our lunch we decided to have a sweet, and headed towards Doughnut Plant on Grand Street. The Doughnut Plant is a small shop with the most delightful and tasty donuts I’ve had in all of New York. They have flavors I never thought were possible or never thought about trying! Here again, there was a huge line outside, mostly with regulars who knew exactly which flavors to order, and the line moved quickly. By the time Thomas and I made it inside, most of the donuts were gone except for the hazelnut and orange flavored donuts. We decided not to overindulge our cravings and just ordered one hazelnut donut. This hazelnut donut was the best donut I have ever tasted. The dough was almost the consistency of a warm baguette, yet still light and airy enough to be considered a donut. The hazelnut chocolate was sweet, yet not so overpowering as to require a gallon of water to wash it down or leave you with a stomachache afterward. It was perfect! We finished our donut and literally licked our fingers. This would definitely be a place we’d come to again. Now satisfied with full stomachs, we decided to head home. ines@brownscapeprod.com
NEW TALENT ALERT!!! Brownscape Productions is proud to draw your attention to New York City-based singer/songwriter Stewart Lewis' debut novel, Rockstarlet, available now! Rockstarlet tells the story of Jackson Poole, an up-and-coming pop star who struggles with whether or not to disclose his sexual identity in the face of intense public and private scrutiny. Lewis' descriptions of Jackson's struggles are brilliant, and his comic timing is impeccable. Please be sure to visit www.amazon.com for ordering details, or check out Stewart's website, www.stewartlewis.com for information on Stewart's new EP, The Chemical, also available now! Brownscape congratulates Stewart on this thoughtful and provocative debut novel. THE TIME AFTER THE TSUNAMI - Everyone has heard about the 2004 Asian tsunami. From the record breaking waves to the breath taking live video and the phenomenal death toll, stories of heroism, humanity and compassion have often been told about that terrible day in December. But what about the time before the storm, when disaster preparations were supposed to be made? The Time After the Tsunami, a film by K.P. Sasi, “documents the complete lack of disaster preparedness on the part of the Indian government and the sham that goes by the name of relief and rehabilitation. The film was shot during an informal tribunal that was held to offer the victims of South India the opportunity to give testimonials on the rehabilitation efforts 6 months after the tsunami had hit. Though mainly focused on the ineptness of the Indian government to help its own people before, during, and after such a horrific time, the film also serves to highlight the extraordinary resilience and spirit of the countless survivors- a spirit that refused to be broken despite this unique and devastating tragedy.” For more info please visit: http://www.visualsearch.org/films-available/tsunami.htm ASIAN COMEDY SHOW - Brownscapes' own Sudha Narasimhan will be the MC for an upcoming show at The Asia Society on April 20th, 2006. This showcase will be featuring New York City’s newest Asian talents. Audience members will also have the opportunity for a Q&A session with the comics after the show. The Asia Society and Museum is located at 725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street) New York, NY 10021Tel: (212) 288-6400. For more information please visit: http://www.asiasociety.org/visit/newyork.html
"Billa" by Anna Paul He had forgotten. Forgotten what it felt like, smelled, tasted, and sounded like. He munched hungrily at his plate of food. Food was good. Real good. Before he could reach his last morsel of food or be close to his last bite, his plate was hurriedly filled by the strange humans standing giddy-like around him. He heard them make plans. Plans about him. “Lets keep him!” a small one cooed. “I don’t know....” a larger one stared at him, a calculating look crossing her face, “he may not want to stay.” He didn’t care really. Let them make their plans, let them say what they want. He wasn’t staying here and there was nothing these humans could do to stop him. Although, for the moment, their food was rather good and he supposed staying for just a day or two in perhaps a warm bed wouldn’t really hurt anyone–least of all himself. As the food kept coming, he felt his limit was eminent. He was, if nothing else, a descent and respectful creature and throwing up on these theses strange humans floor would be anything but polite. Quietly he backed away from the plate and yawned in an engorged manner, as is polite in his society and quickly began cleaning his hands. The humans continued their oddity by cooing and awing even louder by his actions. Even the big one seemed unable to show restrain as she showed her colossal teeth. “Please mommy? Please?” the small humans relentlessly badgered the large human, tugging at her shirt at every other turn. Letting out a sigh of defeat, the large human finally said, “All right. All right! He can stay. But you two have to look after him.” she added, eyeing them closely. Between screams and shouts, “yes, mommy! Of course mommy!” was added. Then one of the small humans bowed down next to him and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you.” The other one nodded feverishly next to her, obviously trying to show their combined enthusiasm for their new project it seemed. Showing his indifference to the situation he simply turned around and sat upon their couch that seemed to call to him–it was that comfortable. Lying his head down, as drowsiness took over his eyes he heard one of the small ones whisper in his ear. “We’ll call you Billa.” |
©2006 Brownscape Productions LLC |
Introduction: 
