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Pen Points
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Nepot Depot at the White House
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist-one of the 'Gang of Five' who appointed Bush can happily say that his daughter, Janet, has been appointed Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. Another ardent Supreme Court Bush-backer, Antonin Scalia, can now boast that his son, Eugene, has been handed the position of Solicitor General of the Department of Labor. U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), 98, is proud of his recently-graduated 28-year old son, J. Strom Thurmond, Jr., chosen to become U.S. Attorney for South Carolina. Another relatively young dude, David, 35, the son of U.S. Senator Jim Bunning (Kentucky-R) has been nominated to be a Federal Judge. True, he's practiced law for ten whole years. But the American Bar Association recommends that such judges have at least twelve years experience. Bush, however, has moved to eliminate American Bar Association guidelines in the making of his judicial choices. The White House is Nepot Depot.
Sincerely,
Cheers, San Francisco's First South Asian Film Festival, Qfilmistan, Aug. 31, 2001 - Sept. 2, 2001
South Asian queerness in cinema recently got a boost through films like Deepa Mehta's Fire and Nisha Ganatra's Chutney Popcorn. This festival will feature the seminal works that led to films like those, as well as other exciting works that have released since. Some of the films have shown at different film festivals over the year but this is the first time many of them will be seen together. We are particularly excited to be premiering several new films at this historic festival. From the word Kyon (or Q) meaning 'Why' in Hindi and Urdu; and Filmistan meaning 'a land of films', QFilmistan seems to ask, "Why is there a need for a focus on films?" While Q (as in Queer) Filmistan answers that question by offering cinema as space to understand the integral role that being Queer has played in shaping all aspects of our experience as South Asians, in the subcontinent and abroad. The hour-and-a-half long programs of QFilmistan are organized to give the viewers an understanding into five inter-related factors that have shaped the Queer South Asian community's experience : Sex 'N' Fantasy, Travel Log, Family, Icon, and Navel Gazing[/]Nasal Piercings. QFilmistan offers up a wide variety and genre of films/ videos that will ask QFilmistan? and answer, QFilmistan! These films celebrate, reclaim, explain, and entertain- all while expanding our notions of what constitutes Queer South Asian sensibility and experience! Films include a first-time ever look at transsexual life in Pakistan, a story of a first kiss in San Francisco, a look at young diasporan second generation South Asian queers, cyber sex, a hijra's story, coming out to your mother on camera, a rumination on jungle boy star Sabu, rock icons like Freddy Mercury, sex fantasies from Toronto, a tapestry of queerness and exile from the Caribbean as well as drag queens in New York and much much more. And of course some landmark clips from the Bollywood film industry with its hidden (and not so hidden) queer subtext. Filmmakers represented include Pratibha Parmar, Riyad Wadia, Nisha Ganatra, Nish Saran, Ian Iqbal Rashid, Meena Nanji and many exciting up and coming filmmakers. Qfilmistan will happen from August 31, 2001 - September 2, 2001 at the Artists Television Access, 992 Valencia St, San Francisco (at 21st St). For more information please contact TRIKONE at 415-789-7322 Sandip Roy |
FCC Chairman Michael Powell
Trikone presents QFilmistan, the first South Asian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film festival in North America, celebrating creative growth and increasing visibility of our community on and off-screen.
© 1997-2002 BEI