Sita Sings the Blues is a creative approach to the story - it is told from Sita's point of view. As it was created with public funds, the animator/writer has a high quality version online for free.
Go to http://sitasingstheblues.com/ Scroll to the bottom and click the 'Watch it' link
As a narrative, it has three distinct layers that weave together several 'understandings' of the story. Each of these layers has its own animation style. To create a voice for Sita, the author uses public domain blues songs. It's totally accesible for high school students- and I've found that the film speaks to girls and boys equally. (quite a bit of humor in it)
It's also really useful to talk about the politics of heritage and identity -- given that conservative Hindu groups have protested against its public screening. I have found it to provoke really good discussions on what offends, and who asserts a monopoly over getting offended.
Sita Sings the Blues is a creative approach to the story - it is told from Sita's point of view. As it was created with public funds, the animator/writer has a high quality version online for free.
ReplyDeleteGo to http://sitasingstheblues.com/
Scroll to the bottom and click the 'Watch it' link
As a narrative, it has three distinct layers that weave together several 'understandings' of the story. Each of these layers has its own animation style. To create a voice for Sita, the author uses public domain blues songs. It's totally accesible for high school students- and I've found that the film speaks to girls and boys equally. (quite a bit of humor in it)
It's also really useful to talk about the politics of heritage and identity -- given that conservative Hindu groups have protested against its public screening. I have found it to provoke really good discussions on what offends, and who asserts a monopoly over getting offended.
ReplyDelete