Sita Sings the Blues

An astonishing blend of animation and song that tells "the greatest break-up story ever told!”

On Thursday, June 18, ReelTime @ The Radio Room will present a screening of cartoonist Nina Paley’s award-winning debut feature SITA SINGS THE BLUES.

In ancient India, the poet Valmiki conceives the influential epic Ramayana, in which Sita, the loving, faithful and dutiful wife of Rama, must prove her fidelity by enduring many tests.  In the modern day United States, cartoonist Nina Paley suffers the rejection of her beloved husband who, after transferring to India for work, decides to end their marriage via email.

For Paley, introduced to the Ramayana while on an ill-fated trip to India to visit her then-husband, the romantic parallels of such unlikely figures were too uncanny to ignore. 

Fueled by the soulful sounds of 1920s jazz vocalist Annette Hanshaw, Paley –- who at that point had only dabbled in short film -- took on the tremendous challenge of crafting a feature-length animated depiction of lost love and personal triumph armed with nothing more than a laptop computer.

It took five painstaking years for Paley to realize her vision.  Her fortitude resulted in the brilliant cohesion of two juxtaposing love stories that bursts forth in an explosion of vibrant color and impressive visual artistry propelled by Hanshaw’s coquettish voice.

SITA SINGS THE BLUES blends various forms of history -– literary, musical and intensely personal –- with stunning CG animation, coalescing in an immensely entertaining spectacle whose ultimate tragedy is consistently tempered by generous doses of humor and self-deprecation.  In doing so, SITA earns its mark as “the greatest break-up story ever told.”

“It is astonishingly original. It brings together four entirely separate elements and combines them into a great whimsical chord.” – Roger Ebert

But the story does not end there.  Despite enjoying a successful festival run and accumulating scores of awards and rave reviews, SITA SINGS THE BLUES will likely never achieve a theatrical release due to one overriding obstacle -– the exorbitant price tag for obtaining music rights.

Paley’s plight to get her project out to audiences exemplifies the urgent need to revamp current copyright laws, antiquated in this age of digital technology.  But it also exemplifies the innovative movement among artists of bypassing traditional methods of distribution to cultivate audiences and generate compensation for their work.

The ReelTime @ The Radio Room film series provides one such avenue for independent projects by creating a venue for films like Paley’s and making them available to Grand Valley audiences. 

The series features a new independent film the third Thursday of each month with a 7 pm presentation.  Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the door.  Seating is limited, so patrons are encouraged to arrive early. Patrons are also encouraged to stay after the film for a discussion.

have a child or student interested in film?  Click here to learn about the ReelTime Film Camp this summer...

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