Flesh and Paper

A film by Pratibha Parmar

England | 1990 | 26 minutes | Color | DVD | Order No. 99316

SYNOPSIS

FLESH AND PAPER is a lyrical exploration of the sense and sensibilities of Indian lesbian poet and writer, Suniti Bamjoshi. This moving and powerful portrait of a unique and brave woman weaves Namjoshi’s life and writings into a sensual tapestry.

Born into an Indian royal family, Namjoshi discusses her reasons for leaving India (she fell in love with her best friend), and her experiences as a cultural outsider in the U.S. Showing how “language invents worlds,” her vision as an Indian lesbian feminist is informed both by a lesbian consciousness and a deep Indian cultural framework. A prolific writer who has been widely published in the U.K., Canada and India over the past twenty years, Namjoshi’s poems, fables and novels are characterized by her wit and wry, satirical sense of humor.

Shot on location in Devon, England as well as at the Old Palace in India, the film includes interviews with young Indo-British lesbians, expressive readings and choreographed dance segments. Sharing her life with fellow writer and poet Gilllian Hanscombe, Namjoshi’s passionate correspondence with her love reflects the intimacy and detail of this meditative piece. With great visual beauty and lyricism, FLESH AND PAPER, captures the spirit of Namjoshi’s poetry in an evocative, multi-layered way.

PRESS

"Visually very beautiful...Most striking about it is the overwhelming respect with which Parmar has filmed her subject."

Monica Dorencamp Outweek

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Pratibha Parmar

Pratibha Parmar is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, video artist and professor. Awarded The Visionary Award from the One in Ten Film Festival and the Frameline Film Festival Life Time Achievement Award, Pratibha is Writer/Director/Producer of over 16 documentaries and her films are included in THE PLACE IS HERE (2017) retrospective on 1980's British Black Arts movement, which highlighted issues of race, gender and the politics of representation. Her film SARI RED is retained in the permanent collection at MOMA, NYC and Pompidou Center, Paris. She is the author and editor of several ground breaking books notably, "The Empire Strikes Back: Race and Racism in 1970s Britain," and editor and publisher at Sheba Feminist Press (1980's), the first UK publishers of Audre Lorde. Pratibha was Visiting Artist at Stanford University, Theatre & Performance Studies Department (2013) and is currently an Associate Professor in the film department at California College of the Arts, San Francisco. (07/19)

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