Yesterday was the kick off for the 2011 iteration of New York’s Tribeca Film Festival. Started by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, the festival has grown steadily ever since its inauguration and has hosted films not just bred in New York, but all over the world. There’s a wealth of promising films playing this year and we’ll have film coverage shortly, but for now we bring you the poster for Prashant Bhargava’s World Narrative Competition entry “Patang (The Kite).” Set during the kite festival in Uttarayan, the story follows a family of six as their estranged son, now an adult with his own grown-up daughter, returns with life-changing news.
Bhargava, who got his start making motion design commercials for “The Wire” and “Born Into Brothels,” created his debut feature over a few years and whittling down over 200 hours worth of footage. We have the trailer below and while it doesn’t give any offerings of the narrative or acting, it does show off the visual style quite well (00:33-00:45 is particularly stunning) and whets our appetite nonetheless. For NYers or Tribeca visitors, check the schedule for “Patang (The Kite)” here. The official synopsis, full poster and trailer for the film are all below:
Set against the dynamic and colorful spectacle of India’s largest kite festival, the Uttarayan, The Kite is a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of energy, romance, and family turmoil. After a five-year absence, businessman Jayesh arrives in the vibrant Gujarati metropolis of Ahmedabad for a surprise visit to his once-grand ancestral home, bringing with him his grown daughter Priya and some unexpected news for the family’s future. While Jayesh is greeted with suspicion by the family matriarch Ba, his widowed sister-in-law Sudha, and resentful nephew Chakku, Priya breaks free and begins a flirtation with an earnest young local named Bobby.
A Southern Gothic family saga transposed to India, The Kite weaves the intersecting narratives of its six characters into the lively bustle of the kite festival itself. As Priya wanders the streets among the revelry with a Super 8 camera, her footage too is incorporated into the film’s fabric, making first-time director Prashant Bhargava’s film a sumptuous experience of light, color, and music, as the family comes to terms with its fractured past and fragile dreams.