Queering the Canon: CHUTNEY POPCORN (1999)

A woman. Her girlfriend. A sister. Her husband. Their baby. Director Nisha Ganatra (Late Night, Cosmopolitan) won multiple Audience Awards on the festival circuit for this feature debut – an expertly-crafted comedy about Reena, an Indian-American lesbian who impulsively decides to have a baby for her infertile older sister. Part of Queering the Canon: BIPOC New York $10 Ticket | $8 for Members $18 Weekend Pass | $15 for Members Reena’s enthusiasm about being a surrogate isn’t matched by her uptight sister and mother (played by real life mother and daughter Sakina Jaffrey and Madhur Jaffrey) or her girlfriend (Jill Hennessy), however, and as the plan goes into action it draws out long-simmering tension from all sides of the family, vividly captured by an excellent ensemble cast. 92 min The screening included a special Q&A with the director alongside fellow cast members Sakina Jaffrey and Jill Hennessy, moderated by activist and filmmaker Fawzia Mirza Presented in Partnership with BAMSponsored by BET

Nisha Ganatra