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Seven Hours to Burn
10 minutes | Teen | 1999 | 
United States of America
The narrator, daughter of an Indian man and a Danish women, recounts family and world history while waiting for the cremation of her grandmother to complete.
SynopsisThe filmmaker explores her Danish mother’s and Indian father’s experiences of two different wars based on ethnic/religious purity. It’s the turbulent 1940’s: Nazi-occupation in Denmark and Hindu/Muslim riots affect two teenagers’ worldview. Ghostly war footage is interwoven with ethereal body-scapes and lush, sensual abstractions.
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Directed by
Shanti Thakur -
Written by
Shanti Thakur -
Produced by
Shanti Thakur - Seven Hours to Burn Website
Written by: Shanti Thakur
Produced by: Shanti Thakur
Cast
Sushila: Shivaani SelvarajHari: Thomas Ponniah
Ruth: Kara Barnes
Narrator: Shanti Thakur
Crew
Cinematographer: Shanti ThakurTitle Designer: Sal Malimo
"Exceptionally imaginative...dreamlike...a visually compelling film." Paul Curci Philadelphia City Paper
"Impressionistic cinematography is juxtaposed with searing archival images while spare narration combines with a nuanced sound design. The viewer is swept into the mood of the piece and must consider the long-lasting effects--both internal and external --of conflict and change." Kristine Samuelson Stanford University
“Shanti Thakur brings her biracial sensitivies to bear on historical traumas that shaped her parents' separate, but parallel, experiences. Images of past ethnic and religious "cleansing" come poignantly to the fore as she sits by her Indian grandmother's corpse burning on the banks of the Ganges, and seeks peace (her name) for herself, her family, and the world.” Rosane Rocher University of Pennsylvania
“Shanti Thakur brings her biracial sensitivies to bear on historical traumas that shaped her parents' separate, but parallel, experiences. Images of past ethnic and religious "cleansing" come poignantly to the fore as she sits by her Indian grandmother's corpse burning on the banks of the Ganges, and seeks peace (her name) for herself, her family, and the world.” Rosane Rocher University of Pennsylvania
New York Expo of Short Film -- Best Short Documentary (Won)
Columbus International Film & Video Festival -- Bronze Plaque (Won)
Black Maria Film and Video Festival -- Director's Choice Award (Won)
WorldFest Houston -- Bronze Plaque (Won)
Big Muddy Film Festival -- Honorable Mention (Won)
Ann Arbor Film Festival
Aspen Shortsfest
DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival
Humboldt International Film Festival
Philafilm - Philadelphia International Film Festival
Athens International Film and Video Festival, Ohio, USA
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Nashville Independent Film Festival
Brooklyn Arts Council Film Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival
Maryland Film Festival
Leipzig DOK Festival
Vermont International Film Festival
Shorts International Film Festival
Asian American International Film Festival
Short Shorts Film Festival (Tokyo)
Tampere International Short Film Festival
SouthSide Film Festival
Nextframe Film Festival -- Best Editing (Won)
Nextframe Film Festival -- Best Short Documentary (Won)
Cinewomen New York -- Best Short Documentary (Won)
Dhaka International Short & Independent Film Festival
Right to Have Rights Film Festival
THAW Film Festival
BBC British Short Film Festival
One World Film Festival
Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival
Santa Cruz Documentary Film Festival
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Northwest Film & Video Festival
Robert Flaherty Film Seminar
NYC Museum of Modern Art
Cinematheque Ontario
Margaret Mead Film Festival
Philadelphia City Paper's Independent Film Contest -- Best Short Documentary (Won)
Pacific Film Archives
Museum of Natural History
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
AIR Gallery, NYC
Independent Feature Project: Short Film Showcase, NYC
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Director
Shanti Thakur
