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Allahabad Girl 's Film releasing in USA today

Birth of a Butterfly

Published by the Northern India Patrika Newspaper (June 10, 2001).

' Birth of a Butterfly ' is a film being screened in San Francisco in the USA today (June 10). Filmmaker Kavita Bali shares the world of a rising corporate Indo-American woman and her discovery of an elusive cultural heritage. Themes of alienation and identity are explored in this poetic portrait of a modern day woman.

Actress Saji Thomas Pierce portrays a modern Indo-American woman in 'Birth of a Butterfly'		Filmmaker Kavita Bali (photo credit: Greg Pak)

Founder of Urban Peacock Productions, Kavita Bali, an Indo-American filmmaker, will be present at the screening of her short film ' Birth of a Butterfly ' on Sunday June 10, 2001 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at the 3rd I (a South Asian Film Series) and NetIP co-screening. This screening will focus on different perspectives on cultural identity as seen through the eyes of various women.

Other films screened include: 'Seven Days to Burn' - an exploration of bi-racial identity; and 'Home' - an exploration of issues of homeland, resettlement and identity as seen through two women's choices and dreams. There will be an informal discussion after the screening.

Born in Allahbad, India, Kavita came to the US at the age of six. Kavita grew up watching Amitabh Bachchan films that were screened on Saturdays during her early teenage years in upstate New York in the 1970's. Though she retained some Hindi, sometimes the language would be as much lost on her as the white-on-white subtitles. As a result, she was soon captivated by the ability of imagery and movement to communicate and convey emotion. By finding means of expression to communicate thoughts, reactions and perceptions clearly and fully, she synthesizes her inner world with that around her and brings the whole to light. She views cinema as an emotionally potent way of ' painting on film '.

Kavita's films have screened in New York, Texas and California. The West Coast premiere of Kavita's short films took place in September 1998 at the WORKS/San Jose Gallery. Here she opened up an exhibit of art by Shakti (a South Asian artists group) with her poetry on the 1992 Los Angeles Riots and her short films. Earlier in April 1997, she had premiered her short film 'Namaste Papaji ' in New York City at NYU's First Run Film Festival while re-locating to Palo Alto. This poetic portrait of an Indo-American family advanced to the finals (top 10) in the Dramatic Original Screenplay category of the student competition at the Houston International Film Festival in 1997. The festival reviewed over 4,500 entries from 26 countries.

Kavita's most recent speaking engagement was at the San Francisco Atrium in March 2001, at the opening of the ' RISD on the Road ' Gallery Exhibit. The lecture, " Cultural Perspectives " showcased images of her photography and ink drawings. Kavita discussed how she utilized and distilled her Indian heritage into her art over the past 20 years.

A veteran designer, Kavita has a BFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and later studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program in the early 1990's. In 2000, with 14 years of design agency and corporate high tech experience under her belt, Kavita started her freelance design business and is also involved in creating an online artist community to bring together artists dealing with cultural heritage issues to foster greater collaborations between generations and 2nd generation immigrant communities. Please feel free to contact Kavita if you are interested in becoming part of this evolving inter-generational community.

	Photograph for CBS Market watch Gallery opening on June 21, 2001 - "My Heritage, My Heart, My Soul", 1993 copyright Kavita Bali

An accomplished artist as well as an active member of the Asian American Women Artists Association, Kavita's photography and drawings have become part of private collections throughout the US. On June 21, 2001, Kavita will be attending the opening of a group exhibit at the CBS Market Watch offices in San Francisco, where her photography and poetry have been selected for display. This gallery exhibit is in association with the Asian American Women Artists Association. The poem, ' Evening's Slumber ' was written one week before the death of Kavita's paternal grandmother whom she last saw in 1993 at the time of her last visit to India.

NOTE: Images from Kavita's film are available as B&W photos and jpegs. If you would like to request an image, please email Kavita Bali at: kavita@urbanpeacock.com.

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Published by the Northern India Patrika Newspaper (Sunday Magazine Edition, June 10, 2001). The newspaper is based in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.