Nina Paley Interview on “Sita Sings the Blues”
Friday, October 17th, 2008
The Los Angeles screening of Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues was a triumphant success. Not only did the film sell out at REDCAT, but there was a line about 30 deep around the corner waiting to get in this past Monday night. The crowd loved the film! It’s a real testament to the remarkable film Nina has made. If you have not yet seen the film, please make sure to visit www.ninapaley.com where you can find a list of upcoming festivals where it will be screening.
Nina was unable to attend the screening, but she was so kind as to answer a few questions for us. Thanks Nina!
How would you describe the style of animation you have employed in the film?
2-D vector with some 2-D raster. I used several visual styles: a colorful cut-out style mixing fantasical cartoony “ancient India” motifs with Bollywood/Busby Berkley/Fleischer influences; fake shadow puppets inspired by traditional Indonesian, Malaysian, Cambodian, Thai and Indian designs; collages from pieces of printed Hindu devotional cards; fake Mughal miniature paintings (hand-painted by me using watercolor on parchment); straight-ahead free-hand animating in Flash; and hand-traced rotosope.
What prompted you to tell a story based on the Ramayana?
Oh my goodness. I moved to Trivandrum, India in 2002, following my then-husband. I read the Ramayana for the first time there, and was puzzled by what at first seemed like Sita’s extraordinarily submissive
behavior in the story. Then I went on a business trip to New York, and my husband dumped me by email. That changed my whole understanding of Sita and the Ramayana. I also heard the songs of Annette Hanshaw at that time, and everything came together.
How long did it take you to make this film?
3 years of work spread over 5 years of time.
What’s next for you after all the screenings are over? I hear you’re helping a fellow animator edit down a film. Is that correct?
Nope, but I’m available. I’m so busy trying to keep “Sita” going, it’s a full-time job except it doesn’t pay. I might write a graphic novel about my experiences with film festivals, the Movie Biz, the Law, and bed bugs. It’s been quite a year.
Where are you based?
New York, at the moment.
What is your current involvement with DUCK? Any DUCK-related projects coming down the pike?
If anyone sees my work on DUCK’s reel and says “I want Paley!” I am so there. It hasn’t happened yet, and I’ve been too busy to pitch, but I’m very happy to be represented that way. Mark Medernach has been a
huge supporter of “Sita,” and you can tell from the roster of DUCK animators that he understands and supports animation as art, not just commerce.
Has your film been a finalist or winner of any awards?
“Best Feature Film” Annecy International Animation Festival 2008
“Best American Feature” Avignon Film Festival 2008
“Best Script” (!) Athens International Film Festival 2008
Honorable Mention, “Best Animated Feature” Ottawa Animation Festival
2008
Special Mention, Generation 14-Plus, Berlinale 2008
Do you have a distribution deal in place?
Not yet, but it will probably be released in France before the US.
Do you think Sita could work on a TV channel in India like Hungama, or would your interpretation of the Ramayana be considered too liberal?
The political climate in India makes “Sita” a risky proposition there, but some Indian festival directors are interested. They have to get it past their committees, which are rightfully anxious about possible controversy. The film presents the Ramayana as several stories in several traditions, while certain Hindutva nationalist parties in India insist there’s only one Ramayana - theirs - and attack any dissent. Salil Tripathi recently wrote an article about exactly this in the Far East Economic Review.
