Sujata Day reached the breaking point. There was a year during pilot season when all of the Indian American female roles were tied to some kind of arranged marriage plotline, she tells the American-Statesman over the phone last week. “I was just like, ‘Oh my god, I can t do this anymore,’ because me and my Indian American friends growing up, that s not something that we ever experienced with our parents or our families. Although there are some great movies and TV shows that have a plot line like that, it just doesn t have to be every single plot line.”
So, Day started writing her own roles. The Pittsburgh native makes a star turn as Monica Chowdry, a former spelling bee champ turned slacker, in the comedy-drama “Definition Please.” She also directed and produced the film, which will be the closing night feature for the Austin Asian American Film Festival’s virtual/in-person hybrid event this year.
Night on Sixth, the new Austin-made comedy from first-time feature director Mohit Jaswal, one of the first films announced for this year s drive-in branch of the Austin Asian American Film Festival, running June 4-20.
The Austin Asian American Film Festival is back for 2021, and you can catch it all from the comfort of your own seat - whether it s at home, or in your car. The festival will be going virtual for most of its titles (to be announced later this month), but its headliners and special events will be at the drive-in and outdoor screenings.
The fest (running June 4-20) opens with a drive-in screening of Antoinette Jadaone s