Silicon Valley Film Festival – 2014

Silicon Valley Film Festival was recently held at Plug and Play Center in Sunnyvale.  A series of films and documentaries were presented.  The film festival is organized by a small but passionate group of people committed to providing a venue to filmmakers with a vision of “imagination and creativity for a rapid positive social change”, to help create a better tomorrow.

 

A Chinese film “The Winner” by Director Zhou Wei told a moving story of former boxer Cao Hai who left his boxing career, after an injury, only to return years later, to earn some quick money, to pay for his severely ill daughter’s medical expenses.  He encountered his former opponent’s son, Liu Jin Shui, whose primary ambition was to avenge his father’s enemy.  Although Liu deeply disliked Cao Hai at first, he soon became friends with his precocious and savvy little daughter.  Cao Hai and Liu Jin Shui develop respect and friendship and that finally leads them to a remarkable boxing match in history.

 

English: Boxing Day sunrise at Southbury (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

A short film, “Om Suryanamaha” (Salutations to the Sun), written and directed by Nandini Kanhere, was based on a poem about a young religiously devout village maiden.  She follows the rituals of visit to the temple, reciting memorized prayers, making obligatory offerings, and chanting the verses.  But then she realizes that her compassion and care was required by others as well.  She takes care of elderly person in the village and a pregnant woman and in the process fails to do her rituals in the timely manner.  At first, she is distressed and disheartened but then she experiences a spiritual awakening with the realization that divinity resides not only inside the temple but also in God’s creation outside the temple, and all around her, even within her.

These are just two of many short films and some full length films that were shown. Silicon Valley is the birthplace of innovation and technology, and it is also impacting the world of Film Making and Digital Media.  Silicon Valley Film Festival is providing voice and venue to nascent film makers from around the world.