FILMMAKER, SHARAT RAJU
In his brief career as a filmmaker, Sharat has already earned a reputation
for creating unique films that have explored the intersections of race,
identity, spirituality and violence. His first two films confronted divisions
in post-9/11 America through accessible characters and personal stories.
Sharat graduated in 2003 from the American Film Institute Conservatory with
an MFA in directing. His thesis film, American Made, earned both of the top
two awards from AFI before it went on to win a total of seventeen awards
at nearly forty film festivals around the world. Accolades in 2004 included
Tribeca Film Festival Student Visionary Award, Aspen Shortsfest Audience
Favorite, San Diego Film Festival Best Short Film, and an award for Excellence
in Short Filmmaking from BAFTA.
In 2006, the national broadcast debut of American Made
on the PBS programIndependent Lens drew one million viewers – the
first fictional portrayal on television of a Sikh family in post-9/11 America.
Sharat and his feature screenplay Sacred Grounds were
accepted into the Film Independent 2007 Directors Lab. A graduate of the
University of Michigan, he has given guest lectures about the technical
merits and thematic elements of both American Made and Divided
We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath at universities, colleges and high schools.
He is a US delegate at INPUT 2007 – an international
conference of public television producers and filmmakers held in Switzerland.
In addition to his work as a writer-director-producer,
Sharat has numerous feature film credits, including as a casting assistant
on Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, and 8 Mile. Divided We Fall is
Sharat’s first feature-length
film and documentary.
Sharat is currently working as a directing fellow with the Disney-ABC Television
Group.
AMERICAN MADE (SHORT FILM)
In their American made car, the Singh family is on the road
taking the great American family trip - the Grand Canyon. And, like most
any father, Anant is pretty certain he can navigate his way through the smaller
roads to take in the scenery and avoid the over-crowded interstate.
He was
wrong. Their SUV breaks down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
Anant, Indian born wearing a traditional turban, sees this as just another
challenge - an opportunity to save the family and tell great stories about
their escape from danger. He tries to fix the car. His wife, Nageena, is
annoyed. Not only did she insist on taking the interstate, but also she is
pretty certain that this will be the last family trip since her oldest son
is moving away to New York.
That son, Jagdesh, just wants to get his cell phone to work so they can
get some help, get on the road, get the trip over with, and head to Manhattan
to start his new job. His brother, Ranjit, is a high school kid, and like
most teenagers would rather be anywhere than with his parents. Especially
not stranded in the middle of nowhere.
It becomes apparent to Anant that he cannot repair
the car. So, he decides to wave down one of the infrequent cars that passes
by instead. No one stops. Anant, undaunted, plans to try again. Ranjit
isn't so sure. He says, "Dad,
no one is going to stop because you look like a terrorist."
And so begins
American Made, a conflict between a father and a son, assimilation versus
identity, faith versus compromise. Entirely on the side of the road in the
American desert beneath a steadily setting sun.
