Sita Sings the Blues

Donate to the filmmaker here: http://questioncopyright.org/sita_distribution#donate

Buy DVDs, etc, here: http://questioncopyright.com/sita.html

"Sita Sings the Blues" is based on the Hindu epic "The Ramayana". Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina Paley is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Ramayana. Set to the 1920's jazz vocals of torch singer Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as "the Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told." It is written, directed, produced and animated by American artist Nina Paley.

"Sita Sings the Blues" was released in 2008 only after long negotiations with the copyright holders of the 80-year-old songs recorded by Annette Hanshaw. Following the experience of almost having her film blocked from distribution, Nina Paley released it freely under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and now devotes a significant portion of her time to free culture activism. She is Artist in Residence at the non-profit QuestionCopyright.org.

If you'd like to help pay off the $50,000.00 loan she took out to pay the music monopoly fee, you can donate to the Sita Distribution Project (tax-deductible in the US) at http://questioncopyright.org/sita_distribution#donate . Donations to that project go exclusively to that purpose and other expenses Nina incurred in releasing the film. You can also purchase DVDs, prints, shirts, and other Sita-related merchandise at http://questioncopyright.com/sita.html ; revenue is shared with Nina Paley.

For more about the film and about Nina Paley's other work, see http://sitasingstheblues.com .

For more about how retroactive copyright restrictions almost prevented the release of the film, see this interview with Nina Paley: http://questioncopyright.org/nina_paley_sita_interview .

For more information about QuestionCopyright.org and its projects, please see our web site: http://questioncopyright.org .

QuestionCopyright.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and donations are fully tax-deductable to the extent permitted by law. You can support our work at http://questioncopyright.org/donate .

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• film
• ramyana
• international
• animation
• day
• movie
• india
• bollywood

[JSDC007]

I'm Hindu and I found Nina Paley's interpretation wonderful, engaging, funny, and thought provoking. Those who protest lack imagination and think that they have the monopoly on how religion ought to be embraced by people. Hinduism in its truest form is all about interpretation of the divine by the self; it's not about preaching by idiots with a stick up their ass.

[almishti]

We jusy watched this today in my Religion and Art in South Asia class. the teacher grew up Hindu. He loves this movie. I think everyone in the class loved it. It shows that humans feel the same things all through the ages, and that the gods are not really so different from us, or we from them. It makes them relatable. Anyone who thinks this movie is somehow mocking Hindu beliefs, or who is not charmed by the genuine human feeling of this movie is missing a piece of their soul. Go find it.

[XxXmomoliciousXxX]

GASP!!! Uploaded on my birthday!! I LOVE this story!! It's my all-time favorite! Thank you!!

[IPunchaUInTheFace]

@GoldenStat3 The point behind it is that it's copyright free. Maybe you'd find the artist behind it is more interesting than the movie itself.

[IPunchaUInTheFace]

Well, if the internet dies because of SOPA/PIPA, at least I'll still be able to watch this.

[cheekieweekie]

RIP manish - the shadow puppet in the spacesuit - died dec 2, 2010 falling from a horse.

[devild3091]

Raavan has 9 heads in one scene :P lol

@):):0:27:16

[lewa3910]

Awesome film. Nice to see some asian animation that's not anime-esque (even if i like that too)

[GoldenStat3]

near the end the blues was unbearable. I didnt see any message or point to this movie. I dont understand the hype behind this movie. Overall it was pointless to watch

[havefaith68]

The animation is a must see for both its ability to say a story the irony and craftmanship. The parallel drawn, similarities clear and music is fantabulous!

[blandonlaguna]

Nices done!!

[cheekieweekie]

This film is utterly beautiful and deeply moving. I'm swept away and deeply in gratitude to Ms. Paley for sharing such a soulful and profound work.