Directed by Maria-Saroja Ponnambalam

Co-Edited by Celeste Diamos

Duration 60 min. – English and Tamil (Canada-India, 2013)

• “Winner of Audience Award – Scarborough International Film Festival”
• “Discovery Award Nominee – Calgary International Film Festival”

Mental health struggles are experienced by families all across the world, but conversations about them often occur behind closed doors. In this intimate moving diary, director Maria-Saroja explores the the events that led up to her uncle Pandi’s suicide. Pandi is an aspiring filmmaker from Chennai inspired by Tamil, Bollywood and Hollywood films and characters. After migrating from South India to Canada, he faces multiple challenges exacerbated by working at factory jobs, culture shock and isolation. Through a mix of home videos, interviews with her family, letters, and animated sequences from Pandi’s last script, Ponnambalam uncovers Pandi’s struggle with bipolar disorder throughout the final phase of his life.

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Funding Support: Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council and National Film Board of Canada

Official Selections: Calgary International Film Festival, Tangled Arts + Disability, International Diaspora Film Festival, Scarborough Film Festival (Audience Award Winner), Rendezvous with Madness, Mumbai Women’s International Film Festival, South Asian Visual Arts Centre (SAVAC) screening, Brixton Pound (Brixton, UK), and 20 + community-based screenings across the GTA.