The Valley director Saila Kariat feels America is going backwards under President Donald Trump's rule.
Ever since Trump assumed power, a debate on immigrants has been raging in the US, and from the point of view of an immigrant the recent developments in the US is alarming, said Kariat.
“Starting as a child, I immigrated from U.S.-India-Canada-U.S., so I have seen the evolution of attitudes towards immigrants. When I came back to the U.S. in 1984, I felt it was so progressive compared to other countries,” Kariat told IANS.
“However, I find recent developments in the U.S. alarming. The present government is taking the country backwards. To me, it is a clear demonstration of how leadership is so important,” she added.
Kariat's The Valley is about an immigrant family as they deal with the suicide of a loved one. Depression is the key theme addressed in the movie.
“Anxiety and depression are on the rise amongst young adults, and the reasons are complex. I explore this in the movie. I have also seen mental health problems go unaccepted or ignored in the Indian community. There is a lot of stigma, particularly amongst Asians,” the director, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, said.
The film stars Alyy Khan and Suchitra Pillai and it has already swept a lot of awards in the international film festival circuit. The Valley has won accolades in the Berlin International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema, Madrid International Film Festival, Out of the Can Film Festival, and DC South Asian Film Festival.
However, making the movie was not an easy task as she faced hurdles in raising the funding and casting. Kariat could not find the right actors in the US, and she decided to reach out to India and Pakistan, and found her perfect cast in Alyy Khan, Suchitra Pillai and Samina Peerzada.
John Denham
