Schema Magazine

2011 has been declared Canada's Year of India, and although Vancouver seems to have been left off the official events calendar (thanks a lot, Ottawa, geez), we seem to be doing just fine throwing Indian parties of our own. Already this year we've had the Bhangra.me exhibit at the MOV (which is still on, by the way, and you should absolutely go see it), and the Indian Summer Festival. Coming up this weekend we have the South Asian Family Association's cross-cultural Sawan Mela festival, as well as the 38th annual Chariot Parade and Festival of India. Then to round out your week we've got queer films and poetry in a park!

photo courtesy of Vancouver Queer Film Festival

Vancouver Queer Film Festival
Thursday, August 11 - Saturday, 21
Various times and locations

Vancouver's Pride Festival really is the gift that just keeps on giving. This week we have the Queer Film Festival to look forward to, and Schema is just as excited about it this year as we were last year. This year's fest includes an Asian Voices Focus series, which features gripping tales like Call Me Salma, a documentary about a 16-year-old transwoman eking out a living on the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, I Am, which documents filmmaker Sonali Gulati's journey across India interviewing the parents of queer South Asians like herself, and Madame X, a campy dark comedy from Indonesian filmmaker Lucky Kuswandi about a kidnapped "lady-boy" who becomes superhero of sorts, defending the queer community from evil homophobic militants. Check out these and a host of other documentaries, shorts, and full-length features sure to suit your queer tastes!

photo courtesy of Pandora's Collective

Summer Dreams Literary Arts Festival
Saturday, August 13, 11:45 am - 8:00 pm
Lumberman's Arch, Stanley Park

If your dreams of summer involve stretching out in the grass on a sunny day while someone reads you poetry in a gentle and soothing voice, then you're in luck! Pandora's Collective is an organization devoted to promoting all things literary and wonderful in Vancouver, and this weekend they bring you their 8th annual festival of literature and poetry in Stanley Park. In attendance are Canada's first poet laureate, George Bowering, award-winning poets Billeh Nickerson and Jabez Churchill, and author Tariq Malik, and nearly 100 other writers from Vancouver and beyond. When your head gets too crowded with words, there will also be musical performances courtesy of C.R. Avery, The Creaking Planks, and others.

photo courtesy of SAFA Vancouver

Sawan Mela
Saturday, August 13 - Sunday, August 14
Jack Poole Plaza, Vancouver Convention Centre

Bollywood Under The Stars
Sunday, August 13, 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Jack Poole Plaza, Vancouver Convention Centre

"From Bhangra & Bolly to Filmi & Fusion to Giddha and Garba, the team at SAFA will turn Jack Poole Plaza into Little India" — that about says it all, doesn't it? There is also a (FREE) screening of Bollywood favourite Jab We Met If you missed out on the Indian Summer Festival and need your fix of all things Indian, then this is the festival for you. But then there is also...

photo courtesy of Festival of India

Chariot Festival of India
Sunday, August 14, 11:30 am - Dusk
Beach Avenue (Parade), Second Beach (Festival)

...another Indian festival for your pleasure and enjoyment! And this one has a parade! Details on this fest are scant, but it has a parade at the beach, a FREE full course Indian meal, and something called "Multi-Media For The Soul," so it has my vote.

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Genie is an editorial assistant for Schema Magazine and self-appointed seeker-out of Schema-worthy events in Vancouver. She is a certified bookworm with a special fondness for Shakespeare and CanLit. You can follow her on Twitter @geniemak