The Stern Opportunity

I first thought Nina Paley was Indian. Her name had the characteristics of a South Indian moniker, and with a feature film under her best titled "Sita Sings The Blues" that parallels the tale of the Indian epic - The Ramayana - alongside Nina's personal break-up story, I figured I was right. Note: I hadn't seen the film yet.

In the fall of 2009 I went to the DVD release of the film and was surprised to find out, in fact, that Nina Paley was a Caucasian Urbana, IL native. Daughter of former Urbana mayor Hiram Paley, Nina had now created a film that reminded me, or in a way taught me again, about one of the greatest stories of my culture. And that too, Nina had single-handedly made the film herself.

Self-described as "America's Best Loved Unknown Cartoonist, Nina wrote, directed, produced, animated and edited a feature film that recently enjoyed a 4-week run at the IFC Film Center in the West Village. And to add to the "little-film-that-could story", film critic Roger Ebert described his Sita-viewing experience as: "I am enchanted. I am swept away. I am smiling from one end of the film to the other. It is astonishingly original. It brings together four entirely separate elements and combines them into a great whimsical chord."

A decade ago, Nina may not have imagined that one of the most regarded figures in film would be saying that about her work - or that she would have made a feature film surrounding an Indian story. Let us rewind.

Nina had a nice life in San Francisco with her husband. They were both animators, enjoyed their work, had a decent apartment and loved their cat Lexi. Nina's comic strips Nina's Adventures and Fluff were published in numerous newspapers internationally and her short animated films garnered attention and awards in the film festival circuit. In fact, Nina made the "first completely cameraless IMAX film" Pandorama - which came to fruition through $20,000 worth of donations. Fundraising is a skill that Nina developed earlier on to create and finish her projects.

Then her husband got that fateful gig in Thiravanthapurm (formerly Trivandrum) in South India. When Nina visited him, she came up a copy of the Ramayana and began reading it. In 2002, when Nina came to New York City for a meeting, she was dumped by email.

The Ramayana became a source of support for the filmmaker. She then embarked on a cinematic journey to tell the woeful tale of the epic's female lead, Sita, who despite being a good wife and citizen, is shunned by her husband Rama. Nina's own story followed alongside. This is how she was able to move on and "free herself". While the animation in its different forms is excellent, Annette Henshaw's melancholic-romantic 1920's numbers are what lend Sita her fantastic "blues". However, Nina then learned about music licensing the hard way - where the cost of using Henshaw's music, which was the skeleton for the entire film, created major budget problems. But this did not stop the filmmaker from realizing her vision.

Working with student attorneys at American University and through online research, Nina got a crash course in copyright management and music publishing. A "Get Sita Out of Jail" campaign was launch on the Internet, asking for donations.

Ultimately the film was finished. "It was 3 years of work spread over 5 years of time," Nina tells me over coffee. After traveling the world and gracing international film festivals, Nina is now back in New York City.

When I ask her what she's working on next, she tells me that she has become a "free culture activist". She is working on a series of short films dealing with intellectual freedom.

By the time you, the reader, come across this column the film may not be in theatres. Don't be dismayed. You can see the entire movie for free online here: http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/watch.html

I ask Nina about the financials, why would she put her entire project sans any charges online? And she tells me that in fact, this has helped her movie make more money. It has driven more people to theaters, DVD sales have been stable. And the film hasn't been "lost in obscurity".

As we finish our coffee I glance over at Nina - she wears a wedding ring but on her right hand. She tells me that this was the commitment she made…to her film. When she struggled through production and post-production, she needed a reminder and source of motivation. I feel inspired hearing her story - the story of a focused, strong, determined woman.

So ladies, in honor of women in business, in the words of the Diamond Trading Company campaign: "Women of the world, raise your right hand."

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