Movie Made In Elmhurst And Jackson Heights Premieres In Astoria

Director Tanuj Chopra, a Columbia University graduate student, premieres his film "Punching at the Sun" at the Museum of the Moving Image (MMI) on February 2, at 7:30 p.m.

"Punching at the Sun", part of the museum's Independence World Cinema Showcase series, is a feature film that was shown in competition at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Chopra, the writer-director will be present at the screening.

Filmed on location in Queens, and featuring a cast of firsttime film actors who were discovered at local youth and theater workshops including SAYA, South Asian Youth Action, "Punching at the Sun" follows the struggles of Mameet, a South Asian teenager, after the death of his brother during a hold-up at the family store. With its visual style, the film captures the energy and diversity of Queens.

"It's a grass-roots, community-driven film made possible by the generous donation of time and resources of friends, nonprofit organizations, and the talented teenage cast that worked long film hours for nothing except the dream of creating a movie that reflected their experiences," Chopra said.

Dennis Lim, writing in The Village Voice, said that the film "has a tenderness and intimacy that recall recent small-scale NYC triumphs like 'Our Song' and 'Raising Victor Vargas'."

Film critic John Anderson wrote in Variety that "Punching at the Sun" is a display of talents that are distinctive, original and iconoclastic."

The screening will be followed by a discussion with Chopra and moderated by Chief Curator David Schwartz. The Independence World Cinema Showcase is made possible with generous support from the Independence Community Foundation.

The museum is located at 35th Avenue at 36th Street in Astoria; admission: $10 adults, $7.50 persons 65+ and students with ID, $5 children ages 5 to 18, children under 5 and museum members admitted free. For more information, call 718.784.0077.