Vinit Parmar

Vinit Parmar is a documentary filmmaker who has fought for the underdog to tell stories all over the world, such as impoverished Indian villagers finding renewable solutions to save their island Quest for Energy (2012), or children of war seeking refuge in Berlin (We Stay Here, 2021), investigating why the holiest river in India is the most polluted, and (Mosaik, 2026) finding home with a pseudo-mother at their German shelter. He left a career as a lawyer in New York State to teach filmmaking, and currently an Associate Professor at Brooklyn College/CUNY. He recently finished his first film Down The Line (2024) made in America with Steve Kim, his best friend in high school.

2009 Sunset Cinema Series – Slumdog Millionaire (United Kingdom)

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Slumdog Millionaire (United Kingdom, 2008) Running Time: 120 Minutes After coming within one question of winning 20 million rupees on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” 18-year-old Mumbai “slumdog” Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is arrested on suspicion of cheating. While in custody, Jamal regales a jaded police inspector (Irfan Khan) with … Read more

2009 Sunset Cinema Series – Iikiru (Japan)

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Iikiru (Japan, 1952) Running Time: 143 Minutes When a stoic government official (Takashi Shimura, with a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Actor) in post-war Japan learns he has terminal cancer, he realizes he has squandered his life on meaningless red tape and has no close family or friendships to lean on. He resolves to use … Read more

2009 Sunset Cinema Series – Better Luck Tomorrow (USA)

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Better Luck Tomorrow (USA, 2003) Running Time: 99 Minutes Ah, the pressures of being young, rich and brilliant. Discontent with his current lifestyle of straight A’s and upper-middle-class monotony, overachieving high school student Ben Manibag (Parry Shen) seeks a lifestyle of excitement and danger. He finds it with help from a suburban gang of other … Read more

2008 Sunset Cinema Series

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This eight session workshop will guide viewers on a retrospective study through some of Asian American / Asian cinema’s most beloved and highly acclaimed films from the past decade.

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2008 Sunset Cinema Series – My Blueberry Nights (Hong Kong/China/France)

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My Blueberry Nights (Hong Kong/China/France, 2007) Running Time: 90 Minutes Elizabeth (Norah Jones), a restless young woman, travels cross-country working a variety of waitressing jobs and connecting with an odd assortment of characters along the way, including policeman Arnie (David Strathairn), his unfaithful wife, Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz), and a flighty young gambler (Natalie Portman). … Read more

2008 Sunset Cinema Series – The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (Hong Kong)

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The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (Hong Kong, 2006) Running Time: 110 Minutes A twelve-year-old boy Kuankuan visits his aunt (Sequin Gowa) who is living alone after her retirement in Shanghai. Through his eyes his aunt appears stingy, out-of-date, loud, and ridiculous. Her neighbor (Lu Yan) also appears bizarre. But after a series of adventures … Read more