'Breaking the Silence...'

Dear Friend:

Greetings from the U.S. Consulate General Chennai.  

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General Chennai cordially invites you to our Pride Month commemoration program “Breaking The Silence,” that includes a screening of American Film Showcase (AFS) short documentary “Share” followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers Barna Szasz and Ellie Wen and protagonist Tim Chau.  

Moderated by Magdalene Jeyarathnam, Expressive Arts Therapist & Psychodramatist the discussion will focus on LGBTQIA+ perspectives on identity, family, and communication.   

Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2021  

Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  

All interested individuals are requested to register at 

http://bit.ly/BTSJ30 with their First Name, Last Name, College/University Name, Contact Number, Email Id, and City 

to receive an invitation for the film screening and discussion.  

Registered participants will be provided a ticket to watch the short documentary anytime between June 26 9:30 a.m. IST to June 30 10:00 p.m. IST via Eventive platform.   

Please register at the earliest as the slots are limited and participation is on first-come-first-served basis.   

About the American Film Showcase (AFS)

The American Film Showcase brings award-winning contemporary American documentaries, independent fiction films, and documentary know-how to audiences around the world, offering a view of American society and culture as seen by independent filmmakers.

Funded by a grant from the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and produced by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), the Showcase highlights the value of film in fostering understanding and cooperation, dialogue and debate.  

About AFS documentary “Share”

Share is a short documentary following Tim, an Asian-American 18-year-old, who has 3 million followers on Instagram (@3.1415).  

He lives online, grabbing his phone first thing in the morning and even taking baths with it sometimes.  

Although Tim usually shares funny memes on his massively popular page, he occasionally posts about mental health.   

As the film explores his reason for these posts, we discover that he has created a different identity for himself online than in real life.   

Will he be able to reconcile the two identities?  

Tackling issues of identity, family, and communication, the film is a heart-breaking yet ultimately uplifting story about a Generation Z teenager at an important crossroad in his life.  

Please feel free to share this email with your friends and contacts who might also be interested in this program.   

For any questions or clarifications write to ChennaiAmCenter@state.gov. 

We look forward to seeing you at the screening and panel discussion.   

Thanks,  

Public Affairs Section 

U.S. Consulate General Chennai 

PS: We are grateful to Ms. Usha Alagappan, American Center, Chennai, for sharing this valuable information with us.