As we start 2009, I continue to be inspired by what independent artists and developers are able to create with limited resources. Here’s one example.
Roger Ebert recently “posted a thoughtful review”:blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/200… of animator Nina Paley’s independent feature Sita Sings the Blues. Paley is still in a small bit of copyright trouble with the songs and is trying to “creatively find a way out”:blog.ninapaley.com/2008/12/2… The copyright problem was news to me. I subscribe to Paley’s blog but haven’t been keeping up with it lately.
Early in 2008 I invited Paley to screen her films at “STAPLE!":www.staple-austin.org/, but she was busy finishing Sita and preparing for its premiere in Europe. She has some great older shorts too, including one of the first Flash to QuickTime animated shorts I remember seeing, Fetch, which was linked years ago off Hotwired’s defunct animation site.
(Speaking of STAPLE!, “Stan Sakai”:www.staple-austin.org/guests/ will be our guest in March. If you are in the Austin area, please stop by.)
Sita Sings the Blues will find an audience eventually. I gave some money as Paley was soliciting donations to finish the feature, and I know I’m not the only one inspired by what she’s created. Making an indie feature film is an amazing accomplishment.
