The Dryden will screen City of Photos (Nishtha Jain, India 2005, 60 min., digital) with filmmaker Nishtha Jain in person.

City of Photos explores the little-known ethos of neighborhood photo studios in Indian cities, discovering entire imaginary worlds in the smallest of spaces. Tiny, shabby studios that appear stuck in a time warp turn out to be places throbbing with energy. As full of surprises as the people who frequent these studios are the backdrops they enjoy posing against and the props they choose. These afford fascinating glimpses into individual fantasies and popular tastes. Yet, beneath the fun and games runs an undercurrent of foreboding. Not everyone enjoys being photographed; not every backdrop is beautiful; not all photos are taken on happy occasions. The cities in which these stories unfold themselves become backdrops, their gritty urban reality a counterpoint to the photo palaces. Desires, memories, and stories, all so deeply linked to the photographic experience, come together as part of a personal journey into the city of photos.

[source: George Eastman Museum website, 2016-Oct-3]