Director Par Parekh continues to garner recognition for his short film The Happy. Having premiered at Series Fest in June 2019, the comedy short (and pilot of an intended series) has been selected to screen at Austin Film Festival as part of their Original Series 1 program and will be eligible for awards in the short film category.
The festival, held annually, will take place in Austin, Texas starting on October 24th and closes out on October 31st.The Happy will screen on October 27th at 7pm and again on the 29th at 1pm. Parekh will also be sitting on a panel, representing The Happy, to discuss the process of creating a digital series.
The 8-minute absurdist film stars Parekh and was also written, edited, and produced by the endearing filmmaker and all-around creative. In The Happy, Parekh examines a slice of Los Angeles from the perspective of a Texas-born Indian American Jersey boy. Parekh, like his protagonist, is often mistaken for being a divine vegetarian guru when the reality is that Parekh grew up playing baseball and video games just like the majority of Americans.
Filmed by a crew that was 99% female, the joyful short is a story told without Par speaking a single word. The Happy is part comedic self-reflection and part droll examination of the “absurd human tendencies to over-mystify just about everything.”
Like Lilly Singh, Dev Patel and Kal Penn, Par Parekh is part of a wave of first-generation Indian artists from America, Canada, and Britain finding great success in mainstream film and television. The Happy, a slightly off-kilter cousin of the mainstream, is Parekh’s first foray into directing narrative film, having already spent 15 years working as a writer, editor, and producer in both narrative and non-fiction. He’s currently in post-production on his feature documentary debut Sister Úna Lived A Good Death.
- Watch the trailer for The Happy here: http://thehappy.tv
- Official Screen times here: https://2019austinfilmfestivalconfe.sched.com/event/VfYR/the-happy & https://2019austinfilmfestivalconfe.sched.com/event/Vfhg/the-happy
- Check out Par Parekh’s bio here: https://2019austinfilmfestivalconfe.sched.com/speaker/par_parekh.205a6jyt
About Austin Film Festival
In its 26th year, Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established writers and filmmakers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. AFF is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
