The Bengali

Fatima Shaik embarks upon an unlikely quest when she travels from New Orleans, the city of her birth, to India, home of her grandfather Shaik Mohamed Musa. An African American writer whose family has lived in Louisiana for four generations, she travels with Kolkata-born filmmaker Kavery Kaul to a part of India where no African American (or American) has ever gone. Her search for the past is fraught with uncertainty as she looks for her grandfather’s descendants, the land he claimed to own, and the truth behind the stories she grew up with.

This film is avalable for online rental. LIVESTREAM Q&A on 11/12 at 1:30PM EST.

Directed by Kavery Kaul
Produced by Kavery Kaul and Lucas Groth

Director’s Bio: Kavery Kaul is an award-winning India-born American filmmaker, whose work has been featured at DOC NYC, London, Sydney and other top festivals. It reaches wide audiences in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The Bengali won the International Humanitarian Award at the Rhode Island Festival. Cuban Canvas was an Imagen Award Nominee; Long Way from Home, a Film Threat and Time Out Critic’s Pick; and One Hand Don’t Clap, a Telluride Film Festival premiere. A Fulbright Fellow and a New York City Proclamation of Excellence winner, her TEDx talk speaks to the power of storytelling across divides.