For a child born to a prostitute in Calcutta’s Red Light District, the future is as bleak and despondent as the mother’s profession. Director Zana Briski went into the city to photograph the working ladies of the area, only to find her subjects refuse. What she discovered, however, was the bright-eyed eagerness of the prostitutes’ sons and daughters. Each child given a camera captured the intimate and unseen world of the Red Light District—and with Briski’s help (“Zana Auntie,” as they called her), these remarkable images gained attention around the world and helped secure many children spots at boarding school, an opportunity otherwise out of reach—though sometimes the chains of family are hard to break. This week, UC Irvine presents a free screening of the Oscar-winning documentary, followed by a discussion.
Thu., Aug. 25, 7 p.m., 2011
