PrintSep. 24--Mayuran Tiruchelvam developed his love of film in the seats of the Capitol Theatre.
So, it only seems right to him that a short film he helped produce, "The Boundary," will play there this weekend. The 12-minute drama was the only American finalist for this year's Manhattan Short Film Festival. Tiruchelvam said he feels lucky his movie along with the nine other finalists will play in 173 cities.
"Most people don't really get access to short films," said Tiruchelvam, 29, who is now a graduate film student at Columbia University.
Marketing manager Gary Taylor said the Capitol Theatre was able to show the festival twice this year.
The festival winner, chosen by thousands of viewers, will be announced Tuesday. But Tiruchelvam said he isn't concerned about the prize.
He said he wants the audience to connect to "The Boundary" on an emotional level.
Shot in 2007 along the Michigan-Canadian border, the movie provides a tense look at race relations.
Tiruchelvam said Ann Arbor, Mich., has one of the largest Arab-American populations and the group fell prey to racial stereotyping post 9-11. The film's director and Tiruchelvam's college buddy Julius Onah spent months interviewing locals. He brought one family's border confrontation to life on the screen.
As a producer, Tiruchelvam's job was to see that Onah's vision became reality. He helped manage the film's budget and crew so that the director could focus on being creative. But the subject matter of the film is
also close to Tiruchelvam's heart.
His parents are from Sri Lanka and he was born in London. They came to York in 1983.
He was in fifth grade at York Country Day School when the Golden Venture ran aground in New York. Passengers from China's Fujian province were held in York County Prison -- one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the U.S. Tiruchelvam remembers that the controversial situation united different cultural groups in the area.
"People saw the importance of accepting people who don't come from this country," he said.
After he graduated from Wesleyan University in 2003, he became a community organizer in New York City. He founded Regeneracion Childcare NYC, a collective of volunteers that provide childcare for low income mothers -- sometimes immigrants -- involved in social justice movements.
He received a 2009 Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship for undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursing careers in children's media in honor of the man who created "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
Tiruchelvam said he plans to work with Onah again on a feature film about how the recession is affecting young adults.
He'd like to see "The Boundary" at the Capitol on Saturday or Sunday, but can't get away since film school is in full swing.
Family and several friends plan to attend the screening, his father, Dr. Vasudevan Tiruchelvam said.
Dr. Tiruchelvam was already able to see the movie, since it played on HBO last Spring.
"I'm really proud that it was selected for the festival," Dr. Tiruchelvam said. "It's powerful."
emccracken@ydr.com; 771-2051
If you go
What: 12th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival
When: 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Where: The Capitol Theatre, 50 N. George St. in York
Cost: $9
For details: Call 846-1111 or visit www.strandcapitol.org . Viewers can vote for their favorite film. Votes from all screenings will be tallied, and the winner will be announced Tuesday.
After watching, blog about the experience at www.msfilmfest.com/09blog . To learn more about the 2009 selections, visit www.msfilmfest.com .
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