Cosmic Current

An intimate and personal documentary of a family who, brought together by illness, embark on a a modern-day spiritual pilgrimage to India. When Indo-Canadian filmmaker Anand Ramayya, his traditional Hindu mother, Jaya, his psychologist/filmmaker father, Ray, and his Japanese rock star brother, Raj are brought together, from Saskatchewan and Japan to the south of India, what unfolds is an intimate and entertaining portrait of a family trying to reconnect. A mix of first-person diary-cam, lively interviews, and on-the-fly footage put a fresh spin on universal questions of ethnicity, home and self. Their vivid and revelation-filled journey takes them to Tirupati, an ancient site of Hindu worship in India. They've come at the request of Jaya, to pray for her health. It is the first time the family has been together in India for 25 years, and the road is filled with surprises.

Cosmic Current was produced as part of the Reel Diversity Competition for emerging filmmakers of colour. Reel Diversity is a National Film Board of Canada initiative in partnership with CBC Newsworld.