I Can't Think Straight
| I Can't Think Straight | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Shamim Sarif |
| Written by | Shamim Sarif Kelly Moss |
| Produced by | Hanan Kattan |
| Starring | Lisa Ray Sheetal Sheth |
| Cinematography | Aseem Bajaj |
| Edited by | David Martin |
| Music by | Raiomond Mirza |
| Distributed by | Enlightenment Productions Regent Releasing |
Release date | November 2007 |
Running time | 80 min. |
| Countries | United States United Kingdom India |
| Language | English |
I Can't Think Straight is a 2007 Indian romance about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian origin, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding. A turn of events causes her to have an affair and subsequently fall in love with another woman, Leyla. The movie is distributed by Regent Releasing and was set to be released in limited theaters in November, 2008[1]. The DVD is set to be released on April 10th.[2] The movie is directed by Shamim Sarif and stars Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth.
The two actresses star in another movie with lesbian characters, namely The World Unseen, released in 2007.
Tagline:You can only find true love when you're true to yourself.
Plot
In the upper echelons of traditional Middle Eastern society, Reema and Omar prepare for the marriage of their daughter Tala. But back at work in London, Tala encounters Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating Tala's best friend Ali. Tala sees something unique in the artless, clumsy, sensitive Leyla who secretly works to become a writer. And Tala's forthright challenges to Leyla's beliefs begins a journey of self-awareness for Leyla. As the women fall in love, Tala's own sense of duty and cultural restraint cause her to pull away from Leyla and fly back to Jordan where the preparations for an ostentatious wedding are well under way. As family members descend and the wedding day approaches, the pressure mounts until Tala finally cracks and extricates herself. Back in London, Leyla is heartbroken but learns to break free of her own self-doubt and her mother's expectations, ditching Ali and being honest with her parents about her sexuality. When Ali and Leyla's feisty sister Zara help throw Tala and Leyla together again, Tala finds that her own preconceptions of what love can be is the final hurdle she must jump to win Leyla back.
Written by Shamim Sarif
Cast
- Lisa Ray as Tala
- Sheetal Sheth as Layla
- Antonia Frering as Reema
- Dalip Tahil as Omar
- Nina Wadia as Housekeeper
- Ernest Ignatius as Sam
- Kimberly Jaraj as Zina
- Sam Vincenti as Kareem
- Anya Lahiri as Lamina
- Rez Kempton as Ali
- Daud Shah as Hani
- Ishwar Maharaj as Sami
- Amber Rose Revah as Yasmin
Festivals in 2009
- Tel Aviv International LGBT Film - June 23rd-27th, 2009
- Pink Apple in Zurich - April 29th - May 6th, 2009
- Perth - April 17th-19th, 2009
- Grenoble Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (France) - April 14th-21st, 2009
- Brisbane Queer Film Festival - April 3rd-9th, 2009
- London Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - March 27th, 2009
- Melbourne Queer Film Festival - March 18th - 29th, 2009
- St. Louis GLBTQ Film Festival - March 15th-18th, 2009
- Fusion, Los Angeles - March 7th, 2009 @ Egyptian Theatre
- Cape Town Pride film festival - Closing film, Feb 22, 2009
- Mardi Gras Film Festival, Sydney - Feb 13th - March 5th, 2009
- Out! For Reel, Northampton - Feb 6th, 2009
- Brussels Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - Opening film, Jan 15th, 2009
- International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Of Canary Islands - Jan 10th-18th, 2009
- Palm Springs International Film Festival - Jan 6th- 19th, 2009
International Releases
- UK DVD - April 10th (Pre-order your DVD copy now[1])
- UK Theatrical - April 3rd, 2009
- GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND & LICHTENSTEIN- March 26th, 2009
- INDIA - January 30th, 2009
- USA & CANADA: Nov. 21st, 2008