Watch Online: Sita Sings the Blues
Sita Sings the Blues is a film that went through a lot, before it finally saw a way to reach an audience. The film has made quite a buzz when it first started appearing in various festivals quite some time ago. Unfortunately, out of nowhere, legal troubles concerning the film’s soundtrack emerged and stopped it from obtaining proper distribution.
The film itself is quite unique. Sita is an animated feature that re-tells a well-known Hindi fable, the Ramayana. The twist? The film’s narrative is accompanied by the 1920’s jazzy vocal stylings of Annette Hanshaw. Jazz and a Hindi folklore story make an interesting and fresh combination. The film’s soundtrack, what made Sita so different and gave the film a lot of buzz, is also what delayed it from being seen by an excited audience.
Filmmaker, Nina Paley, was shocked to find that Annette Hanshaw’s recordings which were supposedly became part of the public domain, was protected by copyright. The last time I heard about the movie, Paley was attempting to gather funds to pay for royalty so she could properly distribute her passion project.
Recently, I checked back on the status of the film and I was pleasantly surprised. Paley has decided to distribute the film for free! Any form of payment that she might receive because of the film, are counted as donation. She also sells pretty merchandise for the film too!
So everything works out. Check the movie out, as it comes in various formats.



















