Event

Korla @ SLIFF

Korla
John Turner, U.S., 2015, 77 min.
Sunday, Nov. 15, 1:30 p.m., KDHX
A revealing documentary about a television pioneer and a spiritual seeker, "Korla" relates the unlikely story of the godfather of exotica music, organist Korla Pandit. The film also offers a surprising tale of racial reinvention: The turban-wearing Korla, who successfully passed as an Indian from New Delhi, was actually born in St. Louis and grew up in Columbia, Mo., as the son of an African-American minister. "Korla" covers the long arc of the musician's career, from the 1950s, when he hosted his own music show on television in LA (while never speaking a word), to his later performing years, when he developed a cult following by playing tiki bars and lounges. Film fans may recognize Korla from an appearance (playing himself) in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood." Throughout his life, Korla closely held the secret of his true identity, which wasn't revealed until after his death in 1998. With Korla cousin David deClue.
Sponsored by Nancy & Ken Kranzberg