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Unbroken Glass

When he was six-years-old, Dinesh Das Sabu's parents died. Raised by his older siblings, he had little idea who his parents were or where he came from. Through making Unbroken Glass, he attempts to piece together their story and his own. Uncovering a silenced family history and disturbing truths, Dinesh and his siblings must finally reconcile the past, confronting the trauma of losing their parents and the specter of mental illness.

When he was six-years-old, Dinesh Das Sabu’s parents died. Raised by his older siblings, he had little idea who his parents were or where he came from. Through making Unbroken Glass, he attempts to piece together their story and his own. Uncovering a silenced family history and disturbing truths, Dinesh and his siblings must finally reconcile the past, confronting the trauma of losing their parents and the specter of mental illness. Unbroken Glass weaves together Das Sabu’s journey of discovery with cinema-verite scenes of his family dealing with still raw emotions and consequences of his immigrant parents’ lives and deaths. The film was shot over five years in Illinois, California, and India.

The film is funded in part by The Sage Foundation, Firelight Media, the Kiran Bavikatte Foundation, the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Asian Giving Circle and the Illinois Arts Counci.

Filmmakers

Producer

Dinesh Sabu

Writer

Matt Lauterbach
Dinesh Sabu

Cinematography

Ian Kibbe
Dinesh Sabu

Composer

Joshua Abrams

Outreach/Marketing

Diane Moy Quon

Outreach Coordinator

Max Asaf

Outreach Advisor

Anushri Singhvi

Consulting Editor

Nora Gully
Gordon Quinn
Leslie Simmer

Additional Editing

Hillary Bachelder
Katerina Simic

Additional Cinematography

Tom Bailey
Sandeep Sabu

Sound Recording

R. Patrick Lile
Jonathan Vogel

Post Production Manager

Ryan Gleeson

Post Production Assistant

Eugene Kobayashi

Additional Producing

Jennifer B. Wells

Color Correction Facility

11 Dollar Bill

Colorist

Clark Jackson

Audio Post Facility

Another Country

Re-Recording Mixer

Drew Weir

Audio Post Supervisor

Tim Konn

Executive Director

Betsy Steinberg

Director of Finance and Operations

Anthony Stoll

Finance Manager

Pedro Urgiles

Finance Assistant

Viorica Mereuta

Director of Communications and Distribution

Tim Horsburgh

Community Engagement and Programs Manager

Emily Strong

Technical Director

Jim Morrissette

Production Manager

Nancy McDonald

Post Production Associate

Carlos Cova

Marketing and Distirbution Associate

Julia Martin

Director of Development

Joanna Lakatos

Data and Administrative Coordinator

Max Asaf

Kartemquin Staff

Alanna Schmelter
Alex Skalomenos
Alex Stein
Alison Hanold
Andrew Jones
Beth Iams
Cate Ryan
Christine McAlonan
Eleanor Bryan
Elizabeth Neufeld
Gregory Collins
Jacinta Banks
Jennie Gambach
Lindsey Bahr
Liz Kaar
Maria Galent
Nicole Gotthelf
Rachel Dickson
Tamara Fouche
Will Thwaites
Yvonne Afable

Kartemquin Interns

Bucher Almzain
Max Asaf
Hillary Bachelder
Phillip Batta
Chris Bentley
Andrea Blake
Ryan Buckley
Madeleine Burdzy
Ranjani Chakraborty
Reid Compton
Alexandra Cox
Marcus Davis
Rachel Dickson
Dain Evans
Nick Fraccaro
Kevin Fullam
Rosa Gaia Saunders
Rachel Glass
Hans Glick
Martine Granby
Blake Griffin
Elena Guobyte
Douglas Henry
Anna Hull
Marriah Kern
Nushmia Khan
Tracy Ko
Naomi Kothbauer
Kristin Leffler
Lauren Makholm
Thomas Matthew
Rondel Merrill
Ashley Mills
Jessica Naudziunas
Eileen O'Donnell
Orion Pahl
Jeff Perlman
Katie Prentiss
Joe Riina-Ferrie
Hannah Roodman
Ben Schamisso
Ayesha Siddiqi
Alex Skalomenos
Natalie Stone
Eve Studnicka
Isabella Szabolcs
Will Thwaites
Stanzi Vaubel
Julian Walker
Cassie Wierenga
Justin Williams
Wei Ying
Kristen Zelenka

Media

Awards and Distinctions

Big Muddy Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Winner

Best Director - North American Documentary Feature

2017

Seattle Asian American Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Austin Asian American Film Festival

Official Selection

Special Mention - Documentary Feature

2016

Dallas VideoFest

Official Selection

2016

Driftless Film Festival

Official Selection

2016

Seattle South Asian Film Festival

Official Selection

World Premiere

2016