Director

I'm drawn to telling stories that are realistic moments with a comedic twist. I like to find the funny in the stark harshness of reality. My comedic roots come from graduating from Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's sketch and improv programs, then performing, writing and directing sketch and improv with independent teams around NYC.

A SARI FOR PALLAVI

Directed by Kate Chamuris
Written by & Starring Sunita Deshpande

A SARI FOR PALLAVI is a comedy about two dueling identities – Traditional Thini & Promiscuous Pallavi (both played by Deshpande) – as they decide what to wear to an upcoming Indian wedding. A conversation about wearing a sari turns out to be much more than just a fashion choice.

AWARDS
Winner // Best Comedic Short, Rhode Island International Film Festival

“Directed by Kate Chamuris and written by and starring Sunita Deshpande, this sharply witty comedy captures the push and pull of cultural clashes with both great affection and acerbic bite.

Both in writing and in visual style, the film takes the vernacular of the modern urbane romantic comedy — complete with bright, glossy cinematography, rat-a-tat rhythm and very stylish apartment and wardrobe — and uses it to illuminate the psychological and ideological cross-currents that make up the inner dialogue of immigrant women of color in particular. The story is less invested with the role of romance and courtship in these women’s lives, however, and more interested in how they navigate self-expression and femininity, especially when traditional cultures are at odds with modern American ideas of womanhood.

The writing brings these concepts to life with wit and intelligence, embedding opposing perspectives between two very different characters. Writer-actor Deshpande plays both roles with great ease and terrific comic timing, and it’s simply great fun to see her play up the differences between the two cousins.

Even though it’s all clearly lighthearted in intent, the performances are quite sophisticated, able to balance both the sly wink of exaggeration with a hint at the real feelings and emotions underneath the personae. These buried feelings eventually bubble up, fueling one final push by Thini to get Pallavi into a proper traditional garment for a proper Indian wedding. The result is both hilarious physical comedy and a genuine conflict that many may recognize, as they try to reconcile two sometimes impossible POVs.

The clash between tradition and modernity has been the subject of many stories in film and literature, but “A Sari for Pallavi” is a refreshingly incisive comedic take, using laughter and levity to highlight how hard it can be to navigate the divide. Happily, the ending reveals that blending the two opposing poles is possible, with a certain relaxed acceptance, affection and flexibility. Giving up control or rigidity on both sides makes a detente possible — and creates a space for a happy co-existence to flourish, able to accommodate the impulses both to reserve and to change.” omeleto.com

READ Kate and Sunita's interview on  Amy Poehler's Smart Girls

PREVIOUS WORK

BREAKFAST IN BED

Directed by Kate Chamuris
Written by Kate Chamuris & C. LeMar McLean
Premiered at Sidewalk Film Festival

BREAKFAST IN BED is a romantic comedy web series that follows Brooke, the ever optimistic romantic and Marvin, the pessimist, who have been best friends since they were 10. Now roommates in their late-20’s, they embark on the quest to find their soulmates… one bad online date at a time. When Marvin meets his ideal match in Veronica, will Brooke discover that her feelings for Marvin are more than platonic?

THE TAMPON VIRGIN

Written & Directed by Kate Chamuris

THE TAMPON VIRGIN is a sketch about losing one's tampon virginity. At a sleepover Brooke tells her friends all the juicy details of losing her T-card. Will her bffs approve of this massive step into womanhood?

THE GAME OF LIFE... FOR GIRLS !

Directed by Kate Chamuris
Written by Alexandra Stark

THE GAME OF LIFE... FOR GIRLS! is a sketch that shows,
"There’s no limit to how much fun you can have when you follow your socially normative female dreams!"