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Doin’ It revolves around surely the most literal interpretation imaginable of the old saying “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” Lilly Singh stars as Maya, who stumbles almost by accident into a job teaching sex ed, despite still being a virgin. As she schools her kids on everything from consent to gender identity to orgasms, Maya sets out to unlearn the shame that she herself internalized at that age — and maybe even to get laid for the first time.

Good intentions practically drip off the premise, which makes a convincing case for dismantling the fear and ignorance around adolescent sex ed. And Doin’ It puts its money where its mouth is — its jokes eschew pearl-clutching or coyness in favor of in-your-face crassness. But the comedy never quite settles into a comfortable rhythm, and eventually backs itself into a corner so far away from any recognizable reality that...

Some film festivals take themselves entirely too seriously. Not South by Southwest, the Austin-based multidisciplinary mega-event where amped-up crowds welcome comedies with open arms — the raunchier the better. This year, one logline stood out as especially promising: “A 30-year-old Indian American virgin gets a job teaching high school Sex Ed.” Alas, “Doin’ It” doesn’t cut it (it’s basically 2014 Haley Joel Osment comedy “Sex Ed” with a cultural spin). The concept is funny, but the execution feels forced, in part because the substitute in question (played by Lilly Singh) is supposed to be following an abstinence-based curriculum. In theory, her deep-seated celibacy should make her perfect for the job.

The movie aims to combat the shame around all aspects of human sexuality, which seems like an admirable but inevitably controversial goal. But “Doin’ It” goes too far straight out of the gate, opening with an embarrassment no teenager can...

Sex is a lot like filmmaking. You dive in when you’re ready, trust your companions, and learn from experience. Few people start out as experts, but there’s beauty in being allowed to try and fail in different environments over the years.

In her first feature film lead, comedian and former late night host Lilly Singh plays Maya, a computer engineer who takes a part-time job teaching sex education. After an incident in her teens led to her mother moving them back to India, Maya not only repressed her sexuality but grew to actively fear it — and now she’s teaching teens about sex despite having never done it herself. Singh, Neel Patel, and director Sara Zandieh co-wrote the film, which premiered at SXSW on March 12.

Sonia Dhillon Tully plays Maya’s hyperconservative single mother Veena, a role that has unfortunately been tread and retread in the South Asian-American film ouevre.

Written and starring Lilly Singh, Doin’ It will have it’s world premiere at the prestigious film festival South by Southwest 2024. It tells the story of a 30 year old Indian-American virgin who gets a job teaching high school Sex Ed.

After teenage Maya is caught in a sexually compromising position, her mom moves the family back to India so Maya can learn proper discipline. Years later, she returns to the US to find funding for her teen-focused app, and gets a job as a substitute high school teacher so she can research her target demo. But when the principal assigns her to teach sex ed, Maya — who’s still a virgin— sets out on a quest with her best friend to make up for the high school experience she lost out on.

Anita Verma-Lallian is the founder of Arizona’s first female and South Asian-owned film production company, Camelback Productions...

Lionsgate has released a new illustrated poster for the upcoming "Jigsaw", the eighth film in the "Saw" horror franchise featuring the return of Tobin Bell. Like all of the films before it, Jigsaw will arrive just ahead of Halloween on October 27. The upcoming sequel, which fittingly comes seven years after "Saw: The Final Chapter", will star Laura Vandervoort ("Supergirl"), Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Clé Bennett ("Arrow"), Callum Keith Rennie ("Warcraft", "Battlestar Galactica"), Matt Passmore , Paul Braunstein ("The Thing"), Bonnie Siu ("Pacific Rim"), Sonia Dhillon Tully ("Brown Girl Begins") and Tobin Bell. The eighth Saw movie is directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig ("Daybreakers") from a script by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg ("Piranha 3D",...

Lionsgate has released even more posters for the upcoming "Jigsaw", the eighth film in the "Saw" horror franchise featuring the return of Tobin Bell. Like all of the films before it, Jigsaw will arrive just ahead of Halloween on October 27. The upcoming sequel, which fittingly comes seven years after "Saw: The Final Chapter", will star Laura Vandervoort ("Supergirl"), Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Clé Bennett ("Arrow"), Callum Keith Rennie ("Warcraft", "Battlestar Galactica"), Matt Passmore , Paul Braunstein ("The Thing"), Bonnie Siu ("Pacific Rim"), Sonia Dhillon Tully ("Brown Girl Begins") and Tobin Bell. The eighth Saw movie is directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig ("Daybreakers") from a script by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg ("Piranha 3D", "Sorority...