18th Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
May 7-12, 2018
SCREENING SCHEDULE
Saturday May 12
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Saturday May 12, 2018 @ 12.00 pm. Auditorium 2
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.
Uma
North America Premiere
2017 | India | 148 mins | Bengali (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Srijit Mukherji
Cast - Jisshu Sengupta, Sara Sengupta, Srabanti, Anjan Dutt, Rudranil Ghosh, Anirban Bhattacharya.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsLGZC9V_gY
Synopsis: Uma is a story about a young girl who is fighting a terminal disease, a father who is struggling to make his daughter`s dreams come true and about a director whose past haunts him. It starts off with Uma, a young girl brought up in Austria, being recognised with a terminal disease and goes on about how Himadri, her father takes her to Kolkata to fulfil her dream by setting up a fake Durga Puja, the most celebrated festival of the Bengalis.
 Director: Srijit Mukherji, one of the leading filmmakers of India, is known for his critical as well as commercially successful films like ‘Autograph’, ‘Baishe Srabon’, ‘Jaatishwar’, ‘Chutoskone’ and ‘Rajkahini’, among others. A director, screenwriter and lyricist, Srijit Mukherji's experiments with various genres and layered narrative, have won him numerous accolades across critics and popular mass.
Mukherji has become the face of contemporary Bengali cinema with his compelling choice of subjects and brilliant execution in each of his films. He has been honored with ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Original Screenplay’ awards for his film ‘Chotuskone’ at the 62nd National Film Awards. His film ‘Jaatishwar’ won 4 National Awards at the 61st National Awards.
Mukherji's film ‘Rajkahini’ had been chosen as an official selection at 16 International Film Festivals (IFF) including Indian Panorama at IFFI 2015, IFF of Kerala (Competition Section), IFF Mumbai and Imagine India IFF at Madrid. It was also screened at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. He was directed Vidya Balan and Naseeruddin Shah for the Hindi remake of ‘Rajkahini’, titled ‘Begum Jaan’. His film ‘Yeti Obhijaan’ in September 2017 became the highest grosser in Bengal during Pujas.
Social Media Handles: facebook.com/SVFsocial |
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Saturday May 12, 2018 @ 12.15 pm. Auditorium 3
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.
Children Playing God
New York Premiere
2018 | India | 26 minutes | Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Ashok Vish
Post-Screening discussion with director Ashok Vish
Logline: Children Playing God follows the lives of five boys during their two-month rehearsal period for the month-long Ramlila performance based on the epic poem, Ramayana. The boys are considered living gods and goddesses during this process.
Synopsis: The Ramlila is a month-long theatrical performance based on the Ramayana, an ancient Indian epic poem. Each year, boys hand selected by the king of Ramnagar portray the main characters. They spend two grueling months working with dramatic coaches to perfect their performances. The boys, ranging in age from eight to fourteen, must live and rehearse at the site, and sometimes must look after themselves. During the entire process, the boys are considered to be living gods and goddesses, and are worshipped by the people of the community. The film explores the gap that separates the reality of these children’s lives from the fiction they portray, highlighting the ordinary aspects of being kids during the process of their temporary transformation into the divine.
 Director: Ashok Vish The central focus of Vish’s work has been an examination of developmental science, both during adolescence and the effects and outcomes through adulthood. Following a research-based practice, other ideas of sexual identity, gender roles, social pressure and achieved expectations are at the core of his interests that allows Vish to place emphasis on exploring the associations between human emotions & adversity and their corresponding public and personal personas. This affords him the opportunity to investigate the relation between the imagery of fictional worlds and the conditions of reality, and sometimes merging both fiction and non-fiction with each other. In both his filmmaking and his photography, Vish analyzes the world through the lens of personal politics. His overriding objective for all of his projects has been to create narratives, whether linear or abstract, that, in turn, open up spaces for greater engagement between audience and art, between viewers and characters/subjects, because doing so helps to bridge the seemingly wide chasms that separate “us” from “them”. Vish’s films has screened in several film festivals such as the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, Chelsea Film Festival, StarLite Film Festival, at the Anthology Film archives in New York City and the Full On Film festival at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Vish’s film ‘A Boy Called Boris’ was screened at 1Shanthiroad studio/gallery as part of a group exhibition titled ‘Much to say’, showcased along with paintings by visual artist Bhuvanesh Kumar. Apart from his films, Vish’s video art and photography has shown at galleries such as A.M (Art Multi-disciplines) Studio in Kolkata, Art Konsult in Delhi, Gallery Sumukha in Bangalore, Art Houz in Bangalore, MaximiliansForum in Munich.
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Breaking the Bee
New York Premiere
2018 | USA | 96 mins | English
Directed by - Sam Rega
Produced by - Chris Weller
Post-Screening discussion with director Sam Rega
Trailer: https://youtu.be/upvgZ3CmZ-0
Synopsis: As sports have shown throughout history, there are clear winners who dominate the field. The New York Yankees reigned during the 1950s. The Chicago Bulls owned the 1990s. And the New England Patriots ran the 2000s. Today, we are in the midst of a two-decade dynasty in the world of competitive spelling: Indian-American children winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a 90-year-old competition pitting students against the almighty dictionary. Since 1999, all but four contest winners have been Indian-American, and of the 285-plus children who make it to Scripps each year, roughly 25 percent come from families of Indian descent. This is something of an anomaly, as Indian-Americans make up one percent of the United States population. And it's hardly a coincidence.
The perfect storm has been brewing for decades — from the 1965 immigration law that eliminated quota systems for Indian immigrants, thus driving a wave of highly-educated workers to come to the United States, to the formation of Indian-only spelling bees, to the explosion of mainstream interest in competitive spelling, ever since ESPN began broadcasting the Scripps Bee in 1994.
“Breaking the Bee” follows several second-generation Indian-American children over the course of a year, or “bee season,” as they train to become a national spelling bee champion. Some are in their final year of eligibility while others are just beginning their careers. With expert commentary from Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Fareed Zakaria, comedian Hari Kondabolu, ESPN's Kevin Negandhi and past Scripps winners, the film also offers an analysis into what drives this trend, while exploring the ups and downs of chasing a dream and pondering just how long this incredible trend can last. After years of tireless devotion, who will be standing on stage as the confetti rains down?
 Director: Sam Rega is a director, producer and editor. He recently directed the documentary “League of Millions” for Business Insider. The film follows a team of professional video game players in their quest to become world champions. It’s available on iTunes and Amazon. He spent four years with rakontur, the Miami studio known for the “Cocaine Cowboys” documentary series. He edited the New York City nightclub documentary “Limelight,” the Netflix hit, “Dawg Fight,” that explores the underground boxing scene in Miami as well the VH1 mini-series, “The Tanning of America,” exploring how hip-hop changed our country. His directorial debut, “Miami Noir: The Arthur E. Teele Story,” appeared on iTunes and PBS.
Reviews: http://www.richmond.com/news/local/documentary-film-crew-to-attend-richmond-times-dispatch-s-regional/article_8feb70ab-693c-5165-a148-d28bc2f00b06.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2017/03/02/students-have-eyes-san-angelo-spelling-bee-prize/98317106/
http://www.newsindiatimes.com/breaking-the-bee-a-documentary-on-stellar-spellers/21829
http://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/documentary-decoding-trend-of-indian-american-spelling-bee-champions-in/article_dd63d5e0-9a2b-11e6-82ac-23bd55e979db.html
Social Media Handles: http://www.breakingthebee.com, https://www.facebook.com/breakingthebee
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Saturday May 12, 2018 @ 12.30 pm. Auditorium 4
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.
ISHU
US Premiere
2017 | India | 91 mins | Assamese (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Utpal Borpujari
Cast - Kapil Garo, Tonthoingambi Leishangthem Devi, Dipika Deka and Bishnu Kharghoria.
Winner: National Film Awards 2018 - Best Assamese Film
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mf7gLpg9qc
Synopsis: Happy-go-lucky Ishu’s world in a remote, tribal village in Assam, Northeastern India, revolves around his friends or Bhalu, his pet puppy. His days are spent with them, and with his favourite Ambika “Jethi” (aunt) . But one day, this happy world of Ishu turns topsy turvy as the village “Bej” (quack), in a conspiracy hatched with Ishu’s another Jethi Bhadreswari, declares Ambika as a witch. Beaten up by the mob and her house burnt down, Ambika vanishes, and no one seems to know where she is. Will Ishu be able to find her? What happened to Ambika?
Director: An M.Tech in Applied Geology from IIT-Roorkee, Utpal Borpujari won the Swarna Kamal for Best Film Critic at the 50th National Film Awards of India in 2003. As a professional journalist, apart from cinema, he has written extensively on politics, society, culture, literature, etc., while working with some of India’s top media houses. Since 2010, when he decided to turn a filmmaker, he has made several acclaimed documentary films that have been screened across the world in various film festivals. Among them are “Mayong: Myth/Reality” (2012), “Songs of the Blue Hills” (2013), “Soccer Queens of Rani” and “Memories of a Forgotten War” (2016). Borpujari has also served in international film juries as an erstwhile member of the International Federation of Film Critics, apart from having served on juries for National Film Awards and Indian Panorama. He has also curated films as well as served as a consultant for the Northeastern sections in the International Film Festival of India as well as various other film festivals. “Ishu” is his debut fiction feature.
Festival selections: 23rd Kolkata International Film Festival, November, 2017 (Best Director and Best Film Nominations); Canada Kids Film Festival, Toronto, 2017; 3rd Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFFCY), New Delhi, 2017; International Children Film Festival Bangladesh (International Competition) January 2018; 7th Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival, January, 2018; 10th Bengaluru International Film Festival, February 2018 (Special Jury Award in Indian Competition; Toulouse Indian Film Festival, France, (to be held in April 2018).
Social Media Handles: http://www.cfsindia.org, https://www.facebook.com/ISHU-156039948294661/
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Saturday May 12, 2018 @ 3.00 pm. Auditorium 2
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.
Documentary Shorts
Interiors & Exteriors
2017 | Bangladesh | 8 mins | Bengali (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Ashique Mostafa
Crew - Rubaiyat Hossain, Shariful Islam Shaon.
Synopsis: A one-take observational piece about the microcosm of Islamic practices and class segregation in Bangladesh’s capital city Dhaka. Multiplicity within a Muslim community and the passage of people through one single frame documents this society’s interiors and exteriors.
Director's Statement: I believe in cinema’s ability of document truth and reality about a certain society. I am amused by the diversity of Muslims in Bangladeshi society and the range of Islamic practices people engage in. Praying five times a day is a mundane fact for most Bangladeshis. Commuters and working people often find the most unusual spots to pray in the city, open fields, sidewalks, parking lot are among the few places where people congregate to say their prayers. Praying publically is also a practice only men take part in. Another aspect of Bangladeshi society that strikes me is the harsh class difference. I wanted to reflect these elements I observe by documenting them in an observational piece that is mundane and effortless just like the action of midday prayer in the middle of one of the world’s most densely populated Muslim-majority nations of the world.
Director: New York based Bangladeshi filmmaker Ashique Mostafa, co-founder of Khona Talkies, graduated from School of Visual Arts in New York with a joint degree in Direction and Production. Recently, he has directed a short documentary film "Interiors & Exteriors" that has won Oscar® qualifying Best Short Documentary award at Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival. He has produced and distributed a few critically acclaimed films such as 720 Degrees (Venice FF), Meherjaan (Fribourg FF), My Bicycle (Goteborg FF) and Under Construction (Locarno FF). He is now directing his feature-length experimental documentary essay-film ‘Invading Privacy’ shot on iPhone.
Awards: Velcom International Mobile Film Festival in Belarus 2017, Ji.hlava International Documentary FF in Czech Republic 2017, Tehran Short Film Festival in Iran 2017.
Reviews: Cineuropa Top Five Europa Shorts Of 2017, Bangladeshi short-film ‘Interiors & Exteriors’ makes way to Oscars, FNE at Jihlava IDFF: Festival Opens with Awards and a Blast to the Past.
Social Media Handles: https://www.facebook.com/KhonaTalkies/, https://twitter.com/Khona_talkies, http://www.khonatalkies.com/interiors_exteriors
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Naked Wheels
2017 | India | 30 mins | Malayalam (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Rajesh James
Crew - Jibin Jose
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhiIxIpiZ8c
Synopsis: The film is about the journey undertaken by a diverse group of people comprising males, females and transgenders across South India in a truck. The film seeks to explore many compelling thoughts on life, love, and gender. The film hopes for a society where none have to crush their desires because the majority does not understand it.
Director: Rajesh James is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and film researcher from Kochi, India. He was awarded the prestigious Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Filmmaker, India in 2017. His documentary Naked Wheels won K.F.Patil Unity in Diversity Award for Best Documentary Short at Kashish International Queer Film Festival Mumbai in 2017. He was also awarded PK Rossy Puraskaram for Best Documentary 2016 by Kerala Sthree Padana Kendram, Government of Kerala at International Feminist Film Festival of Kerala 2016.He has directed documentary films like In Thunder, Lightning and Rain (2017) and Zebra Lines (2014).
Awards: Kashish international Queer Film Festival in Mumbai 2017.
Social Media Handle: https://filmfreeway.com/project/814238
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Still Rolling - The DDLJ Story
2017 | United Kingdom, Switzerland, India | 35 mins | English
Directed by - Natashja Rathore
Crew - Dinesh Mali, Vivek Gupta, Daniel Zafer, Dhawalika Singh.
Synopsis: What makes a film do a record-breaking run of more than 1000 weeks at the box office? A filmmaker takes a journey from the bustling heart of London, to Yash Chopra's scenic Switzerland and finally to the land of colourful Bollywood to rediscover the magic of India’s longest running film 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' through meetings with Bollywood experts, encounters with fans and real life characters, and intimate interviews with the faces behind the epic tale.
Director's Statement: India has done as much for cinema as America, and there are as many great Bollywood films are there are great Hollywood films. However, despite being the second largest movie industry in the world, Hindi films are often indefensibly ignored. It angers me to think of Indians who are ashamed of it and it saddens me to think of moviegoers who are yet to experience its joys. A documentary on the longest running film in History and a film that I have personally watched over 50 times and grown up with, certainly felt like a stepping-stone towards changing the mindset that people have towards Indian cinema. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) released way back in 1995 and even after 1000 weeks after its uninterrupted run a cinema in Mumbai, it continues to tug at the heartstrings of the young, middle-aged and old alike – not just in India but across the world. To me, it’s a question that any filmmaker or aspiring filmmaker would ask – “Seriously?! But what’s so special about it?” and so I had to set out on a journey to find out.
Director: Natashja Rathore is born in Singapore and having spent the formative years of her life in Mumbai. Natashja completed her IB Diploma in 2008 at the age of 18 with a natural inclination towards photography and the arts, following which, she dabbled as an intern at GQ Magazine and commercial and feature film sets as an assistant, before heading off to Film School for her formal education in Filmmaking. Over the span of her academic career at LASALLE College of the Arts (B.A Hons Film 2009-2012) and then at The London Film School (M.A. Filmmaking 2013-2016) Natashja has directed over half a dozen short films of her own and has also crewed for a number of short films as assistant director, producer, cinematographer, production designer, sound recordist, and editor. Her strength however lies in organization and ‘Making things happen’.
Reviews: Student Film explores the Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge phenomenon, Love that endures: Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, The DDLJ Documentary!, Documentary on Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge attempts to trace Raj & Simran's Journey, Students from London Film School making a documentary on DDLJ, Iconic: Meet the young filmmaker paying homeage to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Natashja Rathore Interview.
Social Media Handles: https://www.facebook.com/theddljdocumentary, https://www.twitter.com/theddljdoc, http://www.theddljdocumentary.com
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Limitless
2017 | India | 59 mins | English
Directed by - Vrinda Samartha
Cast - Siddhartha Nuni, Abhro Banerjee.
Post-Screening discussion with director Vrinda Samartha
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6GJDgCz48Q
Synopsis: For an Indian woman, identity is a very elusive thing. Who she is, is often defined by her family, shaped by her children and their needs, and lost in the haze of providing for and accommodating others. Her health, hope and dreams take a beating. Before she knows it, she becomes a mere shadow of her true self.
Limitless explores the lives of eight long distance women runners, who rediscovered themselves through running. It is a film that reveals their insecurities, their bruised body image, their battered self-confidence, their guilt at accepting that they need some me-time too. This is the story of women who’ve reached the edge of their bounds, braved against them, pushed them. And discovered that only sky is the limit.
 Director: Vrinda Samartha enjoys experimenting and constantly recreating new narrative styles. She finds raw and real characters and stories most appealing and powerful. She started as an assistant director in Trends Ad Films. Where she worked under National award winner V K Prakash. Since then she has worked on many national and international campaigns and feature films.
She has also acted in Kannada regional film Aidondla Aidu, which was a official selection in Indian Panorama. As a part of Believe Films she has worked on many Ad and digital campaign for agencies. Limitless is her first feature documentary as a Director.
Review: http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/The-running-sisterhood/article16439190.ece
Social Media Handles: https://www.facebook.com/doc.limitless/
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Saturday May 12, 2018 @ 3.15 pm. Auditorium 3
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.
Shorts E - Romance & Comedies
From Jappan
2017 | USA | 8 mins | English
Directed by - Raj Trivedi
Cast - Aiden Eyrick, Liam Dussek, Liba Vaynberg, Matthew Kodi, Purva Bedi, Siraj Huda, Sophia Telegadis, Andrew Ellmaker.
Synopsis: The pilot for a series about 12 year old Jappan Mehta who navigates his American life besides his very Indian parents. 'An Indian-American 'Wonder Years'.
Director: Raj Trivedi is a Brooklyn based filmmaker and a graduate CUM LAUDE of the MFA Film program at Columbia University in New York City. Besides writing, directing and producing films, he is a keen reader and is always looking forward to forming new collaborations.
Social Media Handles: http://www.rajtrivedi.com. Instagram: rage_trivedi. Twitter: @rajt.
Review: The New York Television Festival is proud to announce the following 52 Official Selections to the 2017 Independent Pilot Competition
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Layover
2017 | USA | 9 mins | Bengali (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Mahesh Pailoor & Anu Pradhan
Cast - Rupak Ginn, Pia Shah.
Synopsis: Past meets present when Vik and Meera decide to recreate an early date during a layover at LAX.
Director: Mahesh Pailoor grew up in Saco, Maine and studied film as an undergraduate at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He furthered his training as a directing fellow at the American Film Institute, where he was awarded the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Award for the direction of his thesis film, STILL LIFE. Mahesh directed and co-wrote Brahmin Bulls, an independent feature film starring Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, and Academy Award Winner Mary Steenburgen. It enjoyed a limited theatrical release in the US and UK, with The New York Times calling it “a warm debut” and the Village Voice praising it as “an accomplished first feature.” Mahesh is an alumnus of the Berlin Talent Campus, Film Independent’s Project Involve and Screenwriting Labs, and the ABC/DGA Directing Program.
Director: Anu Pradhan began her career with a love of live performance that quickly expanded to include film. A Fulbright Scholar in kathak dance, Anu lived in Bombay, India, where she trained in classical dance and acted in films and on stage before moving back to the US to pursue an MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute. At the AFI, Anu wrote and directed the Sloan Award winning short film Dharini. Anu also co-wrote and co-produced the independent feature film Brahmin Bulls, starring Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, and Mary Steenburgen. Anu also enjoyed working in Talent Development at NBC Universal and in Production at HBO. She is an alumnus of Film Independent’s Project Involve. |
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Tej Bahadur
2017 | India | 10 mins | Bengali (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Abhishek Mukherjee
Cast - Barun Chanda, Gora Dhar, Suhotra Mukhopadhyay, Ramyadip Saha.
Synopsis: Pankaj is a respected film critic working for a leading Bengali newspaper Janashakti in Calcutta. One day, the newspaper's editor Nirmal Chatterjee calls Pankaj in his office and asks him to re-write his article in which he severely criticized the film Tej Bahadur. Bewildered, Pankaj confronts his editor and refuses to praise the film. As the pressure mounts on Pankaj, he discovers that it is the producers of the film who are actually behind this, and that he must either do what his editor desires or face consequences. Finally the editor threatens Pankaj by proposing to give his column space to someone else. Pankaj, unable to see any other way out, eventually gives in.
Director: Born in Kolkata, India. Abhishek Mukherjee works in a leading multinational consulting firm as a Senior Consultant. An Engineer by profession, he fell in love with filmmaking in his mid twenties and has been doing film and video editing jobs since then. With Tej Bahadur, his first short film, he has started following his ultimate passion, filmmaking. |
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Life in Other Words
2017 | Bangladesh | 15 mins | Bengali (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Abrar Athar
Cast - Masum Basher, Aanon Siddiqua, Ferdousi Ahmed, Hridoy Hossain, Tuhin Tamijul.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT1vfj-m2ls
Synopsis: The Kabir family are having a terrible day. Their doting son, Ronny has failed class five and his sister, Reenu has quit her job. All this on a day when there is barely any food at home and Bangladesh is playing a crucial cricket match against England in the World Cup. It couldn't get any worse for Kabir.
Director's Statement: Cricket, in the current Bangladesh social scenario, is our messiah. For a country that goes through turmoil every other day, you’d expect people to be all over each other, at each other’s throat. In fact, they are, on most days! But cricket helps keep the balance. It’s the essential happy quotient most Bangladesh crave for. It brings us hope that, someday not too far away, we stuff people associate with sporting triumphs.
Life in other words is, before anything, a real story. A real story about real people. The story is about Kabir Shaheb’s family and their dreams. It’s about sacrifice. It’s about Hena choosing to eat only after everyone in the family has had their share. It’s about broken dreams and hope; because after all she has to go through, Reenu dreams that someday, someone (preferably handsome) will see all the love she has to give. Life in Other Words is real because I myself failed Class 5 just like Rony, and both my mother and I thought the world would end. Good thing, life had other plans-the end of the world such a young age would have been pretty tragic! There’s a Kabir Shaheb in all of us, and all he is screaming out for is some love and understanding. Because what’s life without a whole lotta love!
Director: Abrar Athar is a Bangladesh based filmmaker and co-founder of the advertising film Medium Rare and production house Little Big Films. With an eye for breathtaking visuals and a knack for visual comedy, Athar found success directing commercials and TV shows. A self-proclaimed problem child, Athar’s early childhood was spent in both Bangladesh and India. His offbeat worldview on family values is reflected in his debut short film ‘Life in Other Words,’ a comedy drama exploring the dynamics of a Bangladeshi middle-class family on possibly the worst day of their lives. A film about simple struggles and finding hope in times of despair, Life in Other Words is already making rounds at international film festivals, winning awards including the best screenplay and best short film. Athar has a degree in Film Direction and Television Journalism from the Asian Academy of Film & Television (AAFT) in Noida, India.
Social Media Handle: https://www.facebook.com/littlebigbd/?ref=br_rs
Review: Life in Other Words short film |
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And sometimes, she loved me too.
2017 | India | 15 mins | English
Directed by - Karan Talwar
Cast - Sankalp Rawal, Neil Bhoopalam, Yuki Ellias, Akshay Singh
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDk_axbwORY
Synopsis: 'And sometimes, she loved me too' explores the melancholia of objects left behind by lovers after the demise of their relationship. A soundscape of memories breathes life to these belongings, giving us an insight into the bitter-sweet experiences shared by them. Having inhabited the same space as the couple, we find that a macro exploration of these ordinary objects, helps us thread together the slow degradation of their companionship.
The film chronicles the beauty and tragedy that is love. The ephemeral is revealed to us through the mundane. The narrative is a patchwork of intimate moments, which while personal are also universal. This allows the viewer to project their own memories & associations, creating a sort of palimpsest. The work gets it's inspiration from Object Theatre and the filmmaker's curatorial experience with the contemporary art exhibit 'The Museum of Ordinary Objects'.
Director's Statement: This film is an exploratory work which has come out of my long collaboration with Object Theatre, Visual Arts and curatorial adventures with - The Museum of Ordinary Objects -. Objects for me, are memory boxes. They can be deeply personal, profoundly universal & poignant symbols of association. In their quiet, unassuming, unexpected way, ordinary objects speak of us and our times. It tells a heartbreaking story of a romantic relationship. Objects, inhabiting the same space with the couple, reveal snippets through a soundscape of their time together and of the slow degradation of their companionship. Visually, we see them up close, with all their macro details, like looking through a magnifying glass, putting them centerstage, like one usually never sees them. The film has been designed in a personal yet universal way, trying to hinge a story but also leave open interpretation such that this could be any relationship.
Director: Karan Talwar is a filmmaker and co-founder/curator at Harkat Studios, a multi-disciplinary boutique arts studio based in Mumbai. He has spent the majority of career being an Associate Director in mainstream Hindi cinema, most notably with socio-political director Prakash Jha in films like Raajneeti, Satyagraha, Chakravyuh, Aarakshan (IMDB) and has directed a host of digital commercials, short documentary stories and fashion films as part of his work at Harkat.
Karan’s creative career has been a maze of meandering experiences, which has led him to hone his skills in various disciplines. From curating exhibits like ‘The Museum of Ordinary Objects’ and ‘In the mood for Melancholia’ to a background in independent graphic and product design, Karan is now stepping into his own voice in the film medium.
‘And sometimes. She loved me too.’ is his first personal work as a filmmaker.
Social Media Handles: http://www.facebook.com/harkatstudios, https://www.instagram.com/harkat.studios/, http://www.harkat.in, https://www.facebook.com/yuki.ellias, https://www.facebook.com/nbhoopalam, https://www.facebook.com/talwar.karan, https://www.instagram.com/talwar_karan/, https://twitter.com/talwar_karan.
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Ullangai Nellikkani (A Gooseberry in her Palm)
2017 | India | 17 mins | Tamil (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Arikara Sudhan
Synopsis: A quietly observant librarian strikes up a conversation with a diligent student who appears in need of a kind ear to listen to her romantic woes.
Director: Arikara Sudhan is a direction graduate of Dr MGR Govt film and television institute, Chennai. He assisted national award winning director Vasantabalan on his feature film “Kaviyathalaivan”.
His previous short “Kankanikkum Maranam” won many awards and was featured by famed critic Baradwaj Rangan in his blog.
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Shameless
2017 | India | 18 mins | Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Keith Gomes
Cast - Hussain Dalal, Sayani Gupta.
Synopsis: An uncouth work from home guy constantly orders home delivery. One evening while accepting a delivery he is knocked out and wakes up to find himself tied to a chair and confronted by the delivery girl.
Director's Statement: Technology a blessing or evil? I always ask myself. It's great, if used moderately to serve its purpose. The world is hooked onto a screen. Looking at my friends parenting with the use of technology, I made my first short, Childs play, a psychological breakdown of a child's mind due to technology.
Due to technology, people are becoming less human, more isolated and fragile. Virtual communication is destroying person to person relationships. Hence I decided to make Shameless, to expose this human erosion. India has a deep divide between class and race and urban India is clueless of the real India. Being a city boy myself, I was as ignorant. In Shameless, I tried to touch a nerve about the class divide and humanity. but finally, no matter what happens to us, we go back to being who we really are.
Director: Keith Gomes started his career with Riyad Wadia, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, he moved onto commercial and then Bollywood. Having worked as a first AD, Associate, second unit Director on big budget films like Taxi 9211, Heyy Babyy, Aladdin, Once upon a time in Mumbai, Knockout and Kick. He co-wrote screenplay for KICK, one of the top grossers of 2015.
His first short film Childs play, premiered at Cannes short corner and LA short film festival. Currently directing a series of VR films and developing his debut feature with Oscar winner Marc Baschet (ASAP films).
Review: Actor Sayani Gupta signs a short film with writer of Salman Khan starrer Kick
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Jaan Jigar (Beloved)
2017 | India | 19 mins | Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Ranjan Chandel Singh
Cast - Shivani Raghuvanshi, Piyush Puty.
Synopsis: 'Jaan Jigar' is a story of a boy and a girl living in northern part of India, exploring the early nuances of sexuality and love, decide to meet up at a secluded place for their first kiss. But it's not simple as it sounds for the easy exchange of sexual connotations on phone turns out to be a gargantuan task when they come face to face. Adding icing to the cake, comes a baggage of personified cultural and social vigilantes armed with the task of moral policing. Will the first kiss happen between them?
Director's Statement: I am Ranjan Chandel, a first time filmmaker. I have written the film Mukkabaaz (Directed by Anurag Kashyap) and Juice (Short film directed by Neeraj Ghaywan). I had a story with me, evolved from one of my teenage experience, which I wanted to make into a film. This is my effort to express how the freedom to love is an important right and how some politically motivated social elements end up often curtailing this quite brutally and this practice is quite common in India. I hope the audience connects with and enjoy the emotion I tried to portray in the film.
Director: Ranjan Chandel Singh is a first time filmmaker from India. He worked as an assistant director to Mr Anurag Kashyap on his feature film Raman Raghav 2.0 (Psycho Raman 2.0) and Co Written Anurag Kashyap's upcoming Film 'Mukkabaaz'.
Social Media Handle: https://www.facebook.com/JaanJigarBeloved/?ref=bookmarks
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Tara Versus
2017 | U S A, Singapore, India | 21 mins | English
Directed by - Ayesha Anna Ninan
Cast - Aditi Vasudev, Amogh Ranadive, Shikha Talsania, Malay Prakash.
Synopsis: A struggling comedian has a hard time seeing the funny side of things when her career stagnates while her best friend gets a promotion.
Director: Ayesha Anna Ninan is a filmmaker based in India. She works with a commercial production house in Mumbai, and serves as a producer and editor on various short format projects across South East Asia. Previously, she set up the production department at actor/ comedian Vir Das' company, and has produced and directed short films in Singapore, Vietnam and India. She holds a BA from the University of Virginia, and an MFA in film production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Asia.
Reviews: Announcing the 2017 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Award Recipients, http://www.indianfilmfestival.org/films/tara-versus/
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Shame
2018 | India | 24 mins | Hindi & English (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Anusha Bose
Cast - Swara Bhasker, Ranvir Shorey, Tara Sharma Saluja, Sayani Gupta, Cyrus Sahukar, Seema Bhargava Pahwa.
Synopsis: “These people walk the same corridors as us and forget where they come from, who they are..” It is with this harsh reminder that Sumer Seth, a guest at a posh hotel fires housekeeping staff -Fanny Lobo when she’s caught trying on his girl friend’s lingerie.
SHAME is a dark comedy that walks the thin line separating the two worlds; the haves from the have-nots; the affluent from the service providers; the indulgent from the repressed. And it is when Fanny slips and crosses the forbidden line in a moment of temptation that she confronts both the wrath of her employers and the demon within. Shame is the twisted journey of a meek, vulnerable woman who emerges from the background to unapologetically reclaim her dignity, confidence and her right to desire.
Director’s Statement: The character of the protagonist, Fanny and the premise of the film was inspired by a real incident; one that made me consider the thankless jobs of those who provide for us silently; unrewarded, often slighted and mostly invisible. We hardly ever express our gratitude or acknowledge their efforts or wonder if our indifference ever makes them feel small. 'Shame' is an ode to the backgroundworker, with the power to make or break the day!
Director: Anusha Bose was an executive producer on 10ml Love - a contemporary indian adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (Dir, Sharat Katariya). She was a supervising producer with NDTV, designing content across 4 channels- 24x7 (English) and NDTV India (Hindi) and Prime (Business), Good Times (Lifestyle). Also a executive producer with the Star Network Content Engine; conceptualising and developing shows for Star Plus, Life OK, Jalsa, Channel V and Pravah. Her business development head for production house, Rowdy Rascal. She is a screenplay writer for film, TV and the web.
Social Media Handles: https://www.facebook.com/findanushabose
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009064153908 |
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Saturday May 12, 2018 @ 3.30 pm. Auditorium 4
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.
Noblemen
New York Premiere
2018 | India | 108 mins | English
Directed by - Vandana Kataria
Cast - Kunal Kapoor, Ali Haji, Mohammad Ali Mir, Muskaan Jaferi, Shaan Grover, Hardik Thakkar, Ramanuj Dutta, Sonia Bahl.
Post-Screening discussion with director Vandana Kataria
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/249640748 (Password:TINTLINK)
Synopsis: It is winter in a prestigious all boys' boarding school, where children continue to practice age-old rituals and codes bound by years of hierarchy. Shay is picked on constantly, the main perpetrators being Arjun, the tall athletic sports captain, and his best friend Baadal. Shay and Pia, the spunky daughter of the new Junior School Principal are cast as Bassanio and Portia in the Founder's Day production of Merchant of Venice. Murali, the charismatic drama teacher unknowingly adds salt to Baadal's wounds by casting him as Shay's understudy. Indignant, Baadal vows to get Shay's part at any cost and turns to his buddy Arjun for help. Events take a sinister turn when Shay walks in on Arjun, Baadal, and their cronies on a debauched night.
Director: Vandana Kataria graduated from the National Institute of Design. She began her career in films as a production designer working on films such as 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008)', 'Shanghai (2012)', and 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshi (2015)'. She was selected to be a part of the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2016, and directed the music video 'Jungli Sher' for Indian rap sensation DIVINE, shot entirely on an iPhone 6S in the same year. Vandana has in the past also directed television commercials and is making her debut as a writer and director with a feature length film titled 'Noblemen'.
Social Media Handles: https://twitter.com/YoodleeFilms, https://www.facebook.com/yoodleefilms, https://www.instagram.com/yoodleefilms/, http://www.saregama.com/yoodleefilms
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Closing Night
Saturday May 12, 2018 @ 6 pm. Auditorium 1
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Avenue @ 12th Street, NYC.
Tickets: $50, $45 IAAC members.
(includes Red carpet, Cocktail Party, Hansal Mehta's Omerta, post-screening discussion, Award Ceremony, Afterparty)
OMERTA
New York Premiere
2017 | India | 96 mins | English, Hindi & Urdu (with English subtitles)
Directed by - Hansal Mehta
Produced by - Nahid Khan & Shailesh Singh
Cast - Rajkummar Rao, Timothy Ryan Hickernell, Mukesh Chhabra,Rajesh Tailang,Keval Arora, Blake Allen, Nisha George
Post-screening discussion with director Hansal Mehta, actor Rajkummar Rao and Timothy Ryan Hickernell
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvDoOKJrrU4
Synopsis: "It is no nation we inhabit, but a language. Make no mistake; our native tongue is our true fatherland." – Emil Cioran.
He is a paradox among men. Son to a loving father, he is also the adopted son of a nation that sponsors terror outfits across the world.
Educated at LSE, he is also educated in urban warfare, bomb making, advanced psychological warfare and irregular tactics by the leaders of the craft. Abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, he drinks only milk. The plight of his brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers in the Bosnian War leaves him a wreck. Yet he does the same to innocents in his own brand of twisted justice, sanctioned at least in his eyes by all seeing, all-powerful God. He thinks of himself as a savior, adored by millions of fanatics. Yet wanted by almost every law enforcement agency in the world.
Living in a prison, he lords over his dominion, sowing the seeds of terror and discord, toppling governments and regimes. A spider pulling at a thousand strings in a web only he understands.
He is the man who almost set two nuclear ready nations at each other’s throats.
His name is Sheik Syed, Ahmad Umar Sheikh, Ahmed Omar Sayed Sheikh, Umar Sheikh, Sheik Omar Saeed, Omar Saiid Sheikh, Sheikh Omar, Sheikh Omar, Shaykh Saiid. Out of these names and many more, the one he was born with was Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh.
Omerta is a mind numbing and cerebral take at the complex paradox of a man. Omerta is the code of silence, punishable by death if violated. The secrets of the real Omar will go with him to his grave; this Omerta is a look at trying to understand the mind of a man who is out of touch with the world. A man who lives two lives, a man who has a wife and child, but no friends except those who further his needs.
The films posits the question of what it means to be a fundamentalist, why does someone pick up a gun with the intent of killing in return for an afterlife in Paradise. Unapologetic in its approach, it lays down the bare facts and the facts alone and leaves the viewer with a sense of awe, disgust, hate, surprise and lets them examine the ramifications of these events in their lives today.
Director: Hansal Mehta is an established Indian film director, producer, writer and an actor who started off with directing a very popular television cookery show ‘Khana Khazana’ in 1993 followed by several television series like Amrita, Highway, Yaadein, Lakshya and many more.
Hansal started his journey as a feature film director in 1999 with the acclaimed Jayate (Victory) and later on directed the migrant tale Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and a short film in Dus Kahaniyaan. Mehta directed his much-acclaimed film, Shahid starring Rajkummar Rao in 2013. The movie, which is a biographical film on the life of human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi, went on to winning the National Film Award for Best Director and Best Actor.
Reviews: https://www.facebook.com/ndtv/videos/10156458921565798/
Social Media Handles: Twitter : @RajkummarRao, Twitter: @mehtahansal
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