New York Indian Film Festival 2017


18th Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
May 7-12, 2018


PRESS
 
 
NUDE Sweeps TWO of the EIGHT Awards at 18th annual New York Indian Film Festival
(New York, NY - May 15, 2018) The longest-running, most prestigious South Asian Film Festival in North America, NYIFF, ended with a bang on Saturday with its closing night film, OMERTA, the New York premiere of the biopic on Islamic fundamentalist Omar Saeed Sheikh. The film was followed by a Q&A between festival director Aseem Chhabra, director Hansal Mehta and actors Rupinder Nagra and Timothy Ryan Hickernell.
 
The film festival showcased 78 shorts. docs and feature films in 11 languages over a six-day-period, May 7th to May 12th, at the Village East Cinemas on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The programming boasted FOUR world premieres, TWO international premieres, SIX North American premieres, ONE U.S. premiere and 11 New York premieres from FOUR South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka), as well as North America and the United Kingdom.

(From L to R): Rupinder Nagra, Timothy Ryan Hickernell, Aroon Shivdasani, Hansal Mehta and Aseem Chhabra. Photo Credit: Siraj Huda
 
     
And the WINNERS of NYIFF 2018 are...drum roll please!
  
Best Film: NUDE
   
Best Director: Nishil Sheth (BHASMASUR)
 
Best Screenplay: CHUMBAK (writers Sandeep Modi & Saurabh Bhave)
  
Best Actor: Manoj Bajpayee (IN THE SHADOWS)
  
Best Actress: Kalyanee Mulay (NUDE)
 
Best Child Actor: Ali Haji (NOBLEMEN)
 
Best Short: MAACHER JHOL (The Fish Curry) directed by Abhishek Verma
 
Best Documentary: ABU directed by Arshad Khan
 
*NYIFF Awards Process:
  
Like the Oscars and Golden Globes, the jurors send their decisions directly to KPMG, who bring the envelopes for the winning films and filmmakers to the awards ceremony on May 12th, immediately following the closing night film. For a list of jurors, please click HERE.
 
  
About NYIFF:
 
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. For more information, please visit the website HERE.
About IAAC:

The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization, passionately dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Indian sub-continental performing, visual and literary arts. For more information, please visit the website HERE.
 
*Additional High-Resolution Images Available Upon Request
Media Contact: JINGO Media
Jitin Hingorani - Jitin@JingoMedia.com
512.773.6679 (mobile)
 
  
  ***
  
For Immediate Release
New York Indian Film Festival selects Qube Cinema’s Qube Wire platform for movie content distribution and delivery
Qube Wire allows NYIFF to have total flexibility in movie scheduling and ensures reliable content logistics and key management.

New York, May 4, 2018: Qube Cinema announced its partnership with the 18th New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), New York’s largest and longest-running diaspora film festival, which is scheduled to take place from May 7 -12. Qube Wire is the distribution partner for the festival and filmmakers will increasingly rely on Qube Wire for secure and reliable movie content delivery to the festival.

The Qube Wire service is now available across 114 countries for delivery of movie content. The territories where Qube Wire content delivery services are now available include major regions of the world in both developing and mature markets, from Southeast Asia to Africa to Europe and the Americas.

Qube Wire helps eliminate the outdated process of physical Digital Cinema Package (DCP) transportation for the NYIFF. It will manage the DCPs and Key Delivery Messages (KDMs) of all film screenings during the 18th edition of the prestigious international film festival. The dedicated festival module in Qube Wire eliminates the risk of drive failures and corrupted content associated with physical delivery and storage. The Qube Wire cloud platform will act as a central hub for all content, transforming the distribution process and ensuring that KDMs are always targeted to the correct screen devices.

Four world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and 11 New York premieres from four South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), as well as North America and the United Kingdom, will be unveiled at the 18th annual NYIFF, which will take place at the Village East Cinemas in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The entire festival schedule comprises 78 films in 11 different languages (English, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Bengali & Assamese).

Qube Cinema has added new features to the Qube Wire platform to simplify the digital cinema distribution workflow. The new features include broadband and satellite delivery to theatres, Wire Safe™, SMPTE FLM format support and an interesting data visualisation feature, What’s-on-Wire (WOW).

“Qube Cinema has been a very valuable and helpful partner to the 18th edition of NYIFF. We are learning a whole new technology in cinema distribution with Qube Wire. We are confident that filmmakers will enjoy a new hassle free and seamless cinema distribution experience that Qube Wire enables,” commented Aroon Shivdasani, Executive & Artistic Director,Indo-American Arts Council.

“NYIFF choosing to partner with Qube Cinema is a matter of great pride for us. Qube Wire is a great solution for film festivals that totally eliminates the pain of managing the content and keys for a large number of movies. Film festivals can take advantage of Qube Wire to eliminate their logistical nightmares,” explained Mark Waterston, Vice President, Operations of Qube Cinema.

Qube Wire has been the distribution partner of many prestigious international film festivals across the world. The prominent film festivals include the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, MAMI film festival, Mumbai and International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa. The Qube Wire platform has also been used by a number of distributors since its test launch with the blockbuster Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.

About Qube Wire

Qube Wire is a self-service, single-window system for global theatrical distribution. With a simple but comprehensive user interface, distributors can manage their digital cinema assets, assign territorial rights for their content and have their Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) and keys (aka Key Delivery Messages or KDMs) delivered to movie theatres across the world. Theatres can manage their own digital cinema device details and access their Universal Inbox on the Qube Wire service as well.

To sign up for the Qube Wire service, visit www.qubewire.com

About Qube Cinema,Inc.

Qube Cinema,Inc. is a provider of end-to-end digital cinema technology and solutions. The company draws on decades of experience in cinema and provides a seamless digital environment for exhibitors, filmmakers and post-production companies with DCI compliant products that are flexible, reliable and cost-effective.

For further information, visit www.qubecinema.com

About NYIFF

The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City.

For further information, visit www.iaac.us/NYIFF2018/index.htm

About IAAC

The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. IIAC work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden their collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. 

Their focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India to exhibit, perform and produce their works here.

For further information, visit  www.iaac.us 
 
For further information, please contact:
Manoj Kumar Madhavan – Head of Corporate Communications & Marketing
Qube Cinema,Inc.
M: +91 82912 00553

manojkumar@qubecinema.com
www.qubecinema.com
  
 
***
NYIFF 2018 Media Opportunities:
Press Conference &
Opening & Closing Night Red Carpets
(New York, NY - May 1, 2018) The longest-running, most prestigious South Asian Film Festival in North America, NYIFF, kicks off next week with 78 shorts, documentaries and feature films, which will be screened over a period of SIX days (May 7th to the 12th) at the Village East Cinemas in the Lower East Side of Manhattan (181-189 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003).
 
The media is invited to cover the NYIFF kick-off press conference on Friday, May 4th from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the Consulate General of India Ballroom on the second floor (3 East 64th Street, between Madison and 5th Avenues).
  
Press Conference: 4 to 5:30 p.m.
  • Welcome by Consul General Sandeep Chakraborty
  • Overview by Aroon Shivdasani, Executive & Artistic Director IAAC
  • Screen trailers of all NYIFF 2018 films
  • Specifics of films by Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Director
  • Question & Answer Session for press
Cocktail Reception: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
  • One-on-one interviews with all participants & attending filmmakers, actors and cast/crew
The opening night red carpet will take place on Monday, May 7th from 6 pm to 7 p.m. (media check-in begins at 5 p.m.) outside the Village East Cinemas, preceding the U.S. premiere of Ravi Jadhav's Marathi language film NUDE (with English subtitles) at 7 p.m. SHARP!
 
The closing night red carpet will take place from 5-6 p.m. (media check-in begins at 4 p.m.) outside the Village East Cinemas, preceding the New York premiere of veteran NYIFF director Hansal Mehta's biopic on Islamic fundamentalist Omar Saeed Sheikh, OMERTA, at 6 p.m. SHARP!
 
List of talent and filmmakers attending the media opportunities throughout the week include:
  
BHASMASUR - Nishil Seth (director)
BIRD OF DUSK - Sangeeta Datta (director)
BREAKING THE BEE - Sam Rega (director) & Chris Weller (producer)
C/O KANCHARAPALEM - Praveena Paruchuri (actor) & Maha Venkatesh (director)
CHILDREN PLAYING GOD - Ashok Vish (director)
CLASH OF MORALITY - Hesh Sarmalkar (actor) & Vinay Pujara (director)
EVERYTHING IS FINE - Sasha John (producer)
FIFTEEN YEARS LATER - Manish Dayal (Director), Matt McGorry, Rachel Brosnahan (actors) Samrat Chakrabarti (music) & Tracy Mulholland (actor/producer)
FORBIDDEN - Vibha Gulati (director) & Salony Luthra (actor) & Dhanish Karthik (actor)
FROM JAPPAN - Raj Trivedi (director)
THE HUNGRY - Bornila Chatterjee (director) & Tanaji Dasgupta (co-writer/producer)
IN THE SHADOWS - Dipesh Jain (director)
LIFE IN OTHER WORDS - Abrar Athar (director)
LIMITLESS - Vrinda Samartha (director)
MAA - Ayush Dahiya (director) & Amita Batra (producer)
MAAJAL HAI - Sakshi Shail (producer)
MEHNDI - Kiran Dhillon (crew)
MONOGAMISH - Sachin Bhatt (actor)
NOBLEMEN - Vandana Kataria (director)
OMERTA - Hansal Mehta (director)
REFRACTION - Kaushik Das (actor) & Nadira Karunaratne (producer)
SARIWALA - Shayon Maitra (editor)
SOUND PROOF - Aditya Kelgaonkar (director)
STILL ROLLING: THE DDLJ STORY - Natasha Rathore (director)
THE PEANUT SELLER - Etienne Sievers (director)
TORN PAGES - Siraj Huda (actor) & Vick Krishna (director)
*Media RSVP is required to Jitin@JingoMedia.com by Thursday, May 3rd.
 
*Press Passes will be disseminated at the press conference for opening & closing night red carpets, as well as overall festival coverage.

*If you are unable to attend the press conference, please visit the media table at the Village East Cinemas to pick up your press pass. We will have one for you, as long as you RSVP.
The entire festival schedule, which comprises of 78 films in 11 different languages (English, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Bengali & Assamese), is now available on the festival's website HERE. The programming boasts FOUR world premieres, TWO international premieres, SIX North American premieres, ONE U.S. premiere and 11 New York premieres from FOUR South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka), as well as North America and the United Kingdom. Watch the NYIFF trailer of films HERE.
     
And here is the list of NYIFF 2018's nominated films for awards:
  
Best Film:
BALEKEMPA
JUZE
LIGHT IN THE ROOM
NUDE
TAKE OFF
   
Best Director:
Atanu Ghosh (MAYURAKSHI)
Ere Gowda (BALEKEMPA)
Rahul Nair (LIGHT IN THE ROOM)
Chezhian Ra (TO-LET)
Nishil Sheth (BHASMASUR)
 
Best Screenplay:
CHUMBAK
CRD
HER. HIM. THE OTHER
THE HUNGRY
JUZE
  
  Best Actress:
Sushama Deshpande (AJJI)
Vinitha Koshy (LIGHT IN THE ROOM)
Kalyani Mulay (NUDE)
Parvathy (TAKE OFF)
Bindu Raxidi (PADDAYI)
  
Best Child Actor:
Mittal Chouhan (BHASMASUR)
Kapil Garo (ISHU)
Chandra Kiran GK (SUMMER OF MIRACLES)
Ali Haji (NOBLEMEN)
Rushikesh Naik (JUZE)
 
Best Short:
AL-WAR
HUMMINGBIRD
MAACHER JHOL (The Fish Curry)
JAAN JIGAR
MANDI (The Market)
 
Best Documentary:
ABU
BIRD OF DUSK
CHILDREN PLAYING GOD
LIMITLESS
NAKED WHEELS
 
*NYIFF Awards Process:
  
Like the Oscars and Golden Globes, the jurors send their decisions directly to KPMG, who bring the envelopes for the winning films and filmmakers to the awards ceremony on May 12th, immediately following the closing night film. For a list of jurors, please click HERE.
 
  
This year's centerpiece slot will be occupied by Miransha Naik's Konkoni language film JUZE (with English subtitles), making its North American premiere at NYIFF.
 
Additional highlights at the festival include:
  • Tribute to late Shashi Kapoor and late Sridevi
  • Merchant-Ivory Restrospective
  • Discovering the Film & Television Market in India Panel Discussion
  • Shooting Films in New York State Panel Discussion
  • The Inclusion Rider's Role in Diversifying Hollywood Panel Discussion
  • Networking events and nightly parties
  • Opening and Closing Night Red Carpets
 
 
About NYIFF:
 
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. For more information, please visit the website HERE.
  
About IAAC:

The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization, passionately dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Indian sub-continental performing, visual and literary arts. For more information, please visit the website HERE.
 
***
 
18th Annual New York Indian Film Festival
Showcases 78 Shorts, Docs & Feature Films
from South Asia, North America & the UK
 
(New York, NY - March 29, 2018) FOUR world premieres, TWO international premieres, SIX North American premieres, ONE U.S. premiere and 11 New York premieres from FOUR South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka), as well as North America and the United Kingdom, will be unveiled at the 18th annual NYIFF, which will take place from May 7th to the 12th at the Village East Cinemas in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The entire festival schedule, which comprises of 78 films in 11 different languages (English, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Bengali & Assamese), is now available on the festival's website HERE.

The media is invited to cover the NYIFF kick-off press conference on Friday, May 4th from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Consulate General of India (3 East 64th Street, between Madison and 5th Avenues).
 
Press Conference: 5 to 6 p.m.
  • Welcome by Consul General Sandeep Chakraborty
  • Overview by Aroon Shivdasani, Executive & Artistic Director IAAC
  • Screen trailers of all NYIFF 2018 films
  • Specifics of films by Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Director
  • Question & Answer Session for press
Cocktail Reception: 6 to 8 p.m.
  • One-on-one interviews with all participants & attending filmmakers
*Media RSVP is required to Jitin@JingoMedia.com by Thursday, May 3rd
*Press Passes will be disseminated for opening & closing night red carpets,
as well as overall festival coverage at the press conference!
Ajji The Hungry
My Pure Land In the Shadows
Clockwise from L to R:
  • Still from feature film AJJI
  • Still from feature film HUNGRY
  • Still from feature film IN THE SHADOWS
  • Still from feature film MY PURE LAND
*Stills & posters from each film are available HERE. Password: NYIFF2018 (all caps)
The festival will open with the U.S. premiere of Ravi Jadhav's Marathi language film NUDE (with English subtitles) and close with the New York premiere of veteran NYIFF director Hansal Mehta's biopic on Islamic fundamentalist Omar Saeed Sheikh, OMERTA. This year's centerpiece slot will be occupied by Miransha Naik's Konkoni language film JUZE (with English subtitles), making its North American premiere at NYIFF.
Additional highlights at the festival include:
  • Tribute to late Shashi Kapoor and late Sridevi
  • Merchant-Ivory Restrospective
  • Discovering the Film & Television Market in India Panel Discussion
  • Shooting Films in New York State Panel Discussion
  • The Inclusion Rider's Role in Diversifying Hollywood Panel Discussion
  • Networking events and nightly parties
  • Opening and Closing Night Red Carpets
About NYIFF:
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. For more information, please visit the website HERE.
About IAAC:
The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization, passionately dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Indian sub-continental performing, visual and literary arts. For more information, please visit the website HERE.
 
***

Announcing the 2018 New York
Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) Highlights

(New York, NY - March 19, 2018) The 2018 edition of the country's largest and longest-running Diaspora festival, NYIFF, will pay tribute to TWO Indian film industry icons who passed away in the last four months: Hollywood/Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor and the India's first female superstar Sridevi. Kapoor's tribute will comprise of two masterpieces from this year's Academy Award Winner James Ivory's wheelhouse: SHAKESPEARE WALLAH and HEAT AND DUST. The festival will also screen AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A PRINCESS, starring New York author and chef Madhur Jaffrey, as part of its Merchant-Ivory Retrospective. To honor Sridevi's memory, NYIFF will showcase the actress' 2012 return to Bollywood in ENGLISH VINGLISH, shot primarily in New York City. Additionally, the festival, running from May 7th to 12th at the Village East Cinemas in Manhattan's Lower East Side, will open with the U.S. premiere of Ravi Jadhav's Marathi language film NUDE (with English subtitles) and close with the New York premiere of veteran NYIFF director Hansal Mehta's biopic on Islamic fundamentalist Omar Saeed Sheikh, OMERTA. This year's centerpiece slot will be occupied by Miransha Naik's Konkoni language film JUZE (with English subtitles),making its North American premiere at NYIFF.The festival's complete lineup will be revealed soon! 
NUDE
Opening Night film NUDE Synopsis:
After her husband abandons her and her 12-year-old son for another woman, Yamuna is left with no choice but to move to Mumbai for survival. The job she finds is to be a nude model at an art school. She will do everything to fulfill her dream to help her son lead a successful life in the future. But fearing society, she keeps her profession a secret. Watch NUDE trailer HERE
OMERTA
Closing Night Film OMERTA Synopsis: 
Omertà is a mind numbing and cerebral take at this complex paradox of Omar Saeed Sheikh, played by Rajkumar Rao. Omertà is the code of silence, punishable by death if violated. The secrets of the real Omar will go with him to his grave; this Omertà 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.
Juze
Centerpiece Film JUZE Synopsis: 
Boribmol, a village in Goa with a large immigrant population, is ruled by an abusive, thuggish bully, Juze, known as the ‘Slum Landlord.' His appetite for violent intimidation keeps his immigrant workforce submissive, even when his roving eye extends to their women. Santosh, a 16-year-old boy, is not intimidated.  His determination to continue with his classes remains constant, in spite of regular beatings from Juze.  As events build to a breaking point, Santosh’s passive resistance evolves into determination to confront Juze and finally achieve freedom from fear. Watch JUZE trailer HERE
Shakespeare Wallah Heat and Dust
SHAKESPEARE WALLAH and HEAT AND DUST will screen as part of the Merchant-Ivory Retrospective and Tribute to the late Shashi Kapoor.
For a complete synopsis of each film, click HERE
"Shashi Kapoor, as far as I am concerned, was one of India's most enigmatic personalities, an actor who straddled the worlds of commercial Hindi cinema, theatre and small-budget art movies; who was, at once, an earnest householder and a committed star," said Aseem Chhabra, film journalist, NYIFF Festival Director and author of SHASHI KAPOOR: THE HOUSEHOLDER, THE STAR. "Our cinematic tribute at NYIFF to this Hollywood/Bollywood legend is also a way for us to simultaneously recognize the incredible directorial achievements of recent Academy Award winner James Ivory."
ENGLISH VINGLISH, a 2012 film written and directed by Gauri Shinde, will pay homage to Sridevi's vibrant career on the silver screen. The filmswept all the Best Debut Director awards of 2012 for Shinde. It was shortlisted as India's official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The film earned global acclaim at several international festivals, and Sridevi was hailed as the "Meryl Streep of India" and the "female Rajnikanth in Japan."

"NYIFF is known around the world for its top-notch, out-of-the-box programming, and this year is no different," said founder Aroon Shivdasani. "The New York audience is sophisticated, well-traveled, educated and discerning; as such, our content reflects what we think will resonate with the cinephiles of this cosmopolitan city and will keep them coming back for more."
For more information about the film, please click HERE
 
About NYIFF: 
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. For more information, please visit the website HERE
 
About IAAC: 
The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization, passionately dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Indian sub-continental performing, visual and literary arts. For more information, please visit the website HERE
Media Contact for NYIFF 2018:
JINGO Media - Jitin Hingorani
Jitin@JingoMedia.com or 512.773.6679 (mobile)
 
 
***
logo_nyiff2017
 
(New York, NY - May 10, 2017) The 17th annual New York Indian Film Festival ended on a high note Sunday with an awards ceremony, following the closing night film THIS IS MY SUNDAY. The week-long festival generated a lot of buzz after premiering 85 shorts, documentaries and feature films from the Indian subcontinent in Hindi, English and seven regional languages (Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali). The films, filmmakers and actors who took home top prizes are:
 
- Best Film - MUKTI BHAWAN (HOTEL SALVATION)
- Best Director - Konkona Sen Sharma (A DEATH IN THE GUNJ)
- Best Screenplay - P. Balachandran (KAMMATTIPADAM)
- Best Actor - K. Kaladharan (THE NARROW PATH)
- Best Actress - Konkona Sen Sharma (LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA)
- Best Documentary - AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN
- Best Short - AABA
 
In addition to film premieres, the festival featured sidebar programming such as Sibling Filmmakers (Deepa & Dilip Mehta), Priyanka Produces (VENTILATOR & SARVANN), Tribute to Om Puri, Mobile Bollywood, "Shoot a Short Film" workshop, industry panels (CAA's Short Film Initiative), nightly networking events, red carpets and a gala. More than 40 filmmakers attended the festival and particpated in Q&A sessions after their films.
 
From L to R: Salman Rushdie, Aroon Shivdasani, Deepa Mehta, Shruti Ganguly, Kiran Desai & Aseem Chhabra (Photo Credit: Suman Madhuri)
   
From L to R: Alankrita Shrivastava & Aahana Kumra (Photo Credit: Jay Mandal) From L to R: Adil Hussain presents Best Actress Award to Konkona Sen Sharma (Photo Credit: Jay Mandal)
   
From L to R: Deepa Mehta, Aroon Shivdasani & Salman Rushdie (Photo Credit: Jay Mandal) From L to R: Indian Consul General (NY) and Rahul Bose (Photo Credit: Jay Mandal)
 
Clockwise From Top:
From L to R: Salman Rushdie, Aroon Shivdasani, Deepa Mehta, Shruti Ganguly, Kiran Desai & Aseem Chhabra (Photo Credit: Suman Madhuri)
From L to R: Adil Hussain presents Best Actress Award to Konkona Sen Sharma (Photo Credit: Jay Mandal)
From L to R: Indian Consul General (NY) and Rahul Bose (Photo Credit: Jay Mandal)
From L to R: Deepa Mehta, Aroon Shivdasani & Salman Rushdie (Photo Credit: Jay Mandal)
From L to R: Alankrita Shrivastava & Aahana Kumra (Photo Credit: Jay Mandal)
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States, screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the countries in the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan) in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Eight days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, an award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the realities of the lives and people in the Indian Sub-Continent,  and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. NYIFF is the flagship event of the Indo-American Arts Council.

The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC): Founded in 1998, the Indo-American Arts Council is a secular, registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian, subcontinental and cross-cultural art forms in North America. Our focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India as well as other countries from the rest of the Indian sub-continent to exhibit, perform and produce their work here. The IAAC works passionately to become an integral part of the amazing cultural diversity of New York City and the United States. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines int he classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of the Indian subcontinent. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding.

We do this through events in the performing, visual, literary and folk arts: an annual film festival (NYIFF), an annual traveling art exhibition (Erasing Borders Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora), an annual dance festival (Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance), an annual literary festival (IAAC Literary Festival) and a myriad of dance, music, theatre, film and literary events throughout the year. For further information please visit www.iaac.us.
Media Contact:
JINGO Media
Jitin Hingorani
Jitin@JingoMedia.Com
512.773.6679 (mobile)
 
***

New York Indian Film Festival
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