NYIFF 2018

indiaabroad.com
Lights Out: The New York Indian Film Festival begins
Premieres aplenty at Lower East Side fest for cinephiles
Bhargavi Kulkarni, April 26, 2018

Four world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and 11 New York premieres from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as North America and the United Kingdom, will be unveiled at the 18th edition of the New York Indian Film Festival being held May 7 to 12 in Manhattan. The six-day festival will screen 78 films in 11 languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Bengali and Assamese.

“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."

The festival, at the Village East Cinemas on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, will also pay tribute to Shashi Kapoor and Sridevi, two icons of the Indian film industry who died in the last five months.

The opening film will be Ravi Jadhav's Marathi film “Nude,” making its U.S. premiere. The festival will close with the New York premiere of “Omerta,” Hansal Mehta’s biopic on Islamic fundamentalist Omar Saeed Sheikh. Miransha Naik’s Konkani film “Juze,” will be the centerpiece film, making its North American premiere May 10.

“Nude” is the story of Yamuna, whose husband abandons her and their 12-year-old son for another woman. She relocates to Mumbai and finds a job as a nude model at an art school – a profession she keeps a secret, out of fear, in order to survive.

“Omerta” is described by the NYIFF as a “mind-numbing and cerebral take on this complex paradox of Omar Saeed Sheikh, played by Rajkummar 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 film “Juze” is set in Boribmol, a village in Goa with a large immigrant population. The NYIFF promotional materials describe the plot: “The village 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.”

A must-watch from a woman filmmaker is ‘The Hungry’ by Bornila Chatterjee, whose earlier film ‘Let’s Be Out, The Sun is Shining’ premiered at the 2012 NYIFF where it won the Audience Award. ‘The Hungry’ has an intriguing story – it follows Tulsi Joshi, a widow and bride-to- be “who comes to her own wedding seeking revenge for the brutal murder of her first-born son. Based on Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, it is about the violence that exists between power and love – a macabre fairytale set in the elite circles of north India.” It stars some notable actors including Naseeruddin Shah and Tisca Chopra.

Another intriguing film is ‘Venus’ directed by Eisha Marjara, dealing with gender issues in a changing world. This story of a transgender woman who meets a teenaged son she didn’t know she had, and how her life changes with the knowledge, is sure to raise troubling questions. The lead is New Yorker Debargo Sanyal in a challenging role.

“Shakespeare Wallah” and “Heat and Dust” will also be screened as part of the Merchant-Ivory Retrospective. There will also be panel discussions on discovering the film and television market in India, shooting films in New York State and the role of the inclusion rider in Hollywood.

The tribute to Sridevi will include the screening of “English Vinglish,” a 2012 film written and directed by Gauri Shinde, who swept all the best debut director awards that year. The film 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 for her performance as the "Meryl Streep of India" and the "female Rajnikanth in Japan."

Two Indian language adaptations of Shakespeare – the Hindi film “The Hungry” and the Tulu film “Paddayi” — will also be screened May 9 and 11 respectively. Bornila Chatterjee’s “The Hungry” follows Tulsi Joshi. She is described on the NYIFF website as “a widow and bride-to-be who comes to her own wedding seeking revenge for the brutal murder of her first born son.” The film, set in north India, is based on Shakespeare's “Titus Andronicus,” and explores “the violence that exists between power and love,” according to the website.

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