NYIFF 2019

Feature Film

Wednesday May 8, 2019 @ 6:00 pm, Auditorium 2
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.

BHONSLE
2018 | India | 128 mins | Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Devashish Makhija
Cast – Manoj Bajpayee, Santosh Juvekar, Ipshita Chakraborty Singh, Virat Vaibhav

Post Screening Q&A with producers Abhayanand Singh and Saurabh Gupta

Synopsis: In tumultuous Mumbai, at a time when scheming Maharashtrian politicians use violence to rid the state of North-Indian migrants, a terminally-ill lone wolf Maharashtrian cop Bhonsle, retired against his will, finds himself forging an unlikely companionship with a 23 year old North-Indian girl and her little brother, while the raging conflict destroying the world around them reaches his doorstep, giving him one last battle worth fighting for, but it might just be too late.

Director Bio: Devashish Makhija has researched and assisted on 'Black Friday' (dir. Anurag Kashyap) and has written numerous screenplays, notably Anurag Kashyap's 'Doga'; has had a solo art show 'Occupying Silence'; written Tulika's bestselling children's books 'When Ali became Bajrangbali' and 'Why Paploo was perplexed'; a Harper-Collins collection of short stories 'Forgetting' and the forthcoming book of poems 'Disengaged'. 'By Two', a story by him in the omnibus 'Mumbai Noir', has been adapted into a feature length film to be directed by him next year. He has written and directed the multiple award winning short films 'Taandav', 'El'ayichi', 'And then they came for me', 'Don’t cry for Rahim LeCock' and 'Absent', the full length feature film 'Ajji (Granny)' and the forthcoming 'Bhonsle'.

Wednesday May 8, 2019 @ 6:15 pm, Auditorium 3
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.

CHIPPA
2018 | India | 90 mins | Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Syed Safdar Rahman
Cast – Sunny Pawar, Masood Akhtar, Chandan Roy Sanyal

Post Screening Q&A with director Syed Safdar Rahman

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/293076697

Synopsis: When Chippa is handed a letter from his father whom he does not remember, the little boy decides to leave his pavement abode and find out more. Unfortunately, the letter is written in Urdu so he needs someone to read it for him. A fight with his grand aunt (with whom he lives) confirms his initial intention. At the stroke of midnight, Chippa grabs a bag full of knick-knacks, and heads out to discover the city and its street nightlife, while trying to discover the connections to his father. Chippa is a coming of age tale, told through a single night in the winters of Kolkata. While the story at its core is gritty, the film is seen through Chippa's eyes, full of magic, wonder and enchanting conversations.

Director Bio: Safdar Rahman is a filmmaker based in Calcutta and Mumbai. After directing plays in school and college, Safdar landed up as a school teacher in Delhi. Consequently, he founded and ran an education and arts non-profit called Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. In 2014, he started working with the maverick film company, Oddjoint, where he has worn many hats before recently partnering with his wife Celine to found Travelling Light. 'Chippa' is his first cinematic directorial venture.

Social Media Handles:
http://www.chippathefilm.com/
www.facebook.com/chippathefilm
www.instagram.com/chippa.thefilm

Review:
https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/chippa-movie-review-a-magical-childrens-film-with-notes-on-modern-day-kolkata-and-adulthood-5470651.html

Wednesday May 8, 2019 @ 6:30 pm, Auditorium 1
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.

INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL AND CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA
Present
URI: THE SURGICAL STRIKE
2019 | India | 138 mins | Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Aditya Dhar
Cast - Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina, Ronnie Screwvala

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiYdjJo663Q

Synopsis: Following the roguish terrorist attacks at Uri Army Base camp in Kashmir, India takes the fight to the enemy, in its most successful covert operation till date with one and only one objective of avenging their fallen heroes.

Director: Aditya Dhar; Is an Indian film director, lyricist, singer. He made his directorial debut in 2019 with the action film URI THE SURGICAL STRIKE which was based on 2016 Uri attack. The film gained positive response both from critics and audiences. The film grossed over 325 crores in worldwide box office collections, a resounding success as his directorial debut. Also, Aditya had been working as Assistant director to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rohan Sippy, Vishal Bhardwaj etc. Dialogue writer and Associate Director with Priyadarshan and Lyrics Writer for Kabul Express, Sunday etc.

Reviews: https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/-uri-the-surgical-strike-helps-bollywood-improve-q1-box-office-collections-1554144816358.html

Wednesday May 8, 2019 @ 6:30 pm, Auditorium 4
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.

ROOTS
2018 | India | 107 mins | Tamil (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Anand Ravichandran
Cast - Nivedhithaa Sathish, Srilekha, Avinash Raghudevan, Gabrella Sellus, Mosakutty, Rathaakrishnan

Synopsis: Meera, an upcoming makeup artist, struggles to make it big in the film industry, harried by the demands of her profession and big city life. After her parent's death, the only family she has is her grandmother Krishnaveni who lives in a village. Krishnaveni earns her living by singing songs of mourning, Oppari, at village funerals, a famous village tradition. Meera hates her grandmother due to an old family conflict and stays away from her until one day when she is forced to leave her city and move to her grandmother's place. The film explores the relationship between Meera and her grandmother after years of separation, how they resolve their conflict and how Meera finds her roots within the rural life and its traditions.

Director: Anand Ravichandran has written and directed several short films; international theatre plays and promo videos. In 2017, his short film 'Kuberanum Irandu Gundargalum' was awarded the Special Mention award out of 250+ entries at the Qube Moviebuff short film contest. He has also been a screenplay and scriptwriter for several Hindi and Tamil films.

Social Media Handles:
https://www.wishberryfilms.in/film/sap

Wednesday May 8, 2019 @ 6.30 Auditorium 5
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.

DRAUPADI UNLEASHED
2019 | USA | 1 hour 48 minutes | English
Directed by – Tony Stopperan
Cast - Salena Qureshi, Dominic Rains, Azita Ghanizada, Anna George, Taaha Shah, Saad Siddiqui, Pooja Batra, Anil Kumar, Melanie Chandra And Cas Anvar

Post Screening Q&A with director Tony Stopperan

Synopsis: Draupadi Unleashed is the story of a young girl's coming of age, in a male dominated world of 1930's British India. A romantic mystery rooted in mysticism that centers on sixteen-year-old Indira who finds herself torn between love and the duty to follow through with an arranged marriage and the manipulations of her powerful guru. Through her heartbreaking journey to self-discovery, long-held secrets are brought to light and Indira discovers the strength within herself to break free. Featuring a female-centric and entirely South-Asian cast, the movie showcases the inner workings of a very affluent, sophisticated, western-educated Indian family.

Director: Tony Stopperan is an award-winning actor, writer/director and producer from Sarasota,FL. His feature film producing credits include Kevin Smith’s Killroy Was Here currently filming, the 2016 Sundance Selection Dark Night, writer/producer of Paradise, FL(2015) and The Lucky 6(2014). He produced, wrote and directed two episodes of the streaming series Sugar with Dylan McDermott, and the Amazon FunnyOrDie series the Real Stephen Blatt with Justin Long. He holds an MFA from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory and a BA in Drama from Trinity Western University.

Wednesday May 8, 2019 @ 9:00 pm, Auditorium 2
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.

HAMID
2018 | India | 112 mins | Urdu (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Aijaz Khan
Cast - Talha Arshad Reshi, Vikas Kumar, Rasika Dugal, Sumit Kaul, Bashir Lone

Post Screening Q&A with director Aijaz Khan

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSDwnGl4aeI

Synopsis: Hamid’s (8) father has gone missing. His mother Ishrat has turned indifferent towards Hamid and the entire world after the incident. Neglected and lonely, with a heart searching for answers, Hamid star gazes in the hope of meeting his father. The number 786 always bewildered Hamid. One day a teacher tells Hamid that this is God’s number. Using his father’s old mobile phone, after trying different combinations, he finally manages to connect to a person, who he is convinced is God. On the other side is Abhay, a hard-knuckled CRPF Jawaan. Hamid’s phone call, though surprising at first, intrigues Abhay who engages in humouring Hamid. These two, unknowingly and unintentionally, change each other’s world for the better.

Director: Aijaz Khan’s debut film, 'The White Elephant' (2009) premiered at the prestigious International Film Festival of India. Travelling to more than 10 film festivals including New York Indian Film Festival and the UK Film Festival. Aijaz has been active in the advertising industry, directing and producing ad films, for over a decade. Most recently, Aijaz directed 'Baankey Ki Crazy Baraat', which was well received at the Box Office.

Social Media Handles:
https://www.facebook.com/yoodleefilms
https://twitter.com/YoodleeFilms
https://www.instagram.com/yoodleefilms/
https://www.saregama.com/yoodleefilms/hamid.html

Shorts A
Wednesday May 8, 2019 @ 9:15 pm, Auditorium 3
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.

AAPKE AA JANE SE
2019 / India / 17 minutes / Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Shiladitya Bora
Cast: Manu Rishi Chaddha, Sunita Shyamsunder, Shloak Bhardwaj, Himani Soni, Mahesh Sharma, Lokesh Mittal

Synopsis: An under-appreciated, slightly emasculated father of two is going through the general humdrum of middle-class Indian life. Until one day, in front of many, he is unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight, making everyone around him see like never before.

Director: A director, producer and distributor, Shiladitya started his film journey by conceptualising and setting up PVR Director’s Rare, the limited release banner of PVR Cinemas, India’s largest cinema company. He served as the first CEO of award-winning indie studio Drishyam Films and was instrumental in green-lighting Newton, India’s official entry to the 90th Academy Awards in 2018. Backed by over a decade of solid industry experience and an undying passion for the movies, Shiladitya is now spearheading Platoon One Films aiming to provide a class act in film production, marketing, distribution & syndication. His short film Aapke Aa Jaane Se will be making its world premiere at NYIFF 2019. He is set to make his feature directorial debut later this year with a Hindi romantic comedy set in Mumbai.

Social Media Link:
twitter.com/ShiladityaBora
twitter.com/PlatoonOneFilms
facebook.com/PlatoonOneFilms

and

BATMI
2018 | India | 7 mins | Marathi (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Indraneel Nighojkar
Cast: Rupali Bhave, Vikas Hande, Chinmay Patwardhan, Sayalee Phatak, Anupama Rajopadhye, Ria Bhat, Ajay Kale

Synopsis: 'Batmi', translated to English, means ‘The News’. The film is about an incident that takes place in an Indian, middle class home, on a regular evening. It is a story that explores the incident in a single, continuous long take, as if being witness to it, as opposed to reading about it in a newspaper. It unfolds the complex dynamics of Society, A Home, Family Relationships, Friendships, Dreams, Time, Life, and Death. The film tries to give the viewer a first-hand experience. Makarand, the father and Reema, the mother are in a relationship that is falling apart. Today they have broken into a fight because Makarand finds out that their son, Omkar, has failed in an exam. He blames Reema for letting Omkar take a ‘break’ without really understanding why he needed one. As their argument heats up, we explore the other spaces of the house, the family members, the apartment they live in, their neighbours and the effect of their fight.

Director: The director of 'Batmi', Indraneel Nighojkar, is a young and passionate filmmaker from India with 'Batmi', being his second directorial short film. He has a bachelors degree in Media studies with a specialisation in Audio/Visual communication from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune, India.
As a filmmaker he is deeply interested in understanding and telling human stories by exploring new ways of storytelling. He believes that in cinema, a story need not be told only through words, but should be explored through visuals, sound design, colour, costumes and art. Some of his favourite films are 'Turin Horse' by Bella Tarr, 'Tangerines' by Zaza Urushadze, 'Ivan’s Childhood' by Andrei Tarkovsky to name a few.
His first short film, 'Naad' (Passion/Obsession), was submitted as his college degree project. The film was critically acclaimed and won an award for best cinematography at a film festival in Pune, India but was not sent for international competitions due to technical reason.
Post that Indraneel has continued to work on various short films and feature film projects in India. He aspires to make feature films and change the way films or stories are imagined in India.

Social Media Handles:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9436982/

and

DISTANT
2018 | India | 18 mins | Kannada (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Natesh Hegde

Trailer: https://youtu.be/hBg4QJ0y5I4

Synopsis: An old man searches for his lost cow as though searching for his very life, whilst his drunkard son shows not the slightest concern.

Director: Natesh Hegde grew up in a small town in the Western Ghats of Karnataka and holds a Master’s in Journalism from Karnataka University, Dharwad. He previously directed the short film 'Kurli' (2007).

and

JALEBI
2018 | U S A| 14 mins | Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Anshomaann Sharma
Cast: Anand Rao, Nirvana Sahwney, Swarajya Bhushan Sehajpal, Anshomann Sharma, Tirthabkar Das

Synopsis: Despite all the bitterness in our minds there is sweetness hidden somewhere deep within our hearts. When strangers from enemy countries meet in different part of the world, it leads to the wheel cart of emotions hidden deep down and brings out their true selves.

Director: Anshomaann Sharma is a New Jersey based Actor/Singer/Editor and Director. This is his second short film, the previous short film 'Station' was also screened in NYIFF and it has also won the best Short film award in short film festival in NYC. Anshomaann has acted in many short films, web series, feature films and also know for creating and singing mashup of bollywood songs. As a day job Anshomaann works as Vice President in banking sector which is to the bill but his passion towards film world keeps him is what makes him happy, something for his dil.

and

MEAL
2018 | India | 11 mins | Bengali (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Abhiroop Basu
Cast: Adil Hussain, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee

Synopsis: Set in the backdrop of ongoing communal tension instigated by rival political factions, MEAL is an 11-minute story about one particular household.
The atmosphere in the house is clearly that of unease. A woman in the kitchen carrying a bruise underneath an eye stares into the distance until a pressure cooker whistle breaks her dead gaze. A man in another room restlessly stuffs arbitrary things into a suitcase, seemingly preparing to leave the house in a state of fury. A child in school uniform picks up broken remnants from a wall clock. Today happens to be the first day of Madhyamik and he is already late. Also present in the house is an ailing grandfather restricted to a wheelchair who bears witness to it all.
The house is in a state of disarray, reflecting the chaos and lovelessness of outside – where everyone is a victim and everyone a perpetrator in equal measure. Amidst all this, the family sits down for one last meal together.

Director: Abhiroop Basu is an award-winning Director and Screenwriter based out of Calcutta, India. A student of South Point High School and St. Xavier's College Calcutta, Abhiroop went on to study films at the prestigious Prague Film School in Czech Republic. Some of his award-winning shorts include 'Afternoon with Julia', 'The Paperman', and 'This is when we first met' which went on to win accolades overseas. His most recent work includes 'Meal' starring Adil Hussain (doing festival rounds) and 'Laali' starring Pankaj Tripathi (In Post Production).

Reviews:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/eleven-minutes-that-speak-volumes/cid/1664847
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/meal-adil-hussain-transforms-into-a-panic-stricken-common-man/articleshow/65632372.cms

and

MOKSHA
2017 USA | 15 mins | English
Directed by – Vick Krishna
Cast: Meera Narasimhan, Mohan Raman, Rachel Burnell, Ankush Nakshatharam

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/235101140

Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world, a son is in a dire journey to fulfil his Mother's wishes. He must overcome this toxic environment and some unexpected foes.

Director: Vick Krishna is self-taught filmmaker, editor. He is also a Meisner trained actor currently in New York. At a young age in Maryland, he started making videos with a camcorder and knew then that he wanted to do this for the rest of his life. In order to please his parents, he went to India to get a degree in Computer Science for three years dedicated to pursue his dreams in film when he returned. He continues this journey making his own films and acting in the indie world of this art.

and

SHIT ONE CARRIES
2018 | New Zealand | 13 mins | Gujarati (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Shuchi Kothari
Cast: Jaimini Pathak, Prakash Shah, Mahesh Ghodeswar, Jamin Dhiman, Rajimol Sajeev, Hiren Patel, Dharmeshbhai Gujjar, Parimal Hazra

Synopsis: Father and son face awkward intimacies when caregiving roles are reversed. Avi, a Silicon Valley engineer, returns to India to care for Dada, his father. Unlike the warmth Dada shares with professional caregivers, his relationship with his son is prickly. One afternoon when the usual attendant is unavailable, Avi must deal with Dada’s diarrhoea. Can Avi let go of his own crap to clean his father’s shit?

Director: Shuchi Kothari is a Kiwi-Indian filmmaker from New Zealand. She has written and produced award-winning films ('Firaaq', 'Apron Strings', 'Coffee & Allah', 'Fleeting Beauty') that have screened at over 100 international festivals including Venice, Toronto, BFI, Telluride, Cannes and Busan.
She teaches Screen Production at the University of Auckland. Among other projects, she’s currently writing an animated feature screenplay set in Japan.
'Shit One Carries' is Shuchi’s fictional directorial debut.

Social Media Links:
http://www.shitonecarries.com
https://web.facebook.com/shitonecarriesfilm/

and

SIBLINGS
2019 | India | 31 mins | Hindi (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Sheetal Menon
Cast: Sheetal Menon, Shivani Tanksale, Mohini Kewalramani, Sunil Shroff, Nakul Vaid, Rudraksh

Synopsis Diya and Nidhi – Two sisters living in an old colonial apartment with their grandmother and their comatose father. The coma was triggered by a brain haemorrhage and it’s been almost 18 months that he has been on a ventilator. The sister’s lives revolve around taking turns to take care of the father. So love, career – basically life has taken a backseat. Maintaining the father’s comatose lifestyle at home has proved to be an expensive proposition. The financial stress has taken a toll on both Diya and Nidhi. On a drunken night, the topic of pulling the plug on the father’s ventilator comes up. Though they both shrug it off initially; the coming days when the finance issues start escalating- the option of pulling the plug becomes a real one. Do the sisters actually go ahead with it forms the rest of the bittersweet story.

Director: Starting her career as a supermodel and having done many print ads, commercials and music videos - Sheetal Menon forayed into films with her debut Hindi film “Brahm”. She followed it up with notable roles in “Shaitan” and “David” doubling up as an associate director on the former and the head of production on the latter. The experience she gathered being behind the camera sparked the story teller in her. The intital idea was to write and direct a feature. But the decision to do a ‘quickie’ short film, to try her hand at film making, turned out to be a year long affair which finally resulted in her maiden short film 'Siblings' which marks her debut as a writer and director.

Feature Film

Wednesday May 8, 2019 @ 9:30 pm, Auditorium 4
Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.

AAMIS
2019 | India | 108 mins | Assamese (with English subtitles)
Directed by – Bhaskar Hazarika
Cast – Lima Das, Arghadeep Baruah, Neetali Das, Sagar Saurabh, Manash K Das, Momee Borah, Chandan Bhuyan

Post Screening Q&A with actress Neetali Das

Synopsis: Nirmali, a married Paediatrician in her late 30s, leads a peaceful but lonely domestic existence in Guwahati, Assam. Her husband, a senior Doctor, spends most of his time doing relief work in surrounding areas, leaving her to take care of their son. One day, she meets Sumon, a young PhD student researching food habits in Northeastern India, who warms up to her in a manner she seems unaccustomed to. Suman's work exposes him to the belief that there's no kind of food that can be considered abnormal and Nirmali is drawn to this idea. The two quickly discover that they have a shared love for food - specifically, meat. Together, they bond over meals comprising unusual meats on platonic dates, although Suman longs for some sort of physical contact. As Nirmali's taste buds grow more adventurous, their relationship takes a dark and bizarre turn neither had anticipated.

Director: After completing his MA in Film & Drama from the University of Reading, Bhaskar worked intensively in Indian films, television, and documentaries for over a decade. His debut film 'Kothanodi' (2015) received the Post Production Grant from Asian Cinema Fund and had its World Premiere at Busan International Film Festival 2015. 'Kothanodi' has since travelled to festivals such as BFI London Film Festival, Jio MAMI Film Festival, Goteborg Film Festival and IFFLA amongst many others. 'Kothanodi' also received the National Award for Best Film in Assamese, 2016.
'Aamis' is Bhaskar's second feature film and was selected for the 2017 Asian Cinema Fund's Co-Production Market in Busan and the 2017 NFDC Film Bazaar Co-Production Market in Goa. It will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2019, where it will compete in the International Narrative Competition section.

Social media handles:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AamisTheFilm/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aamisfilm/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AamisTheFilm