|
|
MAHINDRA INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL (MIAAC) FILM FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER 5-9, 2008 |
|
|
| |
|
|
OPENING NIGHT
HEAVEN ON EARTH
Deepa Mehta, Canada, 2008; 106 min. NY Premiere.
In Punjabi, English, English subtitles.
Cast: Preity Zinta, Vansh Bhardwaj, Balinder Johal, Gourrav Sihan, Ramanjit Kaur, Rajinder Singh Cheema,
Orville Maciel, Geetika Sharma, Yanna McIntosh
Synopsis: Deepa Mehta's powerful and visceral Heaven on Earth boldly inhabits many planes: from Indian mythology to magic realism to the world of Indian immigrants in Canada. Inspired in part by Naga Mandala by the eminent Indian playwright Girish Karnad, Mehta’s disturbing yet ultimately uplifting story is of Chand (Preity Zinta in an unusual role), a beautiful young bride imported into a off-kilter web of familial relationships. Her husband turns cold and horrifically tempered, and an isolated, abused Chand retreats to seek refuge in an inner world of fantasy. In drawing a chilling portrait of Chand’s divided mental state, Mehta portrays a series of psychological transformations rarely seen in film treatments of immigrants to the West. Produced by David Hamilton. Featuring Preity Zinta, Vansh Bhardwaj, Balinder Johal, Gourrav Sihan, Rajinder Singh Cheema.
Red Carpet Opening Night Screening & Gala Benefit Dinner
To purchase tickets Click here
Red Carpet Opening Night Screening & Cocktail Reception
To purchase tickets Click here
Screening Venue:
Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Wednesday, November 5 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
|
| |
WITH |
 |
LUNGIMAN TAKES A RIDE
Peter Yesley. India, 2008, 5 min. World Premiere
Tamil, with English subtitles.
Synopsis: A poor Indian villager runs into problems getting to his daughter’s wedding, until he happens to meet an up-and-coming software engineer. With Dheena Chandra Dhas, Satish Kumar.
Screening Venue:
Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Wednesday, November 5 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
|
|
|
 |
COLOURS OF PASSION (Rang Rasiya)
Ketan Mehta, India, 2008; 130 min. US Premiere
In Hindi with English subtitles.
Synopsis: The life of an artist who imprinted the iconography of Hindu gods and goddesses upon a billion minds, Raja Ravi Varma’s life as an iconoclast who dared mass-produce his prints, becomes a sensuously beautiful and bold film in director Ketan Mehta's latest venture. From his early days under royal patronage to his trial for blasphemy for his increasingly eroticized work, Mehta brings to life the artist’s search for his muse, the birth of Indian modern art, the dawn of Indian cinema, and inspiring the Indian independence movement. With Paresh Rawal, Nandana Sen.
Screening Venue:
Museum of Arts and Design. Thursday, November 6 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
Tribeca Cinemas 2 . Saturday, November 8 at 3 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
|
|
|
 |
LAKSHMI AND ME
Nishtha Jain, US-India; 59 min. NY Premiere
In English and Hindi, with English subtitles.
Synopsis: "What sin did I commit to be born a woman?" Lakshmi wonders out loud. A 21-year-old housemaid in Mumbai, she works ten hours a day, seven days a week. One of her employers is the filmmaker who makes over a year and a half, a documentary that explores their relationship, Lakshmi’s life at home, and at work in various houses, illness and romance. The filming begins to have its own impact on unfolding events, their relationship, forcing the filmmaker to question many of the things she has taken for granted. |
| |
AND |
 |
CROSSING LINES
Leena Jayaswal and Indira Somani, India/US, 2008; 30min. NY Premiere.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Indira Somani led an American life, but at home, her world was Indian because of her father's love for India and Indian culture. This film’s journey is a familiar one to many South Asian Americans, as the filmmaker goes to India for the first time after her father’s death. A simple story, effectively told, of a daughter’s tribute to her father in all that he has taught her about the place she discovers as an essential part of her idea of home. |
| |
AND |
 |
ANJALI
Maya Anand, USA, 2008, 15 min; NY Premiere.
Synopsis:
Anjali (played by Vaishnavi Sharma) brings her boyfriend home but is surprised to find someone else already there. She finds she must decide whether she will share her secret and risk destroying her family. Also with Anna George, Sanjiv Jhaveri, Manish Dayal
Screening Venue:
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Thursday, November 6 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tribeca Cinemas 1. Saturday, November 8 at 12 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
|
|
|
 |
BOSE: THE FORGOTTEN HERO
Shyam Benegal; India, 2005; 207 minutes. NY Premiere
In Hindi and English, with English subtitles.
Synopsis: Still shrouded in controversy and mystery, the gripping story of Indian national hero "Netaji" Subhas Chandra Bose gets an epic treatment from veteran director Shyam Benegal. In his telling of a dramatic story that has all but disappeared from public memory, Benegal follows the leader who diverged from Gandhi (who once remarked that he had two political sons, Jawaharlal Nehru and "that mischievous Netaji") to meet with Adolf Hitler and General Hideki Tojo in his fight for Indian independence. Benegal follows the astonishing life of the man who created India's first national army that battled the Allied forces in the jungles of Burma, until his mysterious death in 1945. With Sachin Khedekar, Rajit Kapur, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Rajeshwari Singh.
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Thursday, November 6 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas SOLD OUT
Asia Society. Sunday, November 9 at 1 PM.
For Tickets Click here
|
|
|
 |
BOUND-UNBOUND: JOURNEYS WITH RAM & KABIR (Had-Anhad)
Shabnam Virmani; India, 2008; 105 min. US Premiere.
In Hindi, Urdu and English, with English subtitles
Synopsis:
The music of Kabir, the 15th century mystic Indian poet of north India sharply criticized sectarianism and defied the boundaries between Hinduism and Islam. With a Muslim name and upbringing, his poetry used Hindu concepts and Hindu names for God, especially Ram. Virmani’s film journeys in search of the “Ram” invoked in Kabir's poetry, reaching into the very heart of the divisive Hindu-Muslim politics of the sub-continent. She encounters singers and lay people in India and Pakistan, probing the forces of history and politics that have created disputatiously diverse Rams even as it has spawned many Kabirs.
Had Anhad/Bound Unbound: Journeys with Ram and Kabir:
Winner 1st Prize (shared), One Billion Eyes Documentary Film Festival, Chennai, India, Aug 2008
World Performing Arts Festival, Lahore, Pakistan, Nov, 2008
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 1. Thursday, November 6 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
Museum of Arts and Design. Friday, November 7 at 9 PM
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
|
|
|
 |
SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA
Apoorva Lakhia, India, 2007; 121 min. NY Premiere.
In Hindi, with English subtitles.
Based on a real-life front-page bloody encounter between the Indian police and gangsters, director Apoorva Lakhia's "Bollywood" action film - the subject of Liz Mermin's SHOT IN BOMBAY - is an all-singing, all-dancing gangster film. A gray moral murk hangs over the encounters between Khan (played by Sanjay Dutt), a police officer from the Anti-Terrorist Squad, as he clashes with Maya (Viveik Oberoi), an ambitious young goon. Good guys and bad guys - complete with a Ma Barkerish gangster mother - are hard to call, as corruption and violence come together in a corrosive and explosive mix. New York and Bombay- based director Lakhia brings a hunk-and-babe look to his examination of the extortionist "bhai" culture of Bombay's underworld, with references to spaghetti westerns and Donna Summer riffs. Also with Amitabh Bachhan, Suniel Shetty, Arbaaz Khan, Tushaar Kapoor, Rohit Roy.
Screening Venue:
Museum of Arts and Design. Thursday, November 6. 9 PM.
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Saturday November 8 12 pm.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas |
|
|
| |
|
 |
PUNCHES N PONYTAILS
Pankaj Rishi Kumar, India, 2008; 74 min. US Premiere
In Hindi and Marathi with English subtitles.
Synopsis: Two Indian women boxers wrestle with their day-to-day existence in a sport dominated by men. One of the boxers, comprehending her own sexuality, deals with the complexities it raises, while feeling the need to prove that she too can box like the older brother she admires. The other struggles with the limitations of her own body as she fights for the approval of her coach. Using a cinema verité style, Kumar draws a portrait of a changing India as he follows their lives, struggles and fights for over two years. |
| |
AND |
|
MR. MANIPUR
Aribam Syam Sharma, India, 2008; 25 min. World Premiere
Synopsis: Khundrakpam Pradipkumar hits the gym after he comes down with AIDS. Amazingly, his health improves dramatically and Pradipkumar goes on to take up bodybuilding to win the title of Mr. Manipur.
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Saturday, November 8 at 9 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. November 6 at 9 PM.
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
|
|
|
 |
Bollywood Backstage
PERSONALITY
Vinay Chowdhry, USA, 2008; 85 min. NY Premiere.
Synopsis: Does Rajesh have it – that “personality" code for good-looking, light-skinneddancers who are hip and confident? A talented and hard-working dancer, he has moved far from his village in northern India to Bombay to find out. Under the tutelage of Sanjay, his outspoken yet introspective guru, Rajesh sets out to achieve his dream as a chorus boy, giving us a rare peek at the dances and dancers so essential to popular Indian cinema. Sanjay is compassionate and encouraging but realistic, working with Rajesh to develop that "personality” sought by film choreographers. |
| |
AND |
 |
BEWARE DOGS
Spandan Banerjee; India 2008; 40 min. US Premiere
In English and Hindi, with English subtitles.
Synopsis: Four musicians and their music floating through the corridors of a quaint old house in an old Delhi neighborhood is what the film Beware Dogs attempts to capture. The house is where the band Indian Ocean come together with their many moods. As they work and play the camera peeps into their world desiring to know the artists behind the familiar tunes. The artists are like characters in the film, glimpsed and known only through their music and the space they inhabit. The journey, which begins with a known song, quietly leads the outsider into their little room where they rehearse and weave new music. As the known words fade, a new struggle is discovered.
The struggle to create; as they compose a new song for a feature film. In its narrative length, Beware Dogs attempts to seek the four musicians and share their travails of creating music as they laugh, grimace and sway tying the pieces that will go on to become a new song. With Indian Ocean Band Members:-Susmit Sen,Asheem Chakraborty,
Rahul Ram, Amit Kilam.
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 1. Thursday, November 6 at 9 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Saturday, November 8 at 9 PM.
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
|
|
|
 |
FOUR WOMEN (Naalu Pennungal)
Adoor Gopalakrishnan, India, 200; 105 min. NY Premiere
In Malayalam with English subtitles.
Synopsis: The deeply rooted humanism and empathy in the stories by the eminent writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai comes to the screen in Gopalakrishnan’s gentle yet wrenching adaptation. In each of the four tales of village women in south India, with the elemental titles of “The Prostitute,” “The Virgin,” “The Housewife” and “The Spinster”, a woman submits to a role society has determined for her. Yet the beauty of the film lies in a profound insight: that each social deference and bondage to the laws of men paradoxically offers a measure of freedom in nearly equal measure. With Nandita Das, Geetu Mohandas, Padmapriya, Manju Pillai, Kavya Madhavan
|
| |
AND |
 |
RADHA
Eliyas Qureshi, USA, 2007, 21 min. NY Premiere.
Synopsis:
A woman is trapped in an abusive relationship with her husband, who she cannot leave until she obtains her green card. With Manu Narayan, Saila Rao.
Screening Venue:
Museum of Arts and Design. Friday, November 7 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
Tribeca Cinemas 1. Saturday, November 8 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas |
|
|
 |
A THROW OF DICE (Prapancha Pash)
Franz Osten, Germany/UK, 1929; 80 min. NY Premiere.
Synopsis: The digitally restored Indian silent classic of Franz Osten's stunningly beautiful 'A Throw of Dice' from 1929, features a new soundtrack score by British Asian composer Nitin Sawhney performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Based on the pivotal gambling episode from the Mahabharata 'A Throw of Dice' is the story of Ranjit and the nefarious Sohan, two kings with a passion for gambling and the same woman, Sunita. The film is the third in Osten’s Indian trilogy that started with the acclaimed “Light of Asia” of 1926, and features the great Indian film pioneer Himansu Rai (as King Sohan), who along with his wife Devika Rani, trained at the German studio UFA in the early years of Indian cinema. With Charu Roy, Seeta Devi.
Screening Venue:
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Friday, November 7 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tribeca Cinemas 1. Saturday, November 8 at 9 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
|
|
|
|
Bollywood Backstage
CHETAN ANAND: THE POETICS OF FILM
Ketan Anand. India, 2007, 95 min; US Premiere
Synopsis: A documentary on the film career of Chetan Anand whose film Lowly City (Neecha Nagar) was the first Indian film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to win the Grand Prix, in 1946. The film pays homage to one of Hindi cinema’s pioneering filmmakers. Starting from his work as India was gaining independence, to a successful career in the decades following, the filmmaker focuses on his father’s professional life and craft. The film is narrated by Indian actor Tom Alter. Clips from later films like Haqeeqat, Akhri Khat and Heer Ranjha are commented upon by Indian actors such as Hema Malini, Dharmendra, Farouque Shaikh, Kamini Kaushal, and Dev Anand.
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Friday, November 7 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
|
|
|
 |
LOVE BRIBES ETC. (Chai Pani)
Manu Rewal. India, 2008; 92 min. NY Premiere,
In English and Hindi, with English subtitles.
Synopsis:
An earnest young filmmaker, freshly returned from the US, finds himself pitted against the harrowing sloth and corruption of bureaucracy as he embarks on a documentary about the desert city of Jaisalmer. It does not help matters, in this witty comedy, that Satya, our young protagonist (Zafar Karachiwala in his film debut) is torn between two girls he is attracted to: an ambitious fashion designer and a sensitive socially conscious soul (both played with aplomb by Konkana Sen). Chai Pani makes its point about the everyday instances of corruption in India that do not make the headlines, with humor and insight, and ultimately the life choices one must make. Also with Gaurav Kapur. |
| |
AND |
 |
BUS
Pranav Vora, USA, 2008; 9 min. NY Premiere
In Hindi, with English subtitles
Synopsis: On a Mumbai city bus, a chance encounter between a boy and girl stirs emotion beyond their present moment. Filmed in one shot on super 16mm, Bus is at once the vehicle that transports two passengers, and the word enough in Hindi. With Amit Mistry, Moon Banerjee.
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 1. Friday, November 7 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
Museum of Arts and Design. Saturday, November 8 at 9 PM
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
|
|
|
 |
THE WILD BULL (Valu)
Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni, India, 2007; 114 min. NY Premiere.
In Marathi, with English subtitles.
Synopsis: A bull runs amok in an isolated village in Maharashtra, and village elder Anna enlists Swanand, a zoo-worker from the city, to capture the animal. Swanand's brother, an aspiring filmmaker, tags along, taking the opportunity to shoot a documentary. The locals are lovable yokels and run the gamut from secret lovers to unhappily married couples in Kulkarni’s debut feature. A broad comedy, often juxtaposing the locals and visitors from the city, Wild Bull offers different fare from the run-of the-mill comedies churned out in Indian cinema. Atul Kulkarni, Mohan Agashe, Nandu Madhav, Renuka Daftardar, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Nirmitee Sawant, Amruta Subhash.
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Friday, November 7 at 9 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
Museum of Arts and Design. Saturday, November 8 at 12 PM.
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
|
|
|
 |
FIREBIRD
Melvin Estrella, US, 2008, 10 min. NY Premiere.
Synopsis:
Two women are preyed upon by men they know.
With Diksha Basu
|
| |
AND |
 |
WARRIOR BOYZ
Baljit Sangra. Canada, 2008, 43 min. NY Premiere.
Synopsis:
Jagdeep carries the reminders of his gang experience mapped across his body in the form of bullet wounds and machete scars. His experience is an ominous warning to 15-year-old Tanvir, whose life is a free fall of alienation and violence. 18-year old Vicky, who is struggling to graduate from high school, refuses to even talk about his past for fear of retaliation. Warrior Boyz unflinchingly takes the lid off Vancouver's growing youth gang culture in the South Asian community
|
| |
AND |
 |
SOMEWHERE RIGHT NOW
Eirik Forus, USA, 2008, 5 min. NY Premiere
Synopsis:
An soldier saves the life of the person she is ordered to mistreat. With Tony Mirrchandani, Alexis MacDonald, Tyler Hollinger.
|
| |
AND |
 |
NOISE (Shor)
Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, India, 2008; 14 min. NY Premiere
In Hindi, with English Subtitles.
Synopsis: When three young men find a bomb on a train, should they sell it or have a good blast with it? But how to find a secluded place in a crowded Indian city? SHOR, is a fast-paced edgy satire that highlights the apathy prevalent in urban India. The short is a precursor to a full-length feature film that will be produced next year. With Pitabash Tripathy, Vijay Verma, Alok Chaturvedi, Sudheer Chaudhary.
Screening Venue:
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Saturday, November 8 at 12 PM.
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
|
|
|
 |
Bollywood Backstage
PANCHAM UNMIXED: AN UNENDING JOURNEY
Brahmanand Singh, India, 2007; 113min. NY Premiere
In Hindi with English subtitles.
Synopsis: Indian film composer Rahul Dev Burman (popularly known as Pancham) placed his own special stamp on the Indian film music of the late sixties. And almost a decade after his passing, his music continues to have an ardent following as well as a lasting influence on the style and technique of music composers in Indian cinema today. Pancham Unmixed explores Burman's life and persona, with anecdotes from his closest friends and colleagues that throw light on the inner workings of one of the key foundations of Indian cinema idioms, and its make-or-break role in a film’s commercial success. Featuring: Asha Bhosle, Gulzar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Pyarelal, Usha Uthup, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Kavita Krishnamurthy.
Screening Venue:
Museum of Arts and Design. Saturday, November 8 at 3 PM.
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
|
|
|
 |
Bollywood Backstage
SHOT IN BOMBAY
Liz Mermin, USA, 2007; 99 min. NY festival premiere
Synopsis: In the summer of 2006, an ambitious but unproven Bollywood director started filming Shootout at Lokhandwala, a movie based on an encounter between the police and gangsters in Bombay in 1991. With a star-studded cast and a true-life story, the film’s release was highly anticipated. In the lead role, playing a famous vigilante cop, was superstar Sanjay Dutt. Unfortunately, Dutt was also involved in a terrorist trial that had been going on since 1993, and the case came to a head just as filming began. Shot in Bombay joins the filmmaking team on the last leg of shooting in January 2007, as they try to finish the film before their lead actor is sentenced. With Aproova Lakhia
Screening Venue:
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Saturday, November 8 at 3 PM.
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
|
|
|
 |
SHADOWS FORMLESS (Nirakar Chhaya)
Ashish Avikunthak, India, 2007; 82 min. US Premiere.
In Bengali with English subtitles.
Synopsis:A stranger enters the life of a lonely woman abandoned by her husband. Is he, as he claims, a former lover or a projection of her yearning for passion that transforms her reality? Shadows Formless is an interpretation of the Malayalam novella Pandavpuram by the distinguished novelist Setumadhavan from Kerela. Admirers of directors like Mani Kaul and Kumar Shahani will welcome this work from outside the established alternative to popular Indian cinema. With Mandira Banerjee, Deepak Haldar, Sweta Tiwari
|
| |
AND |
 |
THE FICTION
Spandan Banerjee, India 2008; 45 min. US Premiere
In English and Bengali, with English subtitles.
Cast: Sabysachi Chakrabarty,Sanjay Rajoura,Sumit Roy,Radhika Chakrabarty,Rituprna Sen.
Synopsis: A chance meeting on a Delhi summer morning brings a middle-aged salaried man and a somewhat undefined young man together. Soon, a short commute together across Delhi becomes a pattern to which both, recent arrivals from Bengal, comfortably succumb in this tale of the fictions of friendship and intimacy. With Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Sanjay Rajoura, Radhica Chakraborty, Rituparna Sen.
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 1. Saturday, November 8 at 3 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
Museum of Arts and Design. Sunday, November 9 at 3 PM.
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
|
|
|
 |
Retrospective: Presented in association with Museum of the Moving Image
LOWLY CITY (Neecha Nagar)
Chetan Anand. India, 1946, 122 min.
In Hindi with English subtitles.
Synopsis: The first Indian film to win the Grand Prix Award at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, Chetan Anand’s expressionist look at social injustice in rural India is adapted by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas from Maxim Gorky’s Lower Depths. The film centers on a fantastically wealthy and capacious landlord who lives in a palatial estate high up on a mountain while the poor toil and starve in the valley below. The villagers' hatred for the landlord is inflamed further by the fact that his sewage is dumped directly into the village, spreading a variety of diseases. A pioneering effort in social realism in Hindi cinema, with stylistic gestures drawn from Soviet cinema, Lowly City also marked Ravi Shankar's (the world renowned Sitar maestro) debut as a film composer. With Uma Anand, Rafiq Ahmed, Kamini Kaushal, Zohra Sehgal.
Screening Venue:
Museum of Arts and Design. Saturday, November 8 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Musuem of Arts and Design
|
|
|
 |
THE FRONTIER GANDHI: BADSHAH KHAN, A TORCH FOR PEACE
T.C. McLuhan, USA/Canada, 2008; 91 minutes. North American Premiere.
In English, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Dari, with English subtitles
Synopsis:
The extraordinary story of the Muslim peacemaker born into the inconceivable violence of Pashtun warrior society of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan is the dramatic subject of T.C. McLuhan’s documentary, 21 years in the making. Pronounced "a miracle" by Mahatma Gandhi, Badshah Khan raised a 100,000 strong non-violent army of men, women, and youngsters from many religious backgrounds in his fight for Indian independence and religious tolerance, earning him two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. Shot in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the eye-opening and poignant story that the film tells also includes rare historical footage, remarkably candid interviews from world leaders and a score by David Amram, the acclaimed composer and pioneer of World Music.
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Sunday, November 9 at 3 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas
Special Screening:
Special Screening followed by World Beat Concert – a live concert by David Amram & musicians.
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Saturday, November 8 at 6 PM.
Tickets: $25 public / $18 Students with ID
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
|
|
|
 |
AMAL
Richie Mehta, Canada, 2007;101 min. NY Premiere.
In English and Hindi, with English subtitles.
Synopsis:
First-time director Richie Mehta makes a gently humorous debut with this wry, fable-like tale of contemporary India. When Amal, an autorickshaw driver (a sensitive portrayal by Rupinder Nagra) in chaotic New Delhi, generously allows a dishonest, seemingly homeless curmudgeon to cheat him of his fare, strange events are set in motion that affect both in far-reaching ways. Mehta, who also co-wrote the film, conveys with immediacy the noise and chaos of a burgeoning working-class Delhi, as its members rub shoulders and scruples with the new rich classes. Amal is a powerful and touching story of one man’s decency. Also with Koel Purie, Naseeruddin Shah, Seema Biswas, Roshan Seth.
General Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Saturday, November 8 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas SOLD OUT
Museum of Arts and Design. Sunday, November 9 at 12 PM.
Click here for tickets to this program
Special Screening:
Thursday, November 6 at 6 PM.
Consulate General of India at 3 East 64th Street, New York
The event is free but registration is required. Please email Dr. Mueller at cmueller@hunter.cuny.edu or call (212) 772-5647 |
| |
AND |
 |
THE LOST RAINBOW (Haravele Indradhanush)
Dhiraj Meshram, India. 2008; 22 min. NY Premiere
In Marathi with English subtitles.
Synopsis:
A young man takes his new bride to the ancestral temple, accompanied by his elder brother, his brother’s wife and their little son. The journey brings back that last summer when the two brothers spent their holidays with their grandmother. And a long-suppressed boyhood guilt is brought back to memory. With Chinmay Patwardhan, Omkar Pendse, Anupama Rajopadhye, Rajesh Mehendale
Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Saturday, November 8 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas SOLD OUT
Museum of Arts and Design. Sunday, November 9 at 12 PM.
Click here for tickets to this program
|
|
|
|
Closing Night
LITTLE ZIZOU
Sooni Taraporevala. India, 2008; 101 min. NY Premiere
In English, Gujarati and Hindi, with English subtitles.
Cast: Boman Irani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Imaad Shah, Shernaz Patel, Zenobia Shroff, Dilshad Patel, Special Appearance - John Abraham,
Introducing - Iyanah Bativala, Jahan Bativala
Synopsis: Xerxes (Little Zizou) is an 11-year-old football-crazy boy in Bombay. His one ardent desire is that his long-dead mother should bring the French soccer star Zinedine Zidane (Zizou) to Bombay for he feels she can perform miracles from her place above. His father is a pompous, self-proclaimed leader and religious bigot. His brother Artaxerxes, on the other hand, is a quiet, talented cartoonist hopelessly in love with the daughter of his father's archrival, a fun-loving rational reformer and owner of a community newspaper. Events pit the two patriarchs against each other in the backdrop of a Fellini-esque Parsi world in this uncommonly funny satire. With Boman Irani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Zenobia Shroff, Imaad Shah, Jahan Bativala, Iyanah Bativala. Special appearance by John Abraham.
Screening Venue:
Museum of Arts and Design. Sunday, November 9 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Museum of Arts and Design
Walter Reade Theater. Sunday, November 9 at 6 PM.
By Invitation only
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
SPECIAL EVENTS |
 |
60x60 Secs
motiroti. UK, 60 one-minute films, 2007-2010. US Premiere.
Synopsis: 60x60 Secs, the first project for 360degreesTV from motiroti, the London-based international arts organization, comprises of sixty one-minute films by established and emerging artists from the South Asian Diaspora – twenty each from Britain, India and Pakistan – on the meaning of ‘home and boundaries’. Shown daily as a single channel installation, the films uncover new voices and images, presenting comic, unsettling and arresting stories of everyday life and global events.
Screening Venue:
Wednesday, November 5–9, 10AM-6 PM.
Aicon Gallery at 35 Great Jones Street, New York.
212-725-6092, http://www.aicongallery.com/
|
|
|
|
Screening Seminar
BEYOND BOLLYWOOD
Synopsis: Set in New Delhi, Canadian-Indian director Richie Mehta’s feature debut AMAL is a tender contemporary fable on the good, the decent and the new India, It is a rich example of the new independent voices of Indian and South Asian Diaspora filmmaking. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion that will address the issues faced by artists of South Asian origin in North America; the place and study of new independent films like AMAL in international cinema; their perceptions, distribution and exhibition in mainstream and community theaters; and their reception by and potential with mainstream audiences in the US.
This screening seminar is produced by Dr. Claus Mueller, International Film and Television Exchange, Inc. Panelists include Richard Allen, Chair, Cinema Studies, NYU; Ken Naz, President, Eros Entertainment, Inc.; Richie Mehta, Film Director and Richard Pena, Program Director, Film Society of Lincoln Center, as moderator. The screening seminar concludes with a reception allowing for informal discussions with the panelists and members of the audience.
Screening Venue:
Thursday, November 6 at 6 PM.
Consulate General of India at 3 East 64th Street, New York
The event is free but registration is required. Please email Dr. Mueller at cmueller@hunter.cuny.edu or call (212) 772-5647 SOLD OUT
General Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Saturday, November 8 at 6 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas SOLD OUT
Museum of Arts and Design. Sunday, November 9 at 12 PM.
Click here for tickets to this program
|
|
|
 |
Presented with the Museum of the Moving Image at The Times Center
BOMBAY/NY: AN EVENING WITH MIRA NAIR AND SUKETU MEHTA
Synopsis: Modern Bombay, home to fourteen million, is one of the world's most vibrant urban centers. Its official name is Mumbai, but as author Suketu Mehta writes, the city has "multiple aliases, as do gangsters and whores." Bombay, and its relationship to New York, will be the focus of this lively evening of discussion and film clips. Mehta and film director Mira Nair are two of the most prominent Indo-American cultural figures; Nair's acclaimed films include The Namesake, Monsoon Wedding, and Salaam Bombay! Mehta, who was born in Calcutta and raised in Bombay and New York, is the author of Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found. Nair and Mehta are collaborating on several film projects. They will discuss their work, and their perspectives on the vibrant cultures of Bombay and New York City. Excerpts from Nair's films will be shown, and the conversation between Nair and Mehta will be moderated by the Museum's Chief Curator, David Schwartz.
Friday, November 7, at 7p.m.
At The Times Center, 242 W. 41st Street, New York
Tickets: $25 public / $15 for MMI and IAAC Members
http://movingimage.us/site/calendar/pages/2008/
index_times_center.html
|
|
|
|
Screening and Concert
THE FRONTIER GANDHI: BADSHAH KHAN, A TORCH FOR PEACE
T.C. McLuhan, USA/Canada, 2008; 91 minutes. North American Premiere.
In English, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Dari, with English subtitles
Synopsis: The extraordinary story of the Muslim peacemaker born into the inconceivable violence of Pashtun warrior society of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan is the dramatic subject of T.C. McLuhan's documentary, 21 years in the making.Pronounced "a miracle" by Mahatma Gandhi, Badshah Khan raised a 100,000 strong non-violent army of men, women, and youngsters from many religious backgrounds in his fight for Indian independence and religious tolerance, earning him two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. Shot in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the eye-opening and poignant story that the film tells also includes rare historical footage, remarkably candid interviews from world leaders. The film's music is scored by David Amram, the acclaimed composer and pioneer of World Music. Special Screening followed by World Beat Concert – a live concert by David Amram & musicians.
Special Screening:
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Saturday, November 8 at 6 PM.
Tickets: $25 public / $18 Students with ID
Tickets for Jazz at Lincoln Center
General Screening Venue:
Tribeca Cinemas 2. Sunday, November 9 at 3 PM.
Tickets for Tribeca Cinemas |
|
|
 |
Festival Centerpiece
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE -
Sponsored by Filmy 
Danny Boyle, Co-Director India: Loveleen Tandan, UK, 2008;120 min. NY Premiere.
US Distributor: Fox Searchlight.
In English, Hindi, with English subtitles.
Cast: Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan
Synopsis: Danny Boyle's dazzling new film, based on a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, is a twisty take on the classic fairy tale of the underdog clawing his way out of a Dickensian world of shadows. Jamal, a poor, bright-eyed slum-kid, Salim, his older brother, and a feisty young girl, Latika. make their way through the betrayal, greed, corruption and violence of Bombay's lower depths. In the course of an electrifying trip from the city's slums to its brightly lit television studios, the boy's earnings on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? begins to mount to unsettling and gigantic proportions. For how can a "slumdog" with no formal education know the answers to these questions? The game show becomes Jamal's biggest life test. Produced by Christian Colson. Featuring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan
Screening Venue:
ImaginAsian Theater. Saturday, November 8 at 7 PM.
Tickets: $25 public / $18 Students with ID
Tickets for ImaginAsian
|
|
|
 |
INDUSTRY PANELS
IFP PANELS
Attendance is free but registration is essential RSVP: rvincelli@ifp.org
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Time: 9 am to 5 pm
Recording Studio, Fifth Floor, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
This is an opportunity to meet with the filmmakers whose films are being screened in the MIAAC Film Festival. This day of panels is programmed to provide understanding of and exposure to the U.S. Independent Film Industry and Community.
Financing Features 10-11:30 am
Funds, banks, gap, pre-sales, equity, tax subsidies - how do these all interplay in the financing of independent film in the US? A panel of finance experts will discuss the current landscape of financing for independent film.
Panelists include:
Victoria Cook, Esq. Partner, Member of the Entertainment Group, Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein & Selz
Mary Jane Skalski, Independent New York based producer of "The Visitor", "The Hawk Is Dying" "Mysterious Skin", "The Station Agent"
Lydia Dean Pilcher, Producer.
A Talent For Talent 11:45am-1:15pm
Given how crucial talent is in the financing and selling of independent film a panel of casting directors and other industry executives will discuss their role in the process. Among other topics they will answer the questions: When is the best time to approach them? How do they work with the filmmaking team? What advice can they give international filmmakers who are interested to connect with US talent for their projects.
Panelists include:
Avy Kaufman, Casting Director
Tom O'Donnell, Talent Agent, Paradigm Agency
Paul Miller, Head of Crossroads Films' Feature Film Division, producer of "Snow Angels," "A Love Song For Bobby Long."
Cindy Tolan, Casting Director
Festival Strategy - The Smart Filmmakers Guide 2:30-4:00 pm
So your film gets into a festival - what now? As festivals are the launch pad for distribution what is the best way to leverage your presence there? What is the role of a producers rep? How does the publicist work with the filmmakers and the producers rep? What do smart filmmakers need to know to do before and during the festival to maximize the experience?
Panelists include:
Rene Bastian, producer and owner of Belladonna Productions ( "Sue," "L.I.E," "Transamerica" "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints"),
Steven Beer, Esq, Partner, Greenberg Traurig
Sophie Gluck, Founder, Sophie Gluck & Associates, a New York-based film publicity agency
David Nugent Director of Programming, the Hamptons International Film Festival
Date: Thursday November 6
Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Admission: Free
|
|
|
 |
NYWIFT PANELS
Friday, November 7, 2008
Recording Studio, Fifth Floor, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
TICKETS: Attendance at the Panels is free, but Registration is essential.
https://www.123signup.com/register?id=zftjq
10:30 - 12:00 Financing and Acquisitions for Documentaries and Shorts
Financing and Acquisitions for Documentaries and Shorts: A panel of financing and acquisition executives from U.S. Public Television and major cable television outlets will discuss financing, co-production and acquisition opportunities for documentary and short films. Topics include: reaching theater and film festival audiences, securing broadcasts, and making home videos and educational sales. Speakers include Nancy Abraham, Vice President of Documentary Programming for HBO; Adam Erlebacher, Co-Founder of PlaceVine; Cynthia Lopez, Vice President of P.O.V. documentary series for PBS; and Ann Rose, Executive Producer of Original Programming. Sundance Channel. Carol Dean, Founder, Roy W. Dean Grant Foundation and author of The Art of Funding Your Film: Alternative Financing Concepts, will moderate.
1:00 - 2:30 Distribution in the 21st Century
Digital technology has transformed the traditional way of distributing all forms of programming. Technology affects filmmakers, distributors, and audiences in various and unique ways. The discussion will focus on traditional distribution methods as well as alternative methods of distribution. Also discussed with be methodology ranging from joining a distribution cooperative to using multiple distributors (targeted to different markets). Speakers include Julie Fontaine, Vice President of Publicity at Miramax Films; Ingrid Kopp, Director of Shooting People in the US; Susan Margolin is co-founding Principal and Chief Operating Officer of New Video Group; Paco de Onís producer of On Our Own Terms with Bill Moyers, Secrets from the Grave, for National Geographic, and Police Force for New York Times Television; and Gauri Sathe head of the Marketing department at IndiePix. The panel will be moderated by Eileen Newman, Deputy Director of the Tribeca Film Institute.
3:00 - 4:30 Opening Strategies for NYC: If you can make it here...
This panel will address the challenges of a opening foreign or independent film in New York City. The biggest market in the US, with the mist important critics and the newspaper of record, New York City also has the most competition for media attention and audience members. Winning strategies and pitfalls will be discussed from the point of view of exhibitors, distributors, publicists and producers. Speakers include Karen Cooper, Director, Film Forum; Gitesh Pandya, producer and media consultant; Emily Russo, Co-founder and Co-president of Zeitgeist Films; and Derval Whelan, Vice President, Distribution at Fox Searchlight. MIchelle Materre of the New School and Independent Media Consultant will be the moderator.
|
|
|
 |
MIAAC PANEL
Saturday, November 8, 2008.
10 am - 12 noon.
Recording Studio, Fifth Floor, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
Attendance is Free. However, registration is essential. Please register at shivika@iaac.us
SHOOTING IN INDIA
India is home to the world's largest film industry as well as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Non-Indian filmmakers across the globe are flocking to take advantage of India's hospitality, its "cheap" sets and its varied locations. However, filming in India can be a challenge. How, when, where, who can help, what are the rules? Some of the most successful producers from both the US and India will address questions that US filmmakers have about shooting and producing in India, including financing structures, rules and regulations, artistic talent, technical facilities and crew. Producer Lydia Dean Pilcher (The Darjeeling Express, The Namesake), founder of Cine Mosaic; Tracey Jackson, producer (Lucky Ducks) and screenwriter (The Guru, The Ivy Chronicles); Aanand Mahendroo, producer of Colours of Passion and Managing Director of Infinity Film Completion Services; and Apoorva Lakhia, director of Shootout at Lokhandwala will be on a panel moderated by Parvez Sharma, producer-director of A Jihad for Love.
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
