Indo-American Arts Council, Inc.

Queens Museum of Art
NYC Bldg, Flushing Meadows Park
Corona, NY 11368-3398
718.592.9700 x222, www.queensmuseum.org

Mahindra Indo - American Arts Council Film Festival
travels to the Queens Museum of Art
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH, 2007 FROM 2 - 9PM

Join us for a full day's screening of selections from the MIAAC Film Festival showcasing the finest Indian independent and diaspora films. *All works shown on video*

$10 day pass, includes admission to museum, entry for all films, and closing reception!
Advance Tickets at http://www.meraticket.com/contents/moviedetails.asp?eventId=941
or purchase day of the event only at museum.

2pm: Docs/Shorts Program
Still in Transit (Steve Clack, India/U S A, 2006, 51 Mins; Spanish, Portuguese, English with English ST)
A documentary about travel, transition, cross-cultural friendship, and musical harmony. The two main characters, Abhi (an Indian) and Steve (an American), are friends who are in a period of transition in their lives. Both musicians and travelers at heart, they embark on a songwriting world tour, which takes them from the US, through Latin America, and on to Europe, and India. As they write and record songs describing their inner and outer worlds, local musicians in each country visited add improvised layers... a process which gives their work, and their lives, new direction and wholeness.

Writings on the Wall
(Angad Bhalla, Canada/ India, 2007, 24 mins, Hindi, Tamil, English with English ST)
A journey beyond the surface of vibrant images that cover India's walls to the intimate aspirations of three young men surviving in the countries biggest cities

Salim Baba (Timothy Sternberg, USA, 2007, 15 mins; Bengali with English ST)
Salim Muhammad is a 55 year old man who lives in North Kolkata with his wife and five children. Since the age of ten, he has made a living screening discarded film scraps for the kids in his surrounding neighborhoods using a hand cranked projector that he inherited from his father. A pragmatic businessman as well as a cinephile, Salim runs his projector with his sons in the hope that they will carry on his legacy of showing films to the local children.

4:00 pm: Via Darjeeling
(Arindam Nandy, USA/India, 2007, 104 mins, Hindi with English ST)
A labyrinth of relationships. A tributary of tales. The 'oral tradition' rediscovered in a trip via Darjeeling. A couple on their honeymoon is about to return to the city. On the last day, one of them dissapears. The mystery returns to Calcutta one night...via Darjeeling. Faces are unmasked. New discoveries made.

6:00 pm: India Untouched - Stories of a People Apart
(Stalin K,India, 2007, 110 mins, Gujarati,Hindi,Punjabi,Tamil,English,Bhojpuri,Telugu with English ST)
India Untouched' is a new documentary that will make it impossible for anyone in India to deny that Untouchability is still practiced today. The film is perhaps the most comprehensive look at caste oppression ever undertaken on film. This feature-length documentary exposes Untouchability in eight states and across four religions. 'India Untouched' is a new documentary that will make it impossible for anyone in India to deny that Untouchability is still practiced today. The film is perhaps the most comprehensive look at caste oppression ever undertaken on film. Director Stalin K. spent four years traveling the length and breadth of the country to bear witness to the continued exclusion of Dalits, who bear the weight of a 4000 year-old religious system. From Manu to matrimonial columns, from the campus of JNU to medieval villages just outside our metropolises, this feature-length documentary exposes Untouchability in eight states and across four religions.
*Q&A with Director & light reception to follow*

TRAVEL ADVISORY:

On November 17th there are No 7 trains running between Times Sq and Queensboro Plaza!

Take E or F trains to 74th St-Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights and transfer to the 7 train there. Exit Shea Stadium/Willets Point stop and take the boardwalk into Flushing Meadows Park. Walk 10 minutes past US Tennis Ctr towards the Unisphere. The museum is just to the right of the Unisphere.

Map & Detailed Driving Directions to the Queens Museum of Art: http://www.queensmuseum.org/information/directions.htm. Free Parking is available.

The Queens Museum of Art was established in 1972 to provide a vital cultural center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park for the borough's unique, international population. The Queens Museum of Art is home to the Panorama of the City of New York, a 9,335 square foot scale model of the five boroughs, and a collection of Tiffany glass from the Neustadt Museum of Tiffany Art. The museum presents changing exhibitions of modern and contemporary art that reflect the area's cultural diversity. Visit http://www.queensmuseum.org for more information about upcoming exhibitions and events. Museum Galleries are open Wednesdays – Fridays from 10am – 5pm and on Weekends from 12pm – 5pm.

The Queens Museum of Art is housed in the New York City Building which is owned by the City of New York. With the assistance of Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and the New York City Council, the Museum is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional funding is provided by the New York State Legislature and New York State Council on the Arts.

About the Indo-American Arts Council: ()
The Indo-American Arts Council was established in 1998 as a not-for-profit 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 is committed to building an awareness of Indian artistic disciplines in North America, and does so through a wide, variety of activities and events, including their successful and acclaimed annual Film Festival.

The 7th Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival runs November 7-11 at prestigious venues across Manhattan, such as Loews Times Square, Madame Tussaud’s, Asia Society, and Loews Broadway. More information on ticket sales, film selections, and schedule can be found at /seventh_film_festival2007. Project dossiers can be requested by writing to scriptlink@iaac.us

About the Mahindra Group
The US $ 4.5 Billion Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top three manufacturers in the world and is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India. The Group has a leading presence in key sectors of the economy, including trade and financial services (Mahindra Intertrade, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial services Ltd.), automotive components, information technology and telecom (Tech Mahindra Bristlecone), and infrastructure development (Mahindra GESCO, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd., Mahindra World City). For further information, please visit www.mahindra.com

Public Events at the Queens Museum of Art are supported by funds from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Institute of Museum & Library Services, Ford Foundation, JM Kaplan Fund, and Independence Community Foundation.

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