Summer is around the corner, and what better way to kick it off than the NYIFF (New York Indian Film Festival)? The 12th annual festival is five days of non-stop South Asian cinema. We, at Divanee, have put together a quick and dirty guide for you.

Opening Night: 5/23/12 Kick off the festival and celebrate opening night with a screening of “Chittagong”. After the screening, get all dressed up for a night featuring Nirupama Rao, Indian ambassador to the U.S., and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.

Movies for a Younger Audience: This year there are three movies targeted towards a younger demographic.

1) “Big in Bollywood”, Omi Vaidya’s Official 3 Idiot’s documentary
2) Yash Raj Films’ very own Facebook-oriented romantic comedy “Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge”
3) Sanjivan Lal’s “Bubble Gum” starring none other than Delzad Sanjay Hiwale.

Pakistani Films: Yes, we know it’s the New York Indian Film Festival, but we were excited to see that two Pakistani films, both by Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, made the list this year.

1) Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret

2) Saving Face, Chinoy’s Oscar-winning documentary about a doctor who reconstructs the faces of acid burn victims.

Oldies: Who doesn’t love an old classic, that too when dealing with a lineup by Shyam Bengal?

         

Tamil Films: Remember YouTube sensation ‘Why This Kolaveri Di?” It’s actually from a movie title playing at NYIFF.

Closing Night: The festival ends with a red carpet screening of Anurag Kashyap’s “Gangs of Wasseypur”, followed by the award ceremony.

The entire schedule looks pretty great. If you’re going, tweet us your thoughts @divanee and @NYIndianFF, and we’ll be sure to RT you!