The longest-running, most prestigious South Asian film festival in the US, New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), will open May 4 with Shonali Bose's "Margarita With A Straw."

Aparna Sen's "Saari Raat" will be the centrepiece film of the 15th annual showcase of ground-breaking, thought-provoking, independent cinema, to be screened at prestigious venues around New York City May 4 -9.

Starring Kalki Koechlin, Revathi and Sayani Gupta, "Margarita" is the poignant portrayal of a rebellious young woman with cerebral palsy who leaves her home in India to study in New York, unexpectedly falls in love and embarks on an exhilarating journey of self-discovery.

Starring Anjan Dutt, Rittwik Chakraborty and Konkona Sen Sharma, "Saari Raat", a play in three acts by the legendary Bengali playwright and theatre personality Badal Sircar, is also Sen's tribute to Badal, who passed away in 2011.

Special screenings and events include Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespeare trilogy of "Maqbool", "Omkara" and "Haider" followed by a discussion between Bhardwaj and a Shakespearean expert.

A special screening of "Daughters of Mother India", a documentary film focused on the aftermath of the Delhi rape incident, given India's ban on the broadcast of the BBC rape documentary "India's Daughter."

Also featured would be "Benegal's New Cinema", a documentary on Shyam Benegal's films, followed by a discussion with Benegal about the New Cinema Movement and South Asian Film Lab: launch, special short film screening, live reading of a screenplay.

"Every year, we strive to make our programming unique and relevant, based on the incidents that are occurring around the world, in South Asia and in our own backyard, New York City," said festival programmer Aseem Chhabra.

"These selected films, which have won a combined total of nine National Awards, serve as a mirror, and we hope that our audiences can see their lives reflected in these stories."

The complete line-up of 30 films for the festival includes National Award winners "Chotoder Chobi" (Best Film on Social Issues -Narrative); 

"Daughters of Mother India" (National Award Winner for Best Film on Social Issues - Non-Narrative): "Elizabeth Ekadashi" (Best Children's Film); "Haider "(winner of five National Awards) and Kakka Muttai (Best Children's Film & Best Child Artist).