The longest-running, most prestigious South Asian film festival in the country, New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), is proud to unveil its complete line-up of 30 films for its 15th annual showcase of ground-breaking, thought-provoking, independent cinema, to be screened at prestigious venues around New York City from May 4 to 9, 2015.

Gala Opening Night Film: Shonali Bose’s MARGARITA WITH A STRAW at the Paris Theatre on May 4th, 2015, 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 Kalki Koechlin, Revathi & Sayani Gupta.

Centerpiece Film: Aparna Sen’s SAARI RAAT, a play in three acts by the legendary Bengali playwright and theatre personality Badal Sircar. It is also Sen’s tribute to Badal, who passed away in 2011. Starring Anjan Dutt, Rittwik Chakraborty, Konkona Sen Sharma.

Closing Night Film: Secret screening – To Be Announced on April 15th.

Special Screenings & Events:

• Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare trilogy of MAQBOOL, OMKARA and HAIDER (winner of five National Awards for Best Dialogues, Best Music Direction Songs, Best Male Playback Singer, Best Costume Designer and Best Choreography), followed by a discussion between Bhardwaj and a Shakespearean expert.
• DAUGHTERS OF MOTHER INDIA (winner of National Award for Best Film on Social Issues – Non-Narrative), a special screening of this documentary film focused on the aftermath of the Delhi rape incident, given India’s ban on the broadcast of the rape documentary INDIA’S DAUGHTER.
• BENEGAL’S NEW CINEMA, a documentary on Shyam Benegal’s films, followed by a discussion with Benegal about the New Cinema Movement.
• South Asian Film Lab: launch, special short film screening, live reading of a screenplay.
• One-Minute cell phone films by NYU students.
• 72 Hour Shootout w/Asian American Film Lab.
• Industry Panels:on Friday May 8th, 2015.

“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.”

NYIFF 2015 Features and Docs (in alphabetical order):

1. A Moment of Mishearing
2. Being Bhaijaan
3. Bench Talkies
4. Benegal’s New Cinema
5. Bey Yaar
6. Chauranga
7. Chotoder Chobi (National Award Winner for Best Film on Social Issues – Narrative)
8. City of Dark
9. City Lights
10. Coffee Bloom
11. Daughters of Mother India (National Award Winner for Best Film on Social Issues – Non-Narrative)
12. Elizabeth Ekadashi (National Award Winner for Best Children’s Film)
13. Gour Hari Dastaan
14. Haider (Winner of FIVE National Awards)
15. Haramkhor
16. I am Steve Lopez
17. Kakka Muttai (National Award Winner for Best Children’s Film & Best Child Artist)
18. M Cream
19. Maqbool
20. Margarita with a Straw
21. Meet the Patels
22. Miss India America
23. Omkara
24. Placebo
25. Rough Book
26. Saari Raat
27. Yeh Hai Bakrapur

The rest of the line-up will be announced shortly. For director’s notes, trailers & synopses of these films, please go HERE.