16th Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
May 7 - 14, 2016
SCREENING SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 12
|
Tickets for all films: $15 general admission; $12 IAAC members
Festival Pass: $250 general admission; $200 IAAC members.
Includes all regular screenings and special events,
Centerpiece and Closing Night screenings & parties.
Does not include Opening Night.
 |
|
|
Thursday, May 12, 6:00pm Theater 2, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Waiting - New York Premiere
Directed by Anu Menon
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 30min Hindi/English
Cast:
Naseerudin Shah, Kalki Koechlin, Rajat Kapoor, Suhasini Maniratnam, Rajiv Ravindranathan, Arjun Mathur, Ratnabali Bhatacharjee
Post screening Q&A with composer Mikey McCleary
Synopsis: At the heart of it, ‘Waiting’ is a film about a special relationship between two people who befriend each other unexpectedly in a hospital while nursing their individual spouses in coma. It is a film about grief, yes, but it is also about confronting it. Tenderly and humorously, the film besets you with its central query - what does it really mean to love someone - is it to let go of your beloved in spite of your emotional need for them or is it to unconditionally accept them in whichever shape or form they are. Shiv and Tara, the protagonists of ‘Waiting’ discover that there are no easy answers to the human predicament bound to suffering and grief, unless they shift their own ideas of attachment and love. Finding a foil and a mirror in each other, they tumble together on this journey of their inner transformation, even as their world is falling apart externally.
About the Director:
 After a decade of strategic planning in Advertising Agencies in India and Singapore, Anu Menon decided to give it all up to chase her filmmaking dream. She graduated from the London Film School with an MA in Filmmaking and a rare distinction. Her short films Ravi Goes to School, Fock Helen and Harry and Baby have been screened at various prestigious film festivals like Tribeca, Edinburgh International Film Festival etc. Her first feature film London Paris New York, a 20th Century Fox presentation was released in March 2012 to critical acclaim. ‘Waiting’ is her second feature film. Anu lives in London and works between India and the West. In her work, she tries to reflect the worldview that she has gained thanks to her varied experiences of different cultures across the world. Even as she delves specifically into a character rooted in a culture, the issues she raises are universal.
|
|
|
Thursday, May 12, 6:15pm. Theater 3, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Kadambari - New York Premiere
Directed by Suman Ghosh
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 30min (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Konkona SenSharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Kousik Sen, Titas Bhowmick, Srikanto Acharya, Sanjoy Nag, Senjuti Mukhopadhyay, Sreelekha Mitra
Post screening Q&A with director Suman Ghosh
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLcUlgf5ZAg
Synopsis: One of the most sensational cultural events in the history of Bengal was the controversial suicide of Kadambari Devi, Rabindranath Tagore’s sister-in-law and literary muse, in 1883. It was important since it took place at the Jorasanko Thakurbari which was the abode of the Tagore family, one of the most prominent households in the intellectual history of Bengal. There are different interpretations of the suicide amongst scholars but the most controversial interpretation relates the event to the relationship which Kadambari Devi shared with Rabindranath Tagore. The incident was more so under scrutiny since the Tagore family was a bastion of progressiveness and was associated with the Bengal renaissance of the late 19th century. Important aspects of women’s liberation were started at their household. The fact that such a shocking incident took place in such a household gave rise to intrigue and guesswork. Through this incident the film explores the human dynamics and the socio-cultural equations during that period. “Kadambari” is the story of her plight.
About the Director:
 Suman Ghosh is a National Award winning Indian filmmaker. He has made 6 feature films and one documentary film. He had his film training at Cornell University in New York. His first feature film “Footsteps”, starring Soumitra Chatterjee and Nandita Das won 2 National Awards in 2008. It was shown at numerous film festivals including Vancouver, Karlovy Vary and IAAC New York. His second feature film “Dwando”, also starring Soumitra Chatterjee, was a part of the Indian Panorama at IFFI Goa in 2009. His next feature film “Nobel Thief”, starring the Indian megastar Mithun Chakraborty was world premiered at the Busan IFF and was an official selection at the BFI, London Film festival. The film received the “Best Indian Film” award at the Bengaluru International Film Festival in 2012. His latest feature film “Shyamal Uncle Turns off the Lights” has had a warm reception from critics and audiences all over the world. It was world premiered at the Busan Film Festival in South Korea and had its North American Premiere at the MoMA, NY. It won the “Outstanding International Feature Award” at the ReelWorld Film festival in Toronto. It is being distributed in North America by Global Film Initiative. |
|
|
Thursday, May 12, 6:30pm Theater 4, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
White Nights - North America Premiere
Directed by Razi Muhammed
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 2hr 10min 28 sec Malayalam (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Disney James, Smitha Ambu, Saritha Kukku, Palanisamy, Sarojini, Shibu, AJ, Mohanan, Baby, Suresh, Kada Mooppathi, Baby Malini, Naveen Raj, Shaju, Ravi, Sajan Sindhu, Satheesh
Post screening Q&A with director Razi Muhammed
Trailer: https://youtu.be/TVYfbaw0L7k
Synopsis: Velutha Rathrikal (White Nights) is an independent cinematic adaptation of the eponymous novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Manu is an artist in search of a new sky, from his troubled past, in a forest settlement. He meets Chelly, a tribal girl from a nearby settlement who bears the burnt from her own share of life. As she awaits the return of her beloved partner Jyothi, Manu gets closer to her. Despite their diverse upbringings, Manu and Chelly strike a serene and beautiful chord with each other. Their brief but intense encounter during the five nights makes the plot of the film set against the deep woods of Attappadi and surroundings.
About the Director:
 Razi went on to study at FTII in Pune after his BFA from College of Fine Arts at Thiruvananthapuram and MFA from MS University, Baroda. He has designed the production of numerous acclaimed Malayalam and Hindi films. His forte covered stage productions, print production, television shows, documentaries and music videos. Amidst his projects in films, Razi has exhibited his paintings and photographs at various solo and group shows in India and Europe. Many of his works are with private collectors in India, Canada, UK, Belgium, and New Zealand. He also works as a guest faculty at various fine arts colleges across Kerala. Velutha Rathrikal (White Nights) is his first feature and he has directed a docu-feature, The Third Eye of Resistance that won Cinema of Resistance Award at SIGNS film festival in 2013 and directed a travelogue film, The Paradise Unexplored.
|
|
| |
Thursday, May 12, 7:00pm Theater 5, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Regional Cinemas of India Panel
Panelists: Panelists: Mohan Agashe(Marathi), Umesh Kulkarni(Marathi), Pavan Kumar(Kannada), Pratim Das Gupta(Bengali)
Moderated by: Satish Kolluri
Since its inception, the NYIFF has provided a strong platform to showcase the best of regional cinema in India, and and this year is no exception. Films in Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Bengali and Haryanvi have emerged as a dominant force in the form of new voices and a new stories, whose perspectives represent a refreshing and yet critical take on rooted conflicts and idiosyncrasies in both urban and rural India.This panel will discuss the future of Indian regional cinema in both India and outside India. |
|
|
Thursday, May 12, 9:00pm. Theater 2, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
G- a wanton heart - New York Premiere
Directed by Rahul Dhaiya
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 43min 13 sec. Haryanavi (w/English subtitles)
Post screening Q&A with director Rahul Dhaiya
Synopsis: In a small village not too far from Delhi, three lives explode around taboos of love and lust. Diksha, still just a girl, is caught unguarded on camera, smirching the 'honor' of her parents. Kiran, in love with the wrong boy, becomes the target of another man's lustful vengeance, 'dishonoring' her family. And Virender, a young man cruising the streets at will, enjoys all the acts society forbids women, protecting or destroying their honor as he wills. Set in the badlands of Haryana, known for high rates of female feticide, G explores the murky world of sexual transgression and honor killings in India.
About the Director:
 He grew up between the capital city, Delhi, and his family's village in Haryana. From an early age he got a sense of the difference between these two worlds. And as time went by, he wanted to capture it with his camera, and to tell the story of this huge contrast that he saw from such close quarters. He studied as an undergraduate at the prestigious St Stephens College ,New Delhi. He studied at a film institute briefly before dropping out to pursue work with a television production house. He moved to Mumbai in 2005 and after a stint in TV, he assisted the award winning director Sudhir Mishra on his film 'Khoya Khoya Chand'. G is his first film. |
|
|
Thursday, May 12, 9:15pm. Theater 3, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Growing Up Smith (fka "Good Ol' Boy") - New York Premiere
Directed by Frank Lotito
Feature Narrative
USA 2015, 1hr 43min English
Cast:
Jason Lee, Anjul Nigam, Brighton Sharbino, Hilarie Burton, Roni Akurati, Samrat Chakrabarti, Poorna Jagannathan
Post screening Q&A with actors Anjul Nigam and Samrat Chakrabarti
Synopsis: GOOD OL' BOY is the feel-good, coming-of-age story of Smith, a 10-year-old boy from India growingup in Small Town, America in 1979.
As the boy's family tries to straddle the fine line between embracing the American Dream and preserving their Indian heritage, we watch our awkward little hero sneak out for a taste of Kentucky Fried Chicken (even though his family is vegetarian), don a 'Saturday Night Fever' costume, and contend with his parents as they send him to school with a yellow squash instead of a pumpkin to carve for Halloween.
And as Smith falls head-over-heels in love with Amy, the girl-next-door, he finds in Amy's father Butch the all-American cowboy he wishes his own father could be. But alas, when Smith goes on a hunting adventure with Butch, Smith's father Bhaaskar fears Smith will lose any hope of remaining a respectable Indian boy and banishes him back to India. Nineteen years later Smith will return to America, back to a place he once called home.
About the Director:
 Originally an actor/comedian from Melbourne, Australia, Frank Lotito has kept busy on both sides of the camera acting, writing and producing for over 15 years. On the feature side, Frank produced BIG MAMA’S BOY, which he also co-wrote and starred in; THE LOOKALIKE, starring Justin Long and Jerry O'Connell; and GOOD OL’ BOY, starring Jason Lee, which is also Frank's directorial debut.
In television, he produced "Fish Out of Water" with Ian Thorpe 2-hour documentary on the environment; "The Phone" hosted my Justin Melvey for Fox 8; “Stefano's Cooking Paradiso,” an eight-part cooking series for Lifestyle Food, which was nominated for a TV Logy award; and "Vancouver Dreams" a two-hour special on the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
|
|
|
Thursday, May 12, 9:30pm. Theater 4, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Birds With Large Wings - US Premiere
Directed by Dr. Biju Damodaran
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 56min Malayalam (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Nedumudi Venu, Suraj venjaramoodu, Salim Kumar, Prakash Bare, James Bradford, Thampy Antony, Sajeev Pillai, Anumol
2015 National Award Winner: Best Film on Environment/ Conservation/ Preservation
Post screening Q&A with actor Sanjeev Pillai
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-SAWv9IRv0
Synopsis: The film is a partly fictionalized presentation of the great tragedy that has actually occurred in Ksaragod District of Kerala in India, consequent on the aerial spraying of Endosulfan, a highly toxic pesticide on cashew plantations owned by the Kerala govt. The spraying affected the people as well as the environment continually for two and a half decades. The film depicts the aftereffects of the pesticide spraying through the eyes of a photographer.
About the Director:
 Dr. Biju also known as BijukumarDamodaran, is a Director who has won multiple national and international awards. He is a Homoeopathic Medical Doctor by profession and a self-taught filmmaker. He won India's national film awards three times. His movies has been also selected to Indian Panorama three times. His movies has been screened at many prestigious film festivals like, Cannes, Shanghai, Montreal, Cairo, Telluride, Iran etc and won many awards. He also served as jury member for India's National film awards 2012, India’s Oscar selection jury member 2015, 30th Fajr International film festival, Tehran, Iran 2012, International Film Festival of Kerala 2011. etc. |
| |
|
|
|
|
