16th Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
May 7 - 14, 2016
SCREENING SCHEDULE
Sunday, May 8
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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.
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Sunday, May 8, 12:00 pm. Theater 2, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Shorts Program A - Family Films
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Famous in Ahmedabad
Directed by Hardik Mehta
29 min, Gujarati (w/English subtitles), Short Documentary, Comedy
India 2015 National Award Winner: Best Non-Fiction Film
Cast: Zaid Khedawala, Yasen Khedawala, Adil Kishangarhwala, Sheikh Mushtaq, Sapaan
Synopsis: Set during the kaleidoscopic backdrop of the kite-flying festival in India, ‘Amdavad Ma Famous’, witnesses the transformation of an 11-year-old Zaid from a boy next door to an aggressive and a passionate kite-runner until he comes across a hindrance that prevents him from flying kites on the terrace. And thus begins the fight for the terrace on the day of the biggest kite flying festival in India.
About the Director:
 Hardik Mehta is an independent filmmaker from India. After graduating from Jamia Millia Islamia’s Mass Communication course, he joined director Dev Benegal on his feature film, ‘Road, Movie’ (2010) as a script supervisor. Later he was an integral part of Phantom Films’ productions, Vikramaditya Motwane’s ‘Lootera’ (2013), Vikas Bahl’s ‘Queen’ (2014) as a script supervisor and an assistant director. His first short fiction film Skin Deep (2014) was released theatrically across India along with three other short films in an anthology called ‘Chaar Cutting’. Amdavad Ma Famous (2015) is his first documentary. The film has traveled extensively at film festivals world over and has won several awards including the National Award for Best Non-Feature Film (2015). He has co-written Vikramaditya Motwane’s next untitled feature and is writing a feature film screenplay of his own.
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Jacob's Pond
Directed by Sasha John
9 min 50 sec, Short Narrative, Language: Marathi, Family, Drama
India 2015
Synopsis: Jacob's Pond is a film about loneliness in the big city finding an unlikely friend within its people. The story is about 61 year old Jacob and 12 year old Iqbal, both of whom despite having very dissimilar backgrounds have one very strong commonality, they are both alone. They happen upon each other in the strangest of circumstances and connect during the day that they spend with each other.
About the Director:
 Sasha John is a second year Creative Producing MFA student at Columbia University in New York. She has previously acquired her Bachelors in Arts from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, India, where she studied English and French Literature. Sasha is drawn to stories that draw themselves from real experiences and real people. She plans on graduating as a writer/producer from the program and hopes to be able to fully guide a film right from its inception on the page all the way to the big screen. |
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Grandpa, Village
Directed by Neeraj Narkar
15 min 39 sec, Short Narrative, Family Drama
Cast: Dilip Bapat, Atharva Gurav, Navneet Ankam, Shyam Adam, Prashant Kanhaiya, Hanumant D Jadhav, Arun Narkar, Rekha Narkar, Ramesh Jadhav, Datta Gurav, Dattatray Hatwalne, Rupali Dhotre, Santosh B Gavali, Raj Salokhe
Synopsis: Sent away to work in a firecracker factory hundreds of miles away from his home, nine year old Jagu yearns to return to the warmth of his home in his village called ‘Pangri’ and into the loving embrace of his Grandpa (Nana Parit). Robbed of his childhood, his home, the only way Jagu can reach Nana is by writing a letter to him. In this film, adapted from a short story by Anton Chekhov, the nine year old Jagu writes a letter to his loving Grandpa, and hopes that Nana will soon come and take him home. As he writes, he dreams of the colourful memories of his life and the people in it, of the life that was and of the life that will soon be.
About the Director:
 Neeraj is a writer, an independent filmmaker from Kolhapur, a small town in Western India. Having worked in the television industry for a short while, Neeraj has now turned to filmmaking and writing. His work as a filmmaker focuses on rural Maharashtra, and the stories of its people. From his early years, Neeraj has also been active in the experimental theatre in the region. A member of a theatre group called ‘Pratyay’, he has written, directed and performed in a number of plays. He has also worked with various NGOs on audio – visual projects. His recent short film 'Nana Parit, Pangri' was selected for Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, 2015 where it won the 'First Runner' Prize in the Indian Competition. The film also won 2nd Best Film at 5th Pune Short Film Festival, 2015. |
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Mast Qalandar
Directed by Divij Roopchand
15 min, Short Narrative, Language: Punjabi, Drama
India 2015
Cast: Mohammad Samad, Ekavali Khanna
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/163036968
Synopsis: Mast Qalandar, is about a twelve-year-old boy who takes matters into his own hands to get what he wants. The film depicts the disconnect between religion and the youth in India, many of whom are surrounded by Western influences from an early age.
About the Director:
 Soon after returning to New Delhi from the UK having studied Finance Divij realised that his future did not lie in any financial institution, but in cinema. He wrote, directed and produced short films in the following years whilst working as an assistant writer in a corporate film studio in New Delhi. After having made three short films, he went to the London Film School and has been studying film writing and directing comprehensively. |
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Uphill (Syaahi)
Directed by Varun Tandon
30 min, Short Narrative, Drama
Cast: Himmanshu Bhandari, Gopal Datt, Sariika Singh
Synopsis: A young boy. A quaint hilly town. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Perhaps, that is what metamorphosis needs.
About the Director:
 Varun Tandon found his love for movies and storytelling in his boarding school in Rajasthan. Originally from the perfume city of Kannauj, his interests led him to pursue college in Mumbai. Gulcharrey, Varun’s first film after college premiered at the River To River Film Festival, Italy and won critical acclaim at numerous international film festivals. It went on to garner over a million views on YouTube and be telecasted nationally at prime time in August, 2014. His first feature length script Anjaan Galli Gumnaam Nagar, was selected for the NFDC National Script lab, 2014.
Syaahi is Varun’s most recent work as a Writer, Director. The 30 minute short film won a Special Mention for Direction at the 63rd National Film Awards. Syaahi is also an Official Selection at numerous international film festivals. |
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Sunday, May 8, 12:15 pm. Theater 3, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Kaagaz Ki Kashti (Paperboat) - World Premiere
Directed by Brahmanand Singh
Documentary
India 2016, Hindi/Urdu (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Jagjit Singh, Chitra Singh, Gulzar, Mahesh Bhatt, Pankaj Udhas, Anup Jalota
Post screening Q&A with director Brahmanand Singh
Synopsis: In an era when Bollywood music ruled the Indian households and when Ghazal as a genre was limited to only the connoisseurs, Jagjit Singh made Ghazals a necessity of every music lover's collection. With a voice as cool as ice and stirring enough to break or mend your heart, he brought to life some of the most fascinating compositions of all times with unparalleled charm.
Kaagaz Ki Kashti traces the life journey of a down-to-earth, small-town boy, who made it big by breaking through the norms and revolutionizing the Ghazal scenario, by texturing traditional Ghazal singing with western instrumentation and making it simple and hummable, enticing new listeners into becoming Ghazal fans. Tracing three converging tracks … the struggle and stardom in his musical career, the love & loss in his personal life and the scope and limitations in the music scenario of the times.
About the Director:
 Brahmanand S Singh is an award-winning filmmaker (producer-director) and writer based out of Mumbai. His National-Award winning (among many other awards and accolades) feature-length documentary on RD Burman, Pancham Unmixed: Mujhe Chalte Jaana Hai, continues to enjoy an amazing sweeping critical and popular acclaim across viewing platforms. Ragpickers; Uncaging the Body (Apsara Award for Best Short Film, 2003-2004); A Burden of Love (on Alzheimer’s disease); Ashgari Bai (on an octogenarian legendary dhrupad singer) and a whole lot of other short, corporate and documentary films have also drawn great response, noted for its sensitivity, authenticity and engaging quality.
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Special Event: Directors' First Films
Sunday, May 8, 12.30 pm. Theater 4, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Gaman
Directed by Muzaffar Ali
Feature Narrative
India 1978 Social, 114min, Hindi (w/English subtitles)
Cast:
Farooq Shaikh, Smita Patil, Jalal Agha, Nana Patekar, Gita Siddharth
Trailer: http://www.cinemasofindia.com/#product/unknown/59564/gaman
Synopsis:
Gaman is a poem of the dispossessed of this country; of those who are forced by circumstances beyond their control to leave their families and their homes thereby destroying the social and cultural fabric of their environment themselves. It is the true story of a young man from U.P., Ghulam Hasan, who has little education, less land and no opportunity in his own village and has, therefore, to migrate to Bombay, leaving behind his old mother and young wife, Khairun. With his departure, life for these women comes to a standstill, the present is unbearable, the future uncertain. In the city Ghulam finds refuge with his friend from the village, Lallu Lal Tewari who is a taxi driver.
About the Director:
 Muzaffar Ali was born on October 21, 1944 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, British India. He is a director and writer, known for his stunning National Award winning Umrao Jaan (1981). The film went on to be a huge hit with songs that became as iconic as the actress Rekha and her portrayal of the famous Tawaif-Poetess Umrao Jaan Ada. He had a National winning debut with Gaman (1978). The film remains one of Hindi Cinema's most moving portrayals of an aspirational, ever-struggling young urban India. His filmography also includes the much acclaimed Anjuman (1984) and the yet to be finished Vinod Khanna - Dimple Kapadia starrer Zooni. His latest release Jaanesar (2015) tries to re-evoke the Umrao Jaan magic. He was awarded with Padma Shri in 2005. |
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Sunday, May 8, 3:00pm. Theater 2, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
The River of Fables (Kothanodi) - New York Premiere
Directed by Bhaskar Hazarika
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 58min, Assamese (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Adil Hussain, Seema Biswas
2015 National Award Winner: Best Assamese Film
Post screening Q&A with director Bhaskar Hazarika
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMBsmGpXorQ
Synopsis: Adapted from Assamese folk tales, Kothanodi is a multi-narrative film about four shades of motherhood. It’s about a mother who puts her daughter’s life at stake for her pride; a woman who has given birth, but still isn’t a mother; a mother who makes a stand for her child; and a mother who never wanted to be one in the first place.
About the Director:
 Bhaskar is a New Delhi-based writer and filmmaker. After completing his MA in Film & Drama from the University of Reading, he has worked extensively in Indian films, television, and documentaries. Kothanodi is his maiden film as director. |
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Sunday, May 8, 3.15pm. Theater 3, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
- SOLD OUT
There will be a second screening on
Sunday, May 8, 9pm. Theater 5, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
U Turn - World Premiere
Directed by Pawan Kumar
Feature Narrative
India 2016, 2hr Kannada (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Shraddha Srinath, Roger Narayan, Dileep Raj, Radhika Chetan, Krishna, Aarna, Pavan, Naveen, Sudha Belwadi, Skanda Ashok and others
Post screening Q&A with director Pawan Kumar, actress Shraddha Srinath and actor Roger Narayan
Trailer: http://www.uturnthefilm.com/
Synopsis: The protagonist of the film is a reporter in Bengaluru, and she intends to write an article about the traffic rule breakers. While working on this article, things go wrong and she gets entangled in a murder case. As she is questioned by the cops, things go more and more wrong. She is now being framed for many more murders of similar kinds. The film is about how a cop helps the protagonist to get out of this mess, but both are in for a lot of surprises as they try to solve the case.
About the Director:
 Pawan started his career in storytelling in the year 2000 through theatre. He was a actor/writer/director for stage for about 7 years before making his foray into Films. He started by making short films, corporate videos etc and learning about filmmaking by watching lots of world cinema. He got to collaborate with the renowned director Yogaraj Bhat, he wrote two films which were commercial Hits. After his debut Film Lifeu Ishtene, he started Audience Films, a company which would make films through Crowd Funding. Lucia is the first Kannada film to be entirely crowdfunded and a commercial success. Pawan is now looked at as the face of the new wave in Kannada Cinema. |
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Special Event : Three Generations of Filmmakers
Sunday, May 8, 3:30pm. Theater 4, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Sujata
Directed by Bimal Roy
Feature Narrative
India 1959, 2hr 41min Hindi (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Nutan, Sunil Dutt, Shashikala, Lalita Pawar, Tarun Bose, Sulochana Latkar, Asit Kumar Sen
This is the 50th death anniversary of Bimal Roy.
This copy of Sujata was specially restored for the occasion.
Post screening Q&A with the late director's grandson and filmmaker Aditya Bhattacharya
Synopsis:
As they celebrate the first birthday of their daughter Rama, men from a local village bring a baby girl to the home of government engineer Upendra and his wife Charu. The baby’s parents were “untouchables” who died from cholera, leaving the girl an orphan with no one willing to take her in. Despite being of the higher Brahmin caste, Upendra and Charu reluctantly agree to take in the baby and eventually give her a name: Sujata.
In a powerful portrayal and denunciation of the caste discrimination that destroyed so many lives, Roy tells a story about real people struggling with social expectations and bigotry and the feelings of love and compassion that bind us together. Showcasing memorable performances by Sunil Dutt and Nutan with haunting music by composer S.D. Burman, SUJATA premiered at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.
About the Director:
 Roy first assisted Nitin Bose in P.C.Barua's Devdas, then in 1935, turned cameraman with K.L.Saigal's Devdas. In 1944, Roy made his debut as director with the path-breaking Udayer Pathey (Towards Sunrise). Roy had shot the entire film with left over film-stock and an ensemble cast of newcomers. The film created box office history. It ran continuously for a year, and its dialogue-booklets were sold at every street-corner tobacconist. Bimal Roy had arrived. When Bollywood star, Ashok Kumar invited Roy to Bombay in 1951 to direct Maa for the famed Bombay Talkies studios, he readily accepted, and took his entire team with him. After the success of Maa, Roy received offers to direct three films in Bombay, Parineeta, Baap Beti and Biraj Bahu. Roy decided to settle in Bombay, and in 1953, launched his own company: Bimal Roy Productions. The first film from Roy’s company was Do Bigha Zamin (Two Acres of Land). Sixty-three years later, it still features on every Top 10 list of the best Indian films. Roy went on to make a film every year, often with women as his protagonists. His films tackled crucial social issues: untouchability and the caste system in Sujata, village politics in Parakh, urban unemployment in Naukri, and prisoner rehabilitation in Bandini. Bimal Roy soon became a household name in India. Roy’s populist approach perhaps hindered the global recognition he merits. In India, Roy remains a legend. Today, sequences from his films are used to teach film grammar at the Film and Television Institute of India - probably the highest accolade for an Indian filmmaker. A large number of Roy’s cast and crew went on to become cinematic legends themselves. |
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Sunday May 8, 3:30 pm. Theatre 5, Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave @ 12th Street, NYC.
NYU Mobile Music Videos
USA 2016, 27 min
Cell Phone Cinema shorts from students of New York University, under the supervision of Prof. Karl Bardosh, have been making Music Videos with their own interpretation of popular Bollywood sound tracks. |
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Tagore’s Natir Puja – The Court Dancer
Directed by Prof. Karl Bardosh
Synopsis: Natir Puja, The Court Dancer, the only film Rabindranath Tagore, India’s national poet, had ever directed in 1932, was destroyed by fire soon after completion. Paying tribute to Tagore’s genius, our film essay is about the genesis and remaking of Tagore’s dance drama in 3D Single Shot Cinema style at the same studio, New Theaters Sound Stage #1 where Tagore directed his film over 80 years ago. The message of Tagore’s dance drama: warning against murder committed in religious hatred is –unfortunately- as timely as it was in the 2400 year old Buddhist legend, that was Tagore’s source material.
About the Director:
Accumulating over 30 years of professional experience in Europe, Asia, Brazil, Hollywood and New York in all genres of film and television, Prof. Karl Bardosh of New York University has been an award-winning director, producer, writer, editor of features, shorts, television series and documentaries. Throughout these years Prof. Bardosh has been a trendsetting pioneer in many areas of film and television. For example: He introduced a new genre in America: Poetry Music Videos with Allen Ginsberg and Mobile Filmmaking in India in 2007. |
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Sunday, May 8, 6:00pm Theater 2, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Parched - New York Premiere
Directed by Leena Yadav
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 58min Hindi (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Surveen Chawla, Radhika Apte, Lehar Khan
Post screening Q&A with actress Tannishtha Chatterjee
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/157619322
Synopsis: Parched is a story about women set in the heart of parched rural landscape of Gujarat, India. It traces the bittersweet tale of four ordinary women Rani, Lajjo, Bijli and Janaki. We see them unapologetically talk about men, sex and life as they struggle with their individual boundaries to face their demons and stage their own personal wars.
About the Director:
A self-taught director, Leena learnt about direction and script writing from working as an editor for 'ad films'- corporate shows – and television serials. She got an offer to direct the television show This Week That Year for Star Movies. With success, she floated her own production house with Nikhil Kapoor to produce and direct shows for Star Bestsellers. As a television director, she directed both fiction and non-fiction for almost 12 years; some of her television credits include episodes for Star Bestsellers, Say Na Something to Anupam Uncle, Sanjeevani, and many more. As a main-stream film director, Shabd was her directorial debut with unconventional storyline released in 2005. Teen Patti was her second film after a gap of five years. |
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Sunday, May 8, 6:15pm. Theater 3, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
The Silence - North America Premiere
Directed by Gajjendra Ahire
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 31min Marathi (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Raghuvir Yadav, Nagraj Manjule, Anjali Patil
Synopsis: Late at night on a local train in Mumbai, young Chini witnesses an incident that forces her to face up to demons from her past. Based on a true story, the narrative revolves around a little girl growing up in poverty with her father in a rural area. When he’s unable to manage caring for her himself, he sends Chini to her uncle in a nearby town, where life-changing events occur. Blending past and present and with forceful drama, the film tackles crucial, taboo topics, tracing the recurring question of responsibility – or silence.
About the Director:
 Gajjendra Ahire has directed over 40 films including ‘Not Only Mrs Raut’ and ‘Sevri’ both of which won National Awards for Best Marathi Film in 2003 and 2006 respectively. ‘Anumati’ won the Best Film at the 2013 New York India Film Festival and ‘Postcard’ was a Best Director nominee at the 2014 New York India Film Festival. He has received 17 personal Maharashtra State Awards for direction, screenplay, dialogues and lyrics for his films ‘Sariwar Sari’, ‘Vasudev Balwant Fadke’, ‘Vitthal Vitthal’, ‘Khandobachya Navane’, ‘Pandhar’, ‘Sail’, ‘Krishna Katachi Mira’. His films ‘May Baap’, ‘Bayo’, ‘Simbraan’ and ‘Not Only Mrs. Raut’ were selected for India Panorama (IFFI). In addition, to direction Gajjendra is also an avid writer and lyricist who started his career directing, acting and writing for Marathi plays. He has conducted workshops at the Dr. Balasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad. He has been a member of the Goa and Maharashtra Film Finance Committees |
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The Threshold (Daaravtha) - short
Directed by Nishant Roy Bombarde
30 min, Short Narrative, Family Drama
Cast: Nandita Patkar, Nishant Bhavsar
2015 National Award Winner: Best Debut Film of a Director
Synopsis: An adolescent Pankaj is discovering his sexuality. Torn between a patriarchal Indian upbringing full of gender-stereotypes and his natural urge to identify with the opposite gender, he finds an opportunity to express his desires within the bounds of cultural ethos.
About the Director:
 An engineer by degree, Nishant Roy Bombarde later acquired a Masters in Mass Communication from Symbiosis, Pune specialising in Audio-Visual Communication. He has worked on well-known Marathi films like Killa, Fandry, and Elizabeth Ekadashi as an Executive Producer. Nishant is also a credited writer for Television and heads the Digital Media promotions at Zee Studios. Besides the professional front, he lives his passion for theatre through Dushyantapriya, a queer adaptation of Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam, where he plays the dual role of Chetan & Priyamvada to much popular & critical acclaim.
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| Photo credit - Film Heritage Foundation,"Saeed Mirza archive" |
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Special Event: Directors' First Films
Sunday, May 8, 6:30pm. Theater 4, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan
Directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Feature Narrative
India 1978, Drama, 110 min, Hindi (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Dilip Dhawan, Anjali Paigankar, Shreeram Lagoo, Om Puri, Sulabha Deshpande, Rohini Hattangadi, Satish Shah
Post screening Q&A with director Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Synopsis: Arvind Desai is the only son of a rich businessman who deals in luxury handicraft products. His feelings for his father are mixed. While he hates his dominating nature, he admires his power and lack of scruples. He has long discussions on art and politics with a Marxist friend. He is seeing his father’s secretary, Alice and sometimes he visits a prostitute, Fatima. His marriage is arranged to a girl form a high-class family much to Alice’s mother’s dismay, she realizes that Alice was nothing more than a passing fancy for Arvind.
About the Director:
 Saeed Akthar Mirza was born on June 30, 1943 in Bombay, British India. He is a director and writer, known for Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989), Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Ata Hai (1980) and Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984). He is one of the vociferous spokesmen of the New Cinema movement in India. After eight years in advertising, Saeed discovered that his heart was in feature films. He graduated in Direction from the Film and Television Institute of India in 1976 and Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastan is his first film. |
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Sunday, May 8, 7:00pm. Theater 5, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Animation Panel
Oscar winners Rahul Thakkar (Dreamworks) & Cottalango Leon (Sony Pictures) along with Oscar Nominee Sanjay Patel (Pixar) talk about the role Indian Americans play in Hollywood's animation industry, about developing new technologies, narrating personal stories and their journeys. |
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Sanjay Patel joined Pixar Animation Studios in 1996 an animator on “A Bug’s Life.” Since then he has animated on many of Pixar’s feature films, including “Toy Story 2,” “Monster’s Inc.,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “Cars,” Toy Story 3” and “Monsters University.” In addition to animating, Patel also storyboarded extensively for “Monster’s Inc.,” “The Incredibles” and “Toy Story 2.” For the Cars Toons “Mater’s Tall Tales,” Patel stepped up to act as the Animation Supervisor on many of the shorts in the series. Most recently, Patel made his directing debut with Pixar’s short film, “Sanjay’s Super Team,” which is currently in theaters in front of “The Good Dinosaur.” |
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Rahul Thakkar is an Academy Award® winning engineer, inventor, artist and global technology executive with over 25 years in technology creation and management. Born in UK, he was raised in Mumbai all of his early life, until he graduated in 1990 from Mumbai university. In 1992, with a dream of working on VFX for films in Hollywood, he moved to the US to study at Utah State University towards a Master’s in Computer Science, specializing in computer graphics and animation technology. |
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Cottalango Leon was born on 1971 at Tuticorin and grew up in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He did his schooling in the suburbs of Coimbatore and received his B.E in Computer Science from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore in 1992. After working for two years at New Delhi for Softek Pvt Ltd, he went to USA to receive his M.S in Computer Science from Arizona State University from which he graduated in 1996. After a brief stint at Dreamworks Interactive, he has been working with Sony Pictures Imageworks for the past 20 years, presently holding the position of Principal Software Engineer. |
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Sunday, May 8, 9:00pm. Theater 2, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
Shorts Program B - Stories of Violence and Fear |
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Bandhi
Directed by Vinay Vats
10 min, Short Narrative, Drama
Cast: Adil Hussain, Vaquar Shiek, Preety Arora, Khush Malik, Aryan Malik, Simran Sablok
Synopsis: It’s a suspense drama about a man seeking revenge from his enemy who took his family away from him.
About the Director:
Vinay is a writer/director from Delhi who moved to Mumbai to pursue his dream of working as a director in the film industry. He worked as an assistant director on many projects with Tigmanshu Dhulia -- who is most notably known for the film Paan Singh Tomarstarring Irfan Khan. Vinay’s last film as an assistant director was Knockoutstarring Sanjay Dutt and Irfan Khan. Bandhiis a short film that marks his debut as a writer and director starringAdilHussain(Life of Pi, The Reluctant Fundamentalist) in the lead. |
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The Kill
Directed by Anay Tarnekar
16 min, Short Narrative, Drama
Synopsis: A tribal man in central India finds himself at a crossroads where he must choose between winning his family's trust and betraying his religious beliefs thereby endangering an innocent life.
About the Director:
 Anay has been associated with filmmaking for the last fifteen years wearing several hats as a writer, director, producer, editor and director of photography. He began his career in Mumbai as an assistant director to well-known feature and ad filmmakers, learning the craft as well as the business. He co-produced and edited a documentary called CACHAO:UNO MAS that premiered on the multiple Emmy-winning PBS series, American Masters. He currently works as a Resident Filmmaker at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television where he is producing a made-for-television series called THE HOLLYWOOD MASTERS that pays tribute to highly successful filmmakers, actors and studio executives in Hollywood. In April 2015, Anay’s feature script was selected into Drishyam Sundance screenwriters lab in India. The film is currently in development and is being produced by Jar Pictures. |
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Leeches
Directed by Payal Sethi
27 min, Short Narrative, Drama
Cast: Sayani Gupta, Agha A. Hussain, Barkat Khan, Manju Raval, Mohammed A Razzak, Najma Nusrat, Preeti Golacha, Sherin Bhatt
Synopsis: Raisa lives with her Ammi and three younger sisters in Hyderabad's Old City. When Ammi promises her 13-year old daughter, Zainab, in marriage to a foreign businessman, Raisa decides to save her little sister at any cost. In an old custom that has found new roots among poor families in Muslim ghettos, rich patrons pay for an arrangement brokered by efficient agents, while a pliant cleric draws up both marriage and divorce contracts simultaneously, so that the businessman is free to end the sham union whenever he is ready to leave the city. Desperate to find a way out for Zainab, Raisa hatches a dangerous and improbable plan involving an archaic remedy that claims to restore a girl's virginity.
About the Director:
PAYAL SETHI studied film production & history at Vassar College and the Tisch School of the Arts in New York. Post-graduation, she worked as the production and development executive at filmmaker Mira Nair’s Mirabai Films on award-winning films, such as 'Monsoon Wedding', 'Vanity Fair', and 'The Namesake.' After a stint as assistant director on Karan Johar's 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna,’ she switched roles and served as a screenplay programmer & industry manager for the Tribeca Film Festival, Hamptons Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of New York and Independent Feature Project. She then revamped the Sloan Foundation’s artist support program at Tribeca into the TFI SLoan Filmmaker Fund, which she ran for two years.
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Absent
Directed by Devashish Makhija
6 min, Short Narrative, Drama
Cast: Vikas Kumar
Synopsis: Loving absentee father Iqbal, having missed every milestone in his now grown up daughter Aziza’s life, makes one last desperate attempt to reach out to her… but it just might be too late.
About the Director:
 Devashish Makhija has researched and assisted on 'Black Friday' (dir. Anurag Kashyap) and was the chief assistant director on 'Bunty aur Babli' (dir. Shaad Ali). He has written numerous screenplays, notably Avik Mukherjee's 'Bhoomi' and Anurag Kashyap's 'Doga'; has had a solo art show 'Occupying Silence'; written Tulika's bestselling children's books 'When Ali became Bajrangbali' and 'Why Paploo was perplexed' and a Harper-Collins collection of short stories 'Forgetting'. He has also written 'By Two', a story featured in the omnibus 'Mumbai Noir'; written and directed the acclaimed short films 'Rahim Murge pe mat ro', 'El'ayichi', 'Agli Baar', 'Absent' and 'Taandav', and the full length feature film 'Oonga'. |
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The Wait
Directed by Angad Singh
22 min 44 sec, Short Narrative, Drama
Cast: Inaamulhaq, Padam Bhola
About the Director:
 Angad has written, produced and directed ‘The Wait’ which is his first short film. He has also written a couple of full-length feature film scripts, which at present are at different stages of development. Prior to turning writer and director, he worked with a Film Production House, specializing in content strategy and marketing. Before getting into the film business, he was working with a multinational bank. Angad has an MBA degree from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. |
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Paroksh (Within)
Directed by Ganesh Shetty
12 min, Drama
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/163056210
Synopsis:
The film focuses on a story where a simple forgetfulness of a man leaves a family horrified for nights. |
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Chimes
Directed by Subhajit Dasgupta
21 min 6 sec, Short Narrative, Drama
Cast: Satyajit Sharma, Ayesha Raza, Gopal Dutt, Kumud Mishra
Synopsis: An ordinary day of house hunting turns bizarre, for the Sanyals as they realize that the house has a mind of its own. For the Sanyals, what would have been just another ordinary day of house hunting, turns into a bizarre experience that they could never have imagined. As they set foot in this house, they are greeted by an enthusiastic caretaker who shows them around while narrating mysterious episodes from the lives of the three families previously owning the place. By the time the Sanyals realize that the house could in fact have a mind of its own, and that the three stories have a meaning that they must quickly comprehend for their own good, their mysteriously silent teenage son has already chosen to disappear from their sight and explore the house all by himself. Could this family also be impacted by the ominous messages from the past? Can they ignore the adamant tingling of the wind chimes?
About the Director:
 Subhajit Dasgupta has written, produced and directed the short film CHIMES. He may be working in Bangalore as a techie for a living, but he has had only one enduring passion since childhood, and that is cinema. Totally self-trained and constantly learning on the job, he has embarked on his journey as a filmmaker and is in the process of refining his craft by making short films , which he considers as his most favorite medium of creativity and self-expression. His aspiration is to continue making films, both in the long and short format, tell meaningful and entertaining stories with a unique style and sensibility of his own. |
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Underneath
Directed by Nabil Rafi
17 min, Short Narrative, Drama
Cast: Krishna Duddukuri, Lolita Fresard, Robert Szuplewski. Soufian
Anabir
Synopsis:
This is the story of Krishna, a flower seller who is going to live an evening of work which promises to be different.
About the Director:
 Born in 1983 in Geneva to Moroccan parents from Casablanca. At the beginning of his 20’s, he took theatre lessons and began to shoot in tv series and shorts movies. He got his Bachelor of psychology in 2008 and went to the faculty of sciences of education where he got his master in 2012. On parallel of his studies, he joined in 2010 the conservatory of dramatic art of Geneva. Today Nabil is 32 years old, and works as a monitor in an institution dedicated to mentally disabled persons. He spends his time between his work and his artistic career in cinema. |
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Bubbles
Directed by Nasheed Faruqi
Feature Narrative
UK 2015, 14 min Hindi (w/English subtitles)
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Bhasker Patel, Christopher Simpson, Dolly Ballea, Yasmeen Siddiqui
Synopsis: Living in London with her South Asian grandparents, Bubbles sits watching Hindi film songs on the TV. Around her, the family is stifled by an atmosphere of thinly veiled violence - a shouting grandfather; a grandmother (Nani) obsessively chopping betel nut; an uncle washing obsessively. Uncle and grandfather are at each other’s throats. And in spite of Nani’s attempts to protect Bubbles, when this violence is unleashed, the child sees too much and her world changes forever.
About the Director:
 Nasheed is a London based filmmaker of Pakistani parentage, who’s made several short films and music videos. Before gaining her MFA in Filmmaking from Columbia University’s School of the Arts, Nasheed worked for Merchant Ivory Productions. She was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, where she read English. Nasheed is an Arts Council of England Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme 2015/2016. |
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Sunday, May 8, 9:15pm. Theater 3, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
For The Love of A Man
Directed by Rinku Kalsy
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 22min Tamil (w/English subtitles)
Cast: G. Mani, Suganthi Mani, N. Ravi, N. Murugan, Kamal Anand, Quadir Hoseyn, Ravi Anna, K. Hariharan, Uma Vangal
Post screening Q&A with director Rinku Kalsy
Synopsis: For fans of the South Indian actor Rajnikanth, the line between cinema and reality is as blurred as the distinction between star and God. For the Love of a Man explores how fandom expressed through enormous posters, elaborate public rituals, and the frenzied atmosphere inside theatres has deep social, political, and devotional foundations in South India. For the fans, largely men – but ranging in age from teenagers to grandfathers, fandom is about more than cinema – it is about brotherhood, identity, or even social aspiration. The film follows various stories – performers seeking a shot at fame by mimicking the star, families managing the consequences of the fans’ spending on movies, theatre owners worrying about fans running wild, or fans professing changing entire life directions based on the star’s dialogues in films. As online social networks and broadcast change cinema consumption and branding, older fans struggle to stay relevant in a new media landscape featuring technologies they don’t know how to use. And yet, one thing remains constant – a star who never ages on screen, providing an object of unchanging desire across generations of men reassured by his permanence.
About the Director:
 Rinku Kalsy studied Digital filmmaking in Amsterdam as well as attended various workshops at the Binger Institute Amsterdam.
She works as a freelance director, camerawoman and editor in her production company “Anecdote Films” that she started in 2006. Rinku has worked on numerous television documentaries & programs for Dutch national TV Channel NED2. Rinku started working with Joyojeet Pal on their feature length documentary “For the love of a man” which took 5 years in the making and which premiered at the 72nd Venice Film Festival in 2015. She lives between Mumbai and Amsterdam.
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Sunday May 8, 9:30pm. Theater 4, Village East Cinema, 2nd Ave @ 12th street, NYC.
City of Dark - World Premiere
Directed by Spandan Banerjee
Feature Narrative
India 2015, 1hr 15min Bengali (w/English subtitles)
Post screening Q&A with director Spandan Banerjee and actress Rupleena Bose
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/163321778
Synopsis: Two separate car journeys one spanning six days, the other over a single day and night get tied together when a man and a woman both fall in love with a stranger. City of Dark tells the story of chance meetings between people never meant to be together. Kabir is a small time TV and stage show actor who earns his livelihood as a part time car thief. Niloy has just moved from Calcutta to Delhi with his family. Lonely and friendless, he meets Kabir by chance on the streets of Delhi when his car breaks down.
He meets him again the next day on his way to work. Niloy begins to like Kabir silently and secretly but doesn't know much about him. He looks forward to his ride to work and meeting Kabir everyday until one day Kabir stops appearing at the same bus stop they met.Kabir befriends Niloy with the purpose of stealing his car before the week ends when he leaves town. Even while he has been trying his hand at various auditions one day Kabir’s luck seems to change when Saima spots him and gives him a role. Meanwhile an Inspector starts closing in on Kabir and the car stealing nexus.Saima, Noor and Lopa, three girls who have moved to Delhi for work. Yet to know the real city or each other, they come in contact with the men of the city. Could one of them be Kabir? Six days, six nights, set over two car journeys. A new wave drama set in a city welcoming by the day and forbidden after dark.
About the Director:
 Spandan Banerjee is a National Award winning filmmaker & founder of Overdose Films. For the last 14 years Overdose has remained an independent, alternative art and film space. A few of his films include Beware Dogs, You Don’t Belong, To-Let and English India have travelled all over the world. Beware Dogs premiered at Rotterdam in 2008 calling it the first Indian ‘Rockumentary’ of its style. All his films have a distinct language and have often been compared to jazz in its form. Spandan is now putting together a platform, OVERDOSE LOCAL a platform that uses cinema for empowerment for young filmmakers with the support of Goethe Institut, to mentor, produce and distribute shorts. He can be contacted at spandan@overdosefilms.com |
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