Welcome to the first official post from The Big Apple, New York City, the City That Never Sleeps and my coverage of the 17th Annual New York Indian Film Festival, sponsored once again by the Indo-American Arts Council. With what promises to be a stellar line-up of  85 short films, documentaries, and feature length efforts representing four South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh), presented in Hindi, English, and seven regional dialects, we leave the uber glitz and glam of Bollywood and related mega-industries to allow new kinds of stars to shine–independent film and the artists behind them.

A little prep, first:

And then, it IS go time! Hence—

A cool Sunday evening April 30th, NYC. Don’t let the “smaller” nature of indie cinema fool you, because the wealth of talent represented on the red carpet at Village East Cinemas was nothing short of incredible, filled with beauty, filmmaking prowess, acting accomplishment, political clout, and a treasure trove of other fields of expertise from the arenas of music, culinary arts, business, and theater. Needless to say, “Impressive!” would be quite an understatement, but still an appropriate word to bestow the night’s festivities, all leading to the opening film, director Alankrita Shrivastava’s “Lipstick Under My Burkha“.

The parade of celebrities takes over:

In view of such an “who’s who” of red carpet attendees gracing the fabled crimson mantle, let’s allow the pictures of the evening’s proceedings speak for themselves, showcasing the cornucopia of skill, brilliance, and artistry the 2017 New York Indian Film Festival, engaging in its 17th year, shall provide. Stay tuned to OneFilmFan.com for reviews of films screened throughout the week.

Check out the entire festival schedule HERE

As always, this is all for your consideration and comment.  Until next time, thank you for reading!