5 Regional Films You Shouldn’t Miss
We list five remarkable regional Indian films - all of which released in 2015 - that should always be on your watching list.
Interview with the cast and crew of ‘Daadi’
Check out our video interview with the cast and crew of 'Daadi', including director David Andrew Stoler, producer and actor Purva Bedi, and actor Shelle Davis, at the New York Indian Film Festival! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hegop7Gvss&feature=youtu.be
‘Anumati’ Review
"Anumati", directed by Gajendra Ahire, was the winner of Best Feature Film at the 2013 New York Indian Film Festival, as well as Vikram Gokhle winning for Best Actor for his performance as the main character, Ratnakar. Courtesy of http://marathimoviemarketing.com Loss of a loved one is very difficult for many to undergo, and it is no surprise. The process can be heartwrenching, watching one's health deteriorate in front of one's eyes, witnessing the pain and struggle firsthand. Alternatively, the shock of a sudden loss can thrust one into an alternate reality, with the defense mechanisms of denial and [...]
Confessions from Brown Hollywood with Kiran Deol
Last week I had the chance to sit down with the lovely and hilarious Kiran Deol during the Tribeca Film Festival. Deol plays the role of Roopa Raj in Meera Menon's award-winning film "Farah Goes Bang." In addition to being an actress who has appeared on shows like "Modern Family" and "Weeds", she also directed and developed an Emmy-nominated documentary called "Woman Rebel." If that wasn't enough, she's also a really funny stand-up comedian. Kiran Deol plays Roopa in "Farah Goes Bang" IIF: Tell me about how you got involved with this movie, "Farah Goes Bang." Deol: They released [...]
Kiefer Sutherland, Kate Hudson and Riz Ahmed talk ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’
IIF was recently invited to partake in a small round-table discussion with "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" Director Mira Nair and cast members Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland. IIF as well as a few other writers and outlets discussed everything from South Asian culture to perception in this day and age. Here are a few highlights from the conversation with Kiefer Sutherland, Riz Ahmed and Kate Hudson. IIF's questions are highlighted in green while the regular bold questions are from the other members of the press. Kiefer Sutherland discusses "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" What’s it like working with Mira as a [...]
Mira Nair talks ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ and perception in a post 9/11 world
IIF was recently invited to partake in a small round-table discussion with "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" Director Mira Nair and cast members Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland. IIF as well as a few other writers and outlets discussed everything from South Asian culture to perception in this day and age. Here are a few highlights from the conversation with Mira Nair. IIF's question is highlighted in green while the regular bold questions are from other members of the press. Mira Nair discusses "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" IIF: There is a relationship in this movie, I've noticed, with the artistic and [...]
SAIFF 2012 kicks off tonight with the “South Asian Rising Star Film Awards”
The South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) kicks off tonight with an awards ceremony celebrating the rising stars of South Asian cinema. IIF will be there all week covering everything we possibly can. Below is a press release with all the nominees and information. The festival is co-sponsored by HBO. NEW YORK CITY September 25, 2012 – The South Asian International Film Festival; presented by HBO, celebrates its ninth year in 2012 and together announce the nominees for first-ever South Asian Rising Star Film Awards Gala Dinner. The 2012 Nominees for all Nine (9) Award Categories are: Best Lead [...]
An interview with Sakti Sengupta, Director of NJISACF
Similar to the production issues in getting an independent movie made, putting on a festival highlighting these films is no simple task. It involves fundraising, curating and creativity. Which all simply translates to a lot of late nights for Sakti Sengupta, Director of the New Jersey International South Asian Cinefest, and his staff. Mr. Sengupta was kind enough to discuss the process of putting on a festival like this, his attraction to independent films and much more with IIF recently. IIF: How would you describe the success of the festival this year in comparison to previous years? Sakti Sengupta: Every [...]
IIF Exclusive: An Interview with Imtiaz Ali
Imtiaz Ali, the director of such hits in India like "Rockstar" and "Love Aaj Kal", was in New Jersey for the weekend to introduce an independent film called "Dekh Indian Circus" at NJISACF. While he was there, he graciously took the time to speak to IIF about the definition of independent films, the challenges of a filmmaker and what audiences expect from their movies. Imtiaz Ali and Paresh Jha after the interview. Ali was in New Jersey for the New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest. IIF: Being such a big director in the Indian Film Industry and working [...]
“Listen Amaya” takes home top honors at NJISACF
The New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest has come to a close after an eventful weekend full of interesting films and visits from director Imtiaz Ali and actress Deepti Naval. "Listen Amaya", which had its east coast premiere at the festival, took home top honors for Best Feature Film and Best Director Avinash Singh. The film closed to a standing ovation from festival goers. Here is the full list of this year's awards: Best Feature film: "Listen Amaya" produced by Avinash Singh and Geeta Singh Best Director: Avinash singh for "Listen Amaya" Best Actor : Adil Hussain for "Lessons in [...]
Imtiaz Ali introduces “Dekh Indian Circus” on NJISACF’s opening night
Friday night kicked off the New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest in Edison, NJ. The theater was packed as acclaimed director Imtiaz Ali was on hand to introduce the opening night film, "Dekh Indian Circus." Ali spoke fondly of the festival's mission to promote good cinema. He cited festival director Sakti Sengupta's vision and all the volunteers' hard work in organizing the event as crucial in spreading the word about South Asian films and filmmakers. "What they do for us is to help popularize the idea of cinema more and more. And to put it in the desi way, humara [...]
NJISACF begins tonight!
The New Jersey South Asian Cinefest (NJISACF) begins tonight in Edison, NJ! I am pleased to announce that IIF will be attending and covering all the fun. The festival has been around since 2007 and their mission is to "to promote and recognize the talents of the new,the established, the underrepresented, the best and the brightest Independent South Asian filmmakers from across the globe." This year will kickoff with a Q&A session with Imtiaz Ali, director of films like "Rockstar", "Love Aaj Kal" and "Jab We Met". Ali will also present the opening night film "Dekh Indian Circus", directed by [...]
Mira Nair discusses “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” and TIFF
Mira Nair has a great history with the Toronto Film Festival. Her films like "Salaam Bombay" and "The Namesake" have debuted at TIFF. But she was also supposed to debut "Monsoon Wedding" at the festival in 2001. But when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, all plans were scratched. In a great interview with Indiewire, she discusses that fateful September more than 10 years ago: On Sept 9, 2011, I had received the Golden Lion at Venice. I flew directly to Toronto, and my family was to join me on the 11th. I was doing 15 interviews a [...]
Hansal Mehta discusses “Shahid” and career with Dear Cinema
Dear Cinema conducted a fantastic interview with Hansal Mehta earlier this month about his TIFF 2012 entry "Shahid" and his career. Here is an excerpt from that interview by Nandita Dutta: What is Shahid about? Shahid is based on the remarkable journey of human rights lawyer / activist Shahid Azmi. It is a very personal account of an inspiring life tragically cut short. As Cameron Bailey of TIFF describes very beautifully on the TIFF website “it marries elements of political thriller, personal biography and romantic tragedy while being a courtroom drama at its core.” What inspired you to make [...]
TIFF 2012 leaves lasting impressions
The Toronto International Film Festival is over but the impressions continue to linger. As of Sept. 15, approximately 40 films have been sold to distributors. In fact, participation from Asian delegates made all the difference according to a press release from TIFF: The Festival’s Sales and Industry Office accredited 4,280 industry delegates this year – a 9% growth over 2011 – and worked closely with delegates to facilitate information sharing and foster relationships between accredited buyers, sales agents, producers and filmmakers. Industry delegates represented 2,563 companies and came to Toronto from 81 countries (up from 77 in 2011). Notably, attendance [...]
Ashim Ahluwalia Interviewed by Huffington Post
Yet another TIFF 2012 director is being highlighted by the Huffington Post. This time it's Ashim Ahluwalia, director of "Miss Lovely", getting the spotlight. Here is an excerpt from the interview with Marissa Bronfman: How do you see the Indian film industry changing over the next 10 years? What will be your role in that change? How do you expect international critics and audiences to react to this change, if at all? I hope we see less formula filmmaking and more films by directors who have a personal vision. I hope we see more risky, crazier, braver films that push [...]
Can Indie Films Break Through Bollywood Stereotypes?
It's a fair (albeit not a new) question for today's filmmakers at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Independent films have just as much of a mystical aura as your typical glitzy Bollywood production (for different reasons and audiences). But how do the people making these films from India do something groundbreaking enough to shatter the rest of the world's image of Bollywood? Stephanie Nolen of The Globe and Mail dissects that very topic and the discussion is fairly enlightening. “Ask most North American critics what they’re excited about and it’s not Indian film,” Aseem Chhabra, the New York-based film [...]
