Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles – Program Announcement
In celebration of its fifth anniversary, IFFLA has added a day making it a 6-day long event that runs April 17-22, 2007 at ArcLight Hollywood, a state-of-the-art facility located in the heart of Hollywood.
Tickets are now on sale online at www.arclightcinemas.com or at the ArcLight Hollywood box office. For more information on how to attend the festival, please visit www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Check out this year’s Film Program and our new Bollywood By Night series, late night 21+ screenings of extravagant, exuberant and energetic Bollywood blockbusters. Chill out, have a drink and enter a world that’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced!
We are proud to introduce IFFLA EcoVision, a program that aims to spread ecological awareness by showcasing films on sustainability, utilizing eco-friendly products and processes, working with eco-conscious non-profit organizations and celebrating Earth Day on Sunday April 22.
If you would like to volunteer for the festival, please attend our Volunteer Meeting this Saturday, March 21 at theater #8 of ArcLight Hollywood. It will be at 11:30 a.m. and you can talk to the staff working in the different departments to see which one would be most interesting for you to volunteer in. For every 4 hour shift that you volunteer, you can get 1 free ticket. Our volunteers are mainly film enthusiasts, up and coming filmmakers, film students and others, and it’s a great way to network. If you plan to attend the volunteer meeting this Saturday, please RSVP to Shannon Valenzuela at volunteers@indianfilmfestival.org.
Film Program: Schedule at a Glance
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
PROVOKED
Director: Jag Mundhra
In a case that redefined the seriousness of spousal battery in British courts, a Punjabi woman fights for her freedom after being imprisoned for the murder of her abusive husband.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
7:00pm – SHORTS PROGRAM 1
PRINTED RAINBOW
Director: Gitanjali Rao
An old woman and her cat living alone in the city collect matchboxes through which their flights of fantasy come to life.
BARE
Director: Santana Issar
A daughter searches to find meaning, if any, in her relationship with her alcoholic father.
GANDHI AT THE BAT
Directors: Stephanie Argy, Alec Boehm
A recently uncovered newsreel from 1933 reveals a secret trip taken by Mohandas Gandhi to Yankee stadium where he served as a pinch-hitter for the home team during one particularly suspenseful game.
MONSOON
Director: Shyam Balsé
An American cardiologist is haunted by memories of his wife’s death when he returns to India to treat his ailing father, a superstitious man whose traditional convictions clash with modern medicine.
ANAMIKA – HER GLORIOUS PAST
Director: Pavitra Chalam
A quest to understand the transformation of the Devadasi image from the revered patron of the arts to the maligned woman of today.
MORNING FOG
Director: Aminta Goyel
As the morning fog rolls in over the dense jungle a girl in search of an elusive tiger encounters a beast of a different kind.
8:15pm
VALLEY OF FLOWERS
Director: Pan Nalin
A great Asian love story. An unforgettable tale about passion, death and reincarnation. A mesmerizing Himalayan epic that spans two centuries, from the Silk Route of the early 19th century to the bustling metropolis of modern-day Tokyo.
9:30pm
Q2P
Director: Paromita Vohra
Look at the toilet…see the city. The silence that surrounds toilets is broken in this serious and sometimes whimsical examination of the state of women’s public restrooms in Mumbai.
DIRTY LAUNDRY
Director: Sanjeev Chatterjee
From Gandhi’s political awakening, to the anti-apartheid movement, to the dawning of democracy, this film looks at the important role South African activists of Indian decent have played in their country’s political history.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
7:00pm – SHORTS PROGRAM 2
NAME DAY
Director: Nikhil Prakash
When his brother falls victim to a violent hate crime, an agnostic Arab-American is driven to seek revenge, and in the process finds himself on the verge of self-discovery.
SHANU TAXI
Director: Vasant Nath
An honest Mumbai taxi driver looks to make the most of a cell phone rewarded to him by a customer, setting off on a path to achieve his dreams that extend well beyond the city’s traffic.
ARRANGING LOVE
Director: Sheila Jayadev
The tradition of arranged marriage is embraced, questioned, and negotiated among several young Indians and their partners.
TEA BREAK
Director: Srinivas Sunderrajan
As news of a bomb blast comes through over the radio, a discussion between two friends about the event reveals bitter truths about them.
POT OF GOLD
Directors: Dipa Donde, Nitin Donde
A tale from the Warli tribe of Maharashtra tells what happens when an overworked wife finds a pot of gold.
UNDISPUTED
Director: Vikramaditya Motwane
What happens when the worst actor in Bollywood finally gets his shot at stardom?
7:15pm
LIFE IS ALL ABOUT FRIENDS (UNNI)
Director: Murali Nair
Award winning filmmaker, Murali Nair offers up this coming-of-age story examining caste, friendship, and loss among four friends in rural India.
8:00pm – TRIBUTE TO DEEPTI NAVAL
Moderated discussion with Deepti Naval followed by the screening of the film:
TRIBUTE FEATURE: KAMLA
Director: Jag Mundhra
A tribal slave girl who is brought to the city by a manipulative news reporter looking to prove the existence of the flesh trade in modern India, creates ripples in the capital through her story, upsetting the reporter’s life.
9:15 pm
HORIZONS
Artist: Karmacy
Director: Nimo Patel
MUMTAZ
Artist: Bombay Dub Orchestra
Director: Huw Jenkins
PRAY FOR ME BROTHER
Artist: A.R. Rahman
Director: Bharatbala
FOUNDATION & EMPIRE
Director: Graham Geigenmuller
With a unique, hybrid sound combining various world music cultures, UK-based Asian Dub Foundation entertains, educates, and challenges people from their base in East London to the world at large.
10:00 pm
BOLLYWOOD BY NIGHT: OMKARA
(21+ Screening. Enjoy the movie with a drink from the ArcLight bar with valid ID)
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj (Maqbool) transforms Shakespeare’s classic Othello to an Indian landscape in a high tension psychological drama of political and personal warfare that garners deadly consequences.
Friday, April 20, 2007
7:00 pm
OUTSOURCED
Director: John Jeffcoat
An American call center salesman whose department has been outsourced is coerced into training the company’s new Indian recruits in the idiosyncrasies of American culture and business practices.
7:15 pm
PANCHVATI
Director: Basu Bhattacharya
Following a failed marriage, a passionate painter finds true love in her own way through a liaison with her ex-husband’s elder brother
8:30 pm
ARE YOU ALRIGHT AFGHANISTAN? (KHOOB ASTI AFGHANISTAN?)
Director: Soumitra Ranade
An Indian filmmaker who grew up in Afghanistan as a teenager returns to the country after twenty-six years, retracing definitive memories of his youth in a country ravaged by war.
ART IN EXILE
Directors: Nidhi Tuli, Ashraf Abbas
Tibetan artists living in exile in Dharamsala, India use art to keep their identity and the ‘Free Tibet’ movement alive.
9:30 pm
MISSED CALL
Directors: Mridul Toosidass, Vinay Subramanian
Aspiring filmmaker Gaurav Sengupta lives his life through the viewfinder of his camcorder. He struggles to juggle social and familial demands with his passion for filmmaking. When he finds love in Gayatri, and the camera begins to threaten his future with her, he must decide whether to let go or to continue telling his story.
10:00 pm
BOLLYWOOD BY NIGHT: THE WALL (DEEWAR)
(21+ Screening. Enjoy the movie with a drink from the ArcLight bar with valid ID)
Director: Yash Chopra
Two brothers, one an exemplary cop and the other a criminal face off on a moral battlefield where even the fierce love of the mother they both adore may not be able to salvage the bonds that fate has torn asunder.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
1:30 pm SHORTS PROGRAM 1 (encore)
3:00 pm
BOLLYWOOD BY NIGHT: THE WALL (DEEWAR)
(Regular screening. Open to all ages)
Director: Yash Chopra
Two brothers, one an exemplary cop and the other a criminal face off on a moral battlefield where even the fierce love of the mother they both adore may not be able to salvage the bonds that fate has torn asunder.
4:00 pm
DIVIDED WE FALL: AMERICANS IN THE AFTERMATH
Director: Sharat Raju
The film follows the journey of a Sikh American student as she drives across the country in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, documenting stories of hate, violence and discrimination against Sikhs in America.
6:30 pm
OFFICE TIGERS
Director: Liz Mermin
The young, passionate executives of Office Tiger, a professional support services company in Chennai, brews fierce in-house competition among employees to ensure customer satisfaction to its clientele in the West.
8:00 pm
MIRCH MASALA
Director: Ketan Mehta
A local woman harassed by a cruel landlord escapes into a chili factory where she finds an ally who helps her gather the courage to fight back.
9:00 pm
ARE YOU THERE? (KYA TUM HO)
Director: Anish S. Ahluwalia
A lonely housewife, a university professor, and an internet café owner try to overcome their past and put their lives in perspective, while forging new alliances through an internet chat room.
10:00 pm
BOLLYWOOD BY NIGHT: MR. INDIA
(21+ Screening. Enjoy the movie with a drink from the ArcLight bar with valid ID)
Director: Shekhar Kapur
A struggling musician who dedicates his life to caring for orphaned children finds himself faced with the task of saving the nation from an international terrorist who will stop at nothing to destroy and take over India, all with the help of a short-tempered journalist, a hoard of kids, and a secret gadget that defies human vision.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
12:00 pm
LIFE IS ALL ABOUT FRIENDS (UNNI)
Director: Murali Nair
Award winning filmmaker, Murali Nair offers up this coming-of-age story examining caste, friendship, and loss among four friends in rural India.
1:30 pm - SHORTS PROGRAM 2 (ENCORE)
3:00 pm
BOLLYWOOD BY NIGHT: MR. INDIA
(Regular screening. Open to all ages)
Director: Shekhar Kapur
A struggling musician who dedicates his life to caring for orphaned children finds himself faced with the task of saving the nation from an international terrorist who will stop at nothing to destroy and take over India, all with the help of a short-tempered journalist, a hoard of kids, and a secret gadget that defies human vision.
3:45 pm
1000 DAYS AND A DREAM
Directors: P. Baburaj, C. Saratchandran
Kerala community activists organize and struggle against corporations, politicians, and police in their attempt to shut down a Coca-Cola bottling plant that is poisoning their lands and children.
7:00 pm – Closing Night Gala
VANAJA
Director: Rajnesh Domalpalli
Set in rural South India, a place where social barriers are built stronger than fort walls, VANAJA explores the chasm that divides classes as a young girl struggles to come of age and secure her destiny as a classical dancer.
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
I am so sad that I won’t be able to attend the entire event, and happy that I will find some way to attend the opening night gala and the shorts program on Wednesday (which I would have skipped but you have made me excited about some of the shorts already!)
Congratulations on the sucess of the festival, and on a terriffic lineup of films!!!
can students get it at discounted rates?
ArcLight Hollywood handles ticketing. General admission (Opening Night, Tribute Night [kamla], Closing Night not included) is $11 each. You can get it for $9 with valid student ID. If you are going to watch a lot of films, you may want to consider buying a fest pass. Rates can be found here: http://indianfilmfestival.org/howtoattend07.html
Vijay have u seen Monsoon?
When the dude leaves the Taxi the taxi driver screams at him…. AYE ..AYE….
Thats me!
You can also hear my voice in the market scenes selling sabzi…. hehe…
Shyam is a cool Guy. I just saw the film few week back at a USC screening.
I wish i was there to pick up Deepti Naval. I been to her house & worked for her ex husband(PRAKASH JHA). And I’m a big fan.
Yes Mainak. As a programmer, I have to watch all the films. Monsoon is quite a wonderful short film. Excellent performances. Deepti is very talented. It will be wonderful to have her here. She has just written a book of poems and will probably do a reading at the festival too.
Wow. great line up of movies.
vijay.. thanks for the post. I will not miss this.
I just saw the Trailer of MISSED CALL.
Looks cool with some of the best talents. The cast is awesome. Nasseer Bhai’s daughter is in it with her BF I think. I’ve seen them in the Manto plays directed by Naseer himself. Both are powerhouse actors.
Will try to watch it.
I find the trailer very misleading in terms of the style and tone of the film. Its a very dark comedy and I wish it was promoted that way.
Anyway, it’s a film presented by PFC, so all PFCians please help spread the word about the screening through your mailing lists/blogs etc. Here is a link to a flyer – http://indianfilmfestival.org/Missed-Call.jpg
I forgot to ask how is PFC related to that film?
PFC is just helping me spread awareness of the screening. The film is about 1 man’s undying passion for cinema. What better organization than PFC for that? Hopefully we can get some more readers from the screening into PFC, some writers too perhaps.
I was i lived there so i could volunteer :((
i mean “i Wish..” not “i was” :|
missed call is an awesome movie..its a personal film..ankur is mesmerising..this kind of cinema needs to be supported..
Yeah Vivek. It was the most pleasant surprise among all submissions. Everyone in the cast was spot on with their performances. Ankur’s deadpan style is awesome. Do you know if he has been in anything else before? I can’t remember seeing him act anywhere else.
Ankur the lead guy?
I think he graduated from NSD & is part of Nasser’s theater group. I have seen him in 2 plays with the group. The ISMAT MANTO HAAZIR HO plays. Naseer’s daughter was also part of it who is the lead actress of MISSED CALL. I’ve seen them on LINK Road outside those multiplexes & around Prithvi Theater. Randeep Hooda was also part of that play.
Ankur played a small part in MAQBOOL. He had a bigger part in his debut – Mahesh Dattani’s 1st film Mango Souffle. He will be next seen in Ashvin (Little Terrorist) Kumar’s next film FOREST.
Thanks for the info Mainak. Now I can go and sound really smart and knowledgeable in front of my festival staff.
You probably know more anyways. Vijay we should get those 2 plays to LA part of the festival next year. They are awesome plays. It will attract a lot of Pakistani people too. And it sounds very cool to me…a play by Nasseer Bhai alongwith the festival. Total culture bomb man!
we should have dont it last year when u picked up the DON!
It will be awesome but it would be quite tricky to stage a play in that area. I dont think any of the facilities are suitable. But let’s see what we can do. Instead of the festival, perhaps sometime during the year. Do you know who the producers are? Who one woudl talk to in order to get them to tour?
Talk to Naseer Bhai. He is their godfather. I’m assuming that thats the best route since we honored him last year. That way you start at the top. His wife ratna handles the plays in his absence though.
The problem is the cast is very busy with films now. Their talent was seen by everyone in bombay. It ran for a long time. There is some interesting theater happening there. Ask Anurag. He is a big star in the Prithvi circle.
Are you going to OC to meet OZ tommorow?
I’m thinking of making a trip. Thats the only day i can do it i think.
anybody willing to host non LA people for the weekend during IFFLA ?
why dont we have such festivals in Bay Area, where they have the maximum outreach to indians
Actually Aashish you do. The 3rd I South Asian Film Festival and San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival are 2 that come to mind immediately. There is also an Asian-American Film Festival.