Documentary film “Gypsy”, based on the life of Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay, secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India, is among films to be screened at the 17th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2017. The world premiere show of this documentary will be held May 1 at Village East Cinema in Manhattan. Organized by the Indo-American Arts Council this year’s festival will be held from April 30 to May 7. Mulay, the former consul general of India in New York, has served as a diplomat in Japan, Russia, Syria, Mauritius, Maldives and New York.
“Gypsy” bagged the Special Jury Award at 5th Delhi International Short Film Festival. The documentary was also screened at the Kolhapur International Film Festival 2017 as well as at the Nashik International Film Festival 2017.
“ Selection of ‘Gypsy’ at New York Indian Film Festival is a global recognition for the film”, director Dhananjay Bhawalekar said. The film is produced by Unique Academy. According to Bhawalekar, the documentary proves inspiring to the aspirants of competitive exams and portrays the journey of a simple village lad from Abdullaat near Kolhapur to the success ladder of the Indian Foreign Service. The film reflects an optimistic outlook of overpowering critical conditions to achieve success, although a few incidences of Mulay’s life have been dramatized.
The documentary has been screened in several schools, colleges and institutes and has received an overwhelming response at different levels. Shot in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolhapur and New York, the documentary was completed in two years. The film includes views of senior educationist Dr. D.Y. Patil, editor Bhanu Kale, and senior journalist Vijay Naik.
Written by Sagar Gokhale, Anil Sapkal and Bhawalekar, cinematography is by Yogesh Koli, music by Dhanashree Ganatra, background music by Abhijeet Rane, and the research and subtitles are by Sawani Arjun. The film is edited by Manoj Janvekar and animations are by Mahesh Kadam. This film is an entire non commercial project and is treated as a social contribution by the team.
America’s premier film festival representing the Indian subcontinent, New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), kicks off its 17th anniversary season on Sunday, April 30th, with Alankita Shrivastava’s women’s empowerment film LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA (watch trailer HERE), at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (One Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004) in the Financial District. The film premiered at the Tokyo and Mumbai Film Festivals, where it won the Spirit of Asia Prize and the Oxfam Award for Best Film on Gender Equality. In January, India’s Central Board of Film Certification refused to certify the film because it claimed the story was too “lady-oriented,” so the film is currently banned in India. The red carpet reception for the New York premiere of the film will be followed by a gala benefit dinner, open to the general public. Tickets & tables are available HERE.
The festival’s centerpiece film is the New York premiere of Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla’s critically-acclaimed documentary about India’s Aam Aadmi Party activist Arvind Kejriwal called AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN (watch trailer HERE). After its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of 2016, the film has traveled to multiple festivals around the world, including London, Busan and Mumbai, and makes a stop at NYIFF in May.
The festival will close its programming on Sunday, May 7th, with the North American premiere of Milind Dhaimade’s YOU ARE MY SUNDAY (watch trailer HERE), an uplifting, slice-of-life comedy about five close friends who struggle to find a place to play soccer in Mumbai every Sunday. The closing night screening will take place at Mason Hall on the Baruch College campus (17 Lexington Avenue at 23rd Street), and it will also be preceded by a red carpet reception for media interviews and followed by the NYIFF 2017 Award Ceremony and gala closing night party.