The annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), North America’s longest-running Indian film festival recently announced its list of films for opening night, centerpiece and closing night.
The festival, virtual this year, starts from June 4 and goes on till 13, 2021, according to a press release from the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC).
The film lineup includes Where is Pinki/ Pinki Elli (Kannada) directed by PrithviKonanur as the opening film; Ahimsa Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless (English), dir. Ramesh Sharma as the first centerpiece; WOMB: Women of my Billion (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu), dir. Ajitesh Sharma as the second centerpiece and Fire in the Mountains (Hindi), dir. Ajitpal Singh as the closing film.
The festival will also feature a virtual event with exclusive Q&A sessions with filmmakers and talent, the release said.
Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF festival director offered his thoughts and prayers to the lives lost in the covid-19 crisis in India. “But we made a promise to our audience in the United States and elsewhere. The show must go on. We present the best of Indian cinema from 2020 and 2021,” he was quoted saying in the press release.
NYIFF will also celebrate birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi, Satyajit Ray and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Suman Gollamudi, IAAC executive director said NYIFF has showcased the some of the most impactful and esteemed films and documentaries celebrating India, its people and its heritage, for the past 21 years. “The caliber of films on the 2021 lineup includes notable works by award-winning filmmakers, which aim to capture stories that have a truly profound message about our world today. These films have received exceptional praise from critics and audiences around the globe,” he added.
According to Rakesh Kaul, vice chairman, IAAC, NYIFF is partnering with MovieSaints for a second straight year to reach a wider audience virtually.
“For the first time, the 2021 lineup truly reflects the incredible diversity of Indian cinematic creativity,” said Dr. NirmalMattoo, Chairman IAAC. “This standout collection of films introduces new voices, fresh perspectives and original storytelling, which enhances the NYIFF curatorial legacy of spotlighting movies that go on to receive critical global acclaim.”
“In addition, we will be unveiling a newly designed award in 2021,” continued Mattoo. “Conceived and created by IAAC Board Member and sculptor, Raj Shahani, this iconic award will epitomize the excellence that NYIFF seeks to foster with its annual awards presentation.”
Each of these films along with the complete collection of NYIFF-recognized titles will be available for viewing starting June 4, 2021 at nyiff.us and nyiff.moviesaints.com. The cost to view each film ranges from US$4.99 for feature films (narrative and documentaries) and US$0.99 for shorts. Audiences outside the U.S., excluding India, can pay in their local currencies. In India, the cost will be Rs.150 for features and shorts starting at Rs. 50. There are also discount packages available
Featured Movies Include:
Awakash (Marathi), dir. ChittaranjanGiri, 77 mins, 2020
Biryaani (Malayalam), dir. Sajin Baabu, 96 mins, 2020
Blue Bird (Kannada), dir. Ganesh Hegde, 106 mins, 2020
Fire in the Mountains (Hindi), dir. Ajitpal Singh, 82 mins, 2020
First Night (Tamil), dir. Jack Prabhu, Santoshh KK, 106 mins, 2020
Freddie’s Piano (English), dir. AakashPrabhakar, Sudharshan Narayanan, 110 mins, 2020
God on the Balcony (Assamese), dir. Biswajeet Bora, 89 mins, 2020
Habaddi (Marathi), dir. NachiketSamant, 110 mins, 2020
House of Orange Trees (Malayalam), dir. Dr. Biju Damodaran, 110 mins, 2020
June (Marathi), dir. VaibhavKhisti, SuhrudGodbole, 94 mins, 2020
Mail (Telugu), dir. UdayGurrala, 116 mins, 2020
Nasir (Tamil), dir. ArunKarthick, 78 mins, 2019
Nazarband (Captive) (Hindi), dir. Suman Mukhopadhyay, 85 mins, 2020
Parallel Lines (KayamaiKadakka) (Tamil), dir. Kiran R, 104 mins, 2020
Parcel (Bengali), dir. Indrasis Acharya, 123 mins, 2020
Pinki Elli? (Where’s Pinki?) (Kannada), dir. PrithviKonanur, 108 mins, 2020
Searching for Happiness (Bengali) dir. Suman Ghosh, 63 mins, 2021
Songs for Rain (Boroxun) (Assamese), dir. Krrishna Kt. Borah, 86 mins, 2020
Sthalpuran (Marathi), dir. AkshayIndikar, 85 mins, 2020
The Chicken Curry (KoliTaal) (Kannada), dir. Abhilash Shetty, 84 mins, 2020
The Tenant (English, Hindi), dir. Sushrat Jain, 112 mins, 2020
The Knot (Uljhan) (Hindi), dir. Ashish Pant, 113 mins, 2020
Zollywood, (Marathi), dir. Trushant Ingle, 95 mins, 2019
Documentaries:
Ahimsa Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless, (English), dir. Ramesh Sharma, 92 mins, 2020
Borderlands (Punjabi, Bengali, Nepali, Manipuri), dir. Samarth Mahajan, 67 mins, 2021
GharKaPata (Home Address) (English, Hindi, Kashmiri), dir. MadhulikaJalali, 67 mins, 2020
Shut UpSona (English, Hindi, Oriya), dir. Deepti Gupta, 85 mins. 2019
Talking Head (English, Bengali), dir. Spandan Banerjee, 94 mins, 2021
The Music of Satyajit Ray (English, Bengali), dir. Utpalendu Chakrabarty, 51 mins, 1984
The Space Between the Notes (English, Hindi), dir. SumantraGhosal, 52 mins, 2018
WOMB: Women of my Billions, dir. Ajitesh Sharma (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu), 103 mins, 2021
At the Altar of India’s Freedom – INA Veterans in Malaysia (English) dir. ChoodieShivaram, 30 mins, 2018
Baluji (English), dir. Cécile Embleton, 22 mins, 2020
Seva (English), dir. RippinSindher, 16 mins, 2019
The Hero Within (Hindi), dir. Stanley Hector, 7 mins, 2021
What’s Your Story? (English), dir. O.P. Srivastava, 51 mins, 2020
Short Films:
Adhura (Unfinished) (Hindi), dir. Arjun Lal, 19 mins, 2020
Annual Day (SalanaJalsa) (Marathi), dir. Pratik Thakare, 30 mins, 2020
Appa’s Seasons (Tamil), dir. Radhika Prasidhha, 22 mins, 2020
- Selvi& Daughters (Tamil), dir. Drishya, 25 mins, 2020
Checking Out (English), dir. Vick Krishna, 15 mins, 2020
Happy Birthday (Hindi), dir. Ajay Kishore Shaw, 20 mins, 2020
KhayaliPulao (Hindi), dir.TarunDudeja, 26 mins, 2020
Khisa (Pocket) (Marathi), dir. Raj Pritam More, 16 mins, 2020
Kurma (English, Hindi), dir. Ramsee Chand, 18 mins, 2020
Laali (Hindi), dir. AbhiroopBasu, 30 mins, 2020
Loose Long Shirt (English), dir. Mitali Joshi, 6 mins, 2020
My Brother (Mera Bhai) (Hindi), dir. Shreela Agarwal, 22 mins, 2020
Naap (Hindi), dir. Harshit Acharya, 18 mins, 2020
Now That We’ve Met (English), dir. NityaTuraga, 5 mins, 2020
Pilibhit (Hindi), dir. AshutoshChaturvedi, Pankaj Mavchi, 23 mins, 2020
Pinni (Kannada), dir.BhuvanSathya, 20 mins, 2020
Sonsi (Shadow Bird) (Hindi) dir. Savita Singh, 26 mins, 2020
Sunday (Hindi), dir. ArunFulara, 10 mins, 2020
TasherGhawr (English), dir. Sudipto Roy, 47 mins, 2020
The Miniaturist of Junagarh (Hindi, Urdu), dir. Kaushal Oza, 29 mins, 2020
Untouchability (Theetu) (Tamil), dir. Haresh Narayanan, 7 mins, 2020
Vulture (Xogun) (Assamese), dir. UtpalBorpujari, 16 mins, 2020
More information at: nyiff.us and nyiff.moviesaints.com. For frequently asked technology questions visit https://nyiff.moviesaints.com/faq/nyiff.
