The 2009 South Asian International Film Festival

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 02 November 2009 05:00

Written by fftraveler staff

Lights, Camera, and SAIF
Wednesday, Oct 28th to Tuesday, Nov 3rd, 2009

The Sixth Annual South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) kicks off this year at the new, state-of-the-art SVA Theater in New York City. The festival has become a landmark event within the United States exclusively dedicated to showcasing the very best in emerging South Asian cinema and independent filmmaking.

The Festival schedule is filled with screenings, panel discussions and post-screening events that represent the identity, culture and perspectives of South Asians in the 21st century. “We are especially excited this year to have more North American premieres than ever before,” said Galen Rosenthal, SAIFF’s Programming Director.

The Official Opening Night Premiere, and a world premiere for the film, at the Paris Theater, is Aladin, the Festival's first Bollywood film to be the Opening Night Presentation since its inception in 2004. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, Aladin is a classic tale about a bullied orphan whose life changes when a genie enters his life to grant him three boons to fulfill his contractual obligations. This journey is full of twists and turns; secrets and obstacle; and fantasy adventure that keep the mind guessing and heart pumping.

“We are excited and honored to kick off the weeklong festival with Sujoy Ghosh’s first feature film,” said Shilen Amin, SAIFF President. “SAIFF’s continuing mission is to discover new artists and provide an international platform to emerging independent South Asian filmmakers to showcase their creativity. Sujoy is exceptionally skilled in storytelling and brings the latest in Bollywood’s foray into special effects, establishing never before seen practices in its film production history! Aladin will offer audiences a chance to see how films have changed and what is still to come out of our beloved film industry.”

The festival's Closing Night Premiere will be Paresh Mokashi’s Harishchandrachi Factory at the SVA Theater. This film depicts the true story of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke’s quest to create India’s first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra. Released in 1913, Raja Harishchandra was a big hit and the starting point for the emergence of “Bollywood,” the biggest film industry in the world today. 

This is also the directorial debut of theater director and actor Paresh Mokashi, whose critically acclaimed and appreciated works are known as experimentations in vivid yet atypical humor. Mokashi started writing the script in 2005 and finished it after only three months. “For me, the inspiration to make the film was Phalke himself. Learning about how he made the film and what he went through prompted me to base the movie on the subject,” he said.

This is also the North American premiere of the Film Federation of India’s official Oscar^® entry for the 2010 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category. It is only the second Marathi film after Shwaas (2004) to be selected for the Oscars. The film has already won several awards, including for best director, best film and best art direction at the 46th Maharashtra State Film Awards, and also for best director at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) held earlier this year.

“We are honored to present the first full length feature film of Paresh Mokashi as the festival’s official closing night presentation,” said SAIFF President Shilen Amin. “Paresh entertains and educates moviegoers, many for the very first time, on a true Indian hero with the story of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke and how the birth of Indian cinema took shape nearly ninety-five years ago. This is a very special film for everyone to see and we are proud for him and his team for their 2010 Academy Award nomination.”

In the last five years, SAIFF has surpassed all expectations with its track record of quality films and growing attendance. “SAIFF understands and recognizes the exceptional stories and perspectives in a common era that is characterized through nuances of filmmaking,” said Rosenthal.

About SAIFF:

The South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting South Asian/Indian filmmakers in the U.S seeking maximum visibility and absolute distribution. SAIFF was founded in New York City due to the lack of support for many emerging filmmakers and the overall underrepresentation of Indian cinema in a capital that is recognized by the world as the birthplace of independent filmmaking! The Festival is committed to exhibiting films from South Asia (i.e India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal) and within the Indian Diaspora. With a focus on dynamic, visionary cinema, SAIFF annually creates unprecedented exposure for filmmakers and unparallel experiences for its attendees. For more information, visit: www.saiff.org.

For more information about the 2009 SAIFF, please log on to: www.saiff.org.

Oct 28th to Nov 3rd, 2009

SVA Theater
333 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011

The Paris Theatre
4 West 58th Street
New York NY 10019

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