The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) announced its opening and closing night red-carpet premiere screenings. Feroz Abbas Khan’s DEKH TAMASHA DEKH will open the festival while Nitin Kakkar’s FILMISTAAN will screen as the closing night film. Both will premiere at the NYU’s celebrated Skirball Center. The full line-up of screenings, events, and venues will be announced by end of March. Now celebrating its 13th year, the festival is the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States and runs April 30 to May 4.
Lyrically interwoven, DEKH TAMASHA DEKH is a social and political satire that cuts deep to the heart of many current issues, a true story based off true events. Written by renowned marathi playwright Shafaat Khan, who creates finely nuanced characters with depth and dimensions and sets them against a lush visual backdrop of a small village in India. Director Feroz Abbas Khan has directed some of India’s finest acting talent during his career of over two decades and he is at the forefront of Indian theatre today. His debut Film “Gandhi My Father” received rave reviews and won several national and international awards. He now showcases his new cinematic vision as the opening night film for the festival.
“IAAC has an imagination that has expanded to embrace and celebrate the artistic expression of the entire sub- continent,” Khan says. “I was privileged to perform my play Mahatma v/s Gandhi as one of its earlier programs. Gandhi My Father was part of the film festival in 2007.
He adds, “Dekh Tamasha Dekh is a movie I have waited for twelve years to realize. Finally, it was the faith of Mr. Kishore Lulla and Eros International, that it is ready to face the world. The opening night film at NYIFF 2013 is a huge responsibility and honor. I remain grateful to all at IAAC for believing in the film.”
For the closing night of NYIFF, debut director Nitin Kakkar brings his cinematic work of art, FILMISTAAN, exploring Indo-Pak relationships with subtle brilliance. The protagonist, aspiring actor Sharib Hashmi, is assisting an American film crew shooting a documentary in the Indo-Pak border when one night he is kidnapped and held hostage in a small village in Pakistan. When the terrorist group realizes they have kidnapped an Indian and not an American, Hashmi is kept hostage until the mix-up is corrected, and he begins a burgeoning friendship with a young Pakistani.
“We are proud to be the among the first supporters of immensely talented directors like Feroz Abbas Khan and Nitin Kakkar, says Aseem Chhabra, Festival Director. “It is in keeping with our mission to bring a diverse group of voices to the forefront. The themes of communal harmony and antagonism are shared in our opening and closing films and sheds light to important issues.”
Both directors will be in attendance at the festival.
For IAAC Membership and NYIFF Tickets:
Celebrating its 13th year, NYIFF will run April 30 to May 4. Memberships may be purchased at http://www.iaac.us/Contribution.htm.
Festival Passes and Individual Tickets go on sale in April at the festival’s website: www.iaac.us/NYIFF2013. ‘)}
