By As is often the case, it’s a festival of festivals here in New York. And if you’re particularly fond of Indian and/or Pakistani films, this is probably the one you’ve been waiting for. The South Asian International Film Festival has returned, and it’s got a pretty cool lineup. Eight films will be playing over six days at the SVA Theater, two of which are world premieres. Also in the lineup is Pakistan’s entry for the Academy Awards, Dukhtar.
As is often the case with these things, we’ll be seeing some of the films and letting you know what is (or isn’t) worth your time, so check back throughout next week to see what’s what.
For more information on the festival and the films, the full press release is below or you can head over to the South Asian International Film Festival website.
The Eleventh Annual South Asian International Film Festival
Announces 2014 Film Line-up!
– Opening Night to feature US Premiere of Jean-François Pouliot’s box office smash DR. CABBIE; Closing Night celebrates the World Premiere of X –
– Additional films include Centerpiece World Premiere of HAPPY ENDING, Cannes Un Certain Regard selection TITLI, Berlin Film Festival winner KILLA, and Pakistan’s 2014 Oscar submission DUKHTAR –
NEW YORK CITY October 20, 2014 – The South Asian International Film Festival, presented by HBO, celebrates its eleventh amazing year by delivering even more of the very best in South Asia’s most original, daring, and exciting cinema! Running from November 18th through the 23rd, SAIFF 2014 features new thrilling premieres, acclaimed international guests, and the hotly-anticipated Festival Awards Gala – overseen by its new Executive Director, Joya Dass. A television personality, Dass has worked for Bloomberg, CNN, ABC, CBS, and can currently be seen anchoring business news for NY1.
On the 18th of November, SAIFF 2014 celebrates its Opening Night with the US premiere of DR. CABBIE, the stand-up-and-cheer blockbuster starring The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Navvar! Midway through the fest, SAIFF invites you experience their celebrated 2014 Centerpiece title, the World Premiere of Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.’s uplifting romantic comedy HAPPY ENDING. And on Closing Night, the festival throws open their doors for the thrilling World Premiere of X – a ten-part intertwining story from eleven of India’s most exciting directors… all of whom will be attending the festival!
SAIFF 2014’s feature film lineup includes:
Dukhtar. Directed by Afia Serena Nathaniel. 2014. Pakistan/USA/Norway. In Urdu and Pashto (with English subtitles). New York Premiere. 93 min.
Ek Hazarachi Note. Directed by Shekhar Sathe. 2014. India. In Marathi (with English subtitles). New York Premiere. 89 min.
Killa. Directed by Avinash Arun Dhaware. 2014. India. In Marathi (with English subtitles). North American Premiere. 110 min.
Labour of Love. Directed by Aditya Vikram Sengupta. 2014. India. In Bengali (with English subtitles). New York Premiere. 93 min.
Titli. Directed by Kanu Behl. 2014. India. In Hindi (with English subtitles). New York Premiere. 127 min.
Opening Night Premiere: DR. CABBIE
Directed by Jean-François Pouliot. 2014. Canada/India. In English. US Premiere. 101 min.
An unemployed doctor turned cab driver becomes a local hero when he converts his taxi into a mobile clinic. DR. CABBIE is the heartwarming journey of a young Indian doctor who immigrates to Canada with the selfless ambition of healing others while beginning a new life in the land of opportunity. Dr. Cabbie discovers his true purpose and true love when he embarks upon this journey of a doctor turned cabbie.
Centerpiece World Premiere: HAPPY ENDING
Directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.. 2014. India. In Hindi (with English subtitles). World Premiere. 135 min.
Yudi is a writer who hasn’t written anything in the last few years because he’s caught between finding inspiration and finding love. Armaan is a fading movie star is desperate to save his stardom. He went to Hollywood to get a Bollywood script written in the Hollywood style. His solution? Approach Yudi and ask him to write a film. Meanwhile, his ex-girlfriend thinks that she’s still in a relationship with him after they’ve broken up!
Closing Night World Premiere: X
Directed by Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Hemant Gaba, Nalan Kumarasamy, Pratim D. Gupta, Q, Raja Sen, Rajshree Ojha, Sandeep Mohan, Sudhish Kamath, and Supran Verma. 2014. India. In Hindi (with English subtitles). World Premiere. 112 min.
X is a filmmaker’s journey through his past encounters with his 10 ex-girlfriends as he spends one surreal unforgettable night at a film festival after he meets a mysterious girl who intriguingly seems to have something to do with every woman in his life.
The Eleventh Annual South Asian International Film Festival runs from Tuesday, November 18th, 2014 to Sunday, November 23rd, 2014 in New York City, at the SVA Theater.
For additional information on SAIFF 2014, including screening dates, locations, featured guests, and ticketing information, please visit www.saiff.org.
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 under-representation 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. For more information, visit: www.saiff.org.
About HBO:
Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television-programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour pay television services – HBO and Cinemax – to over 40 million U.S. subscribers. The services offer the most popular subscription video on demand products, HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand, as well as HBO on Broadband, HD feeds, and multiplex channels. Internationally, HBO’s branded television networks, along with the subscription video on demand products. HBO programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide. For more information, visit: www.hbo.com.