22nd Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Neerja Patel
neerja@neerjapr.com

FARAZ ALI’S SHOEBOX WINS BEST FILM AT 2022 NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL

NYIFF ANNOUNCES AWARDS RECOGNIZING ARTISTS, INCLUDING ADITYA VIKRAM SENGUPTA, SREELEKHA MITRA AND JITENDRA JOSHI

- On the 75th year of India's independence, NYIFF recognizes talent and works that celebrate the country's acclaimed cinematic traditions" -

NEW YORK, NY – May 17, 2022 – On the evening of May 14, indie director Faraz Ali captured top honor, winning the Best Film award for ShoeBox. The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), North America's oldest and most prestigious festival which features cinema from India and the Indian Diaspora, announced the winners at a film screening and awards ceremony at the Village East Cinemas in New York.

“On behalf of the entire board, I applaud all the winners and nominees. We are proud to continue our tradition of supporting and recognizing this stellar talent and bringing these acclaimed works to a new audience. This year, our aim was to resonate a lasting dialogue about the ongoing, world-wide impact of Indian culture on the 75th Anniversary of Independence,” said Dr. Nirmal Mattoo, Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) Chairman.

 

From Right to Left: NYIFF Festival Director Aseem Chhabra, Closing Night Film Director Ajoy Bose, IAAC Executive Director Suman Gollamudi


From Left to Right: The Beatles and India Film Director Ajoy Bose and Producer Reynold D’Silva on the red carpet at the New York Indian Film Festival closing night

“Tonight’s closing event was truly an unprecedented look at the global impact of Indian culture and cinema in recent years with the screening of ‘The Beatles and India: An Enduring Love Affair’,” added Suman Gollamudi, IAAC Executive Director. “It was wonderful to bring this community back together tonight with a star-studded awards ceremony and to celebrate in-person after a gap of two years.”

“Faraz Ali’s film Shoebox explores themes of family and community that truly capture this moment in cinematic history and elevates Indian film and art within the U.S.” Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Festival Director said.

The 22nd Annual NYIFF Award Winners
The winners of each category are as follows.

Best Film
Shoebox (Hindi), dir. Faraz Ali, 98 mins., 2021

Best Director
Aditya Vikram Sengupta for Once Upon a Time in Calcutta (Bengali), 131 mins., 2021

From Left to Right: Consul General of India in New York Randhir Jaiswal giving away the Best Actress and Best Director awards to Arindam Ghosh who is accepting it on the behalf of Sreelekha Mitra and Aditya Vikram Sengupta

Best Actor
Jitendra Joshi for Godavari (Marathi), dir. Nikhil Mahajan, 113 mins., 2021

Best Actress
Sreelekha Mitra for Once Upon a Time in Calcutta (Bengali), dir. Aditya Vikram Sengupta, 131 mins., 2021

Best Screenplay
Kuldip Patel for Powai (Hindi), dir. Kuldip Patel, 126 mins., 2021

Best Child Actor(s)
Reyaan Shah & Hiranya Zinzuwadia for Gandhi & Co. (Gujarati), dir. Manish Saini, 101 mins., 2022

Best Documentary (Feature)
Taangh/ Longing (English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu), dir. Bani Singh, 100 minutes, 2021

Best Short (Narrative)
Succulent (Hindi, English), dir. Amrita Bagchi, 29 mins., 2021

Best Short (Documentary)
Kicking Balls (Hindi), dir. Vijayeta Kumar, 36 mins., 2020

Director Vijayeta Kumar who won the Best Short Documentary award at NYIFF 2022

Best Debut Film (Presented by the Film Critics Circle of India):
Jhini Bini Chadariya/ The Brittle Thread (Hindi), dir. Ritesh Sharma, 97 mins., 2021

Between May 7-14, 2022, NYIFF hosted 60 film screenings, including both full-length feature and short narratives and documentaries. For event images view: EVENT. Film posters and additional images available via this link: IMAGES. For award images please use this link: AWARDS. More information and a full list of all films available at: online.nyiff.us.

About The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF): br> NYIFF is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremonies, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain and educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. For more information, please visit the website at nyiff.us and at HERE.

About Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC):
The IAAC supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the U.S. to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform and produce their work here. The IAAC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. For information, please visit www.iaac.us.

For IAAC
Suman Gollamudi
Executive Director
Indo-American Arts Council
suman.gn@iaac.us

For Media
Neerja Patel
Public Relations
neerja@neerjapr.com

***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS FULL 2022 LINEUP
& AWARD NOMINEES

VIRTUAL EVENT WILL FEATURE 60 FILMS AND OFFER EXCLUSIVE
Q&A WITH DIRECTORS

- On the 75th year of India's independence, NYIFF celebrates the
country's acclaimed cinematic traditions in 13 languages" -

NEW YORK, NY – April 13, 2022 – At an in-person press event at the Indian Consulate (3 East 64th St., New York, NY 10065) on April 19, 2022, the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), North America's oldest and most prestigious festival which features cinema from India and the Indian Diaspora, will announce its full lineup for 2022. Now in its 22nd year, the festival celebrates independent, art house, alternate, and diaspora films with on-demand streaming offered by Shift72 from May 1-14, 2022. There will also be a closing night film screening and awards presentation at the Village East Cinemas, 181 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10003 on May 14, 2022, starting at 4:30 p.m.

“For two years now, we have offered virtual streaming of films, providing filmmakers with even more outlets to showcase their work. We emerged stronger with a larger footprint as global audiences engaged with the films,” said Suman Gollamudi, IAAC Executive Director. “This year, we are excited to offer an in-person closing event and award ceremony on May 14 in New York.”

“We look forward to sparking a resonating dialogue about the ongoing impact of Indian culture on the world on the 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence,” said Dr. Nirmal Mattoo, IAAC Chairman.

Presented by the Indo-American Arts Council, Inc. (IAAC), NYIFF celebrates alternative, independent cinema from the global Indian community and brings this rich collection of films to the New York audience. Presented virtually for the third year in a row, the festival will feature 60 screenings (18 feature narratives, six (6) documentaries and 36 short films). Key highlights from the lineup include:

• A second centerpiece film - Faraz Ali’s Shoebox (Hindi) explores a young woman’s complex relationship with her father as the world around them changes drastically
• First NYIFF screening of a Sanskrit-language film, with Bhagavadajjukam
• Special children’s films screenings - Boomba Ride (Assamese) and Gandhi & Co. (Gujarati)
• Unique documentary tributes to the late lyricist, poet and activist Kafi Azmi in the Kaifinama, and film critic and larger-than-life Bombay personality, Rashid Irani in If Memory Serves Me Right
• A collection of shorts exploring LGBTQ stories set in India with Dal Bhat, Keep Punching, Kiss, Man & Wife, My Mother's Girlfriend, Pariah and The Way We Are

Also, several well-known Indian film personalities will be featured in a wide
array of works, including:

• Abhishek Banerjee from Patal Lok (Mr. Lawyer)
• Adarsh Gourav from The White Tiger (Kiss)
• Dhritiman Chatterjee and Tinnu Anand (A Box of Cuban Cigars)
• Jitendra Joshi and Vikram Gokhle (Godavari)
• Kani Kusruti (Nishiddho/ Forbidden)
• Lakshvir Saran from Fame Game (Mintgumari)
• Manav Kaul and Amruta Subhash (The Way We Are)
• Naseeruddin Shah (The Daughter)
• Rituparna Sengupta (Mahishasur Marddini)
• Tanmay Dhanania (Pariah and Nishiddho/ Forbidden)

“We aim to truly underscore the NYIFF commitment to diversity and cultural representation in film,” said Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Festival Director. “This year, we will feature films in 13 languages spoken in India: Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. All films will have English subtitles.”

“NYIFF’s mission is to provide filmmakers, actors and industry professionals a platform to showcase their work, as well as foster an environment where filmmakers exchange ideas and interact with discerning and diverse audiences, journalists and aficionados,” Chhabra added.

Each of these films along with the complete collection of NYIFF-recognized titles will be available for viewing starting May 7, 2022, at online.nyiff.us. Available for purchase starting April 19, 2022, the cost to view each film ranges from US$4.99 for feature films (narrative and documentaries) and US$0.99 for shorts. Some films will also be available for viewers outside the U.S.

Audiences outside the U.S., excluding India, can pay in their local currencies. In India, the cost will be Rs. 150 for features and Rs. 50 for shorts. Discounted festival passes will also be available.

Feature Narrative Films

1. Bhagavadajjukam (Sanskrit), dir. Yadu Vijayakrishnan, 101 mins., 2021
2. Boomba Ride (Assamese), dir. Biswajeet Bora, 76 mins., 2021
3. Burqa (Tamil), dir. Sarjun KM, 81 mins., 2021
4. Deid (Marathi), dir. Omkar Barve, 98 mins., 2022
5. Demons (Hindi), dir. Rohit Mittal, 96 mins., 2021
6. Gandhi & Co. (Gujarati), dir. Manish Saini, 101 mins., 2022
7. Godavari (Marathi), dir. Nikhil Mahajan, 113 mins., 2021
8. Jhini Bini Chadariya/ The Brittle Thread (Hindi), dir. Ritesh Sharma, 97 mins., 2021
9. Koli Esru (Kannada), dir. Champa P Shetty, 81 mins., 2022
10. Mahishasur Marddini (Bengali), dir. Ranjan Ghosh, 118 mins., 2022
11. Nishiddho/ Forbidden (Malayalam, Bengali), dir. Tara Ramanujan,124 mins. 2021
12. Once Upon a Time in Calcutta (Bengali), dir. Aditya Vikram Sengupta, 131 mins., 2021
13. Pedro (Kannada), dir. Natesh Hedge, 108 mins., 2021
14. Powai (Hindi), dir. Kuldip Patel, 126 mins., 2021
15. Shoebox (Hindi), dir. Faraz Ali, 98 mins., 2021
16. The Road to Kuthriyar (Tamil), dir. Bharat Mirle, 115 mins., 2021
17. Three-Legged Horse (Marathi), dir. Noopur Bora,123 mins., 2021
18. Waiting for Dawn/ Bhor Er Oppekha (Bengali), dir. Akash Sharma, 77 mins., 2021

Feature Documentaries

1. 15 Seconds a Lifetime (Hindi, Marathi and English), dir. Divya Kharnare, 62 mins., 2021
2. If Memory Serves Me Right (English), dir. Rafeeq Ellias, 56 mins., 2021
3. Kaifinama (Urdu, English), dir. Sumatra Ghosal, 90 mins., 2019
4. Lords of Lockdown (English, Hindi), dir. Mihir Fadnavis, 120 mins., 2021
5. Taangh/ Longing (English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu), dir. Bani Singh, 100 minutes, 2021
6. The Beatles and India (English), dir. Ajoy Bose and Peter Compton, 96 mins., 2021

Short Narratives

1. 7 Star Dinosor (sic.) Entertainment (Hindi), dir. Vaishali Naik, 20 mins., 2021
2. A Box of Cuban Cigars (English, Bengali, Hindi), dir. Soumadeep Sen, 21 mins., 2021
3. Arjun (Marathi), dir. Shivraj Waichal, 15 mins., 2020
4. Cheepatakadumpa (Hindi), dir. Devashish Makhija, 24 mins., 2021
5. Cycle (Hindi, Telugu, Oriya, Bengali), dir. Devashish Makhija, 20 mins., 2021
6. Dal Bhat (Gujarati), dir. Nemil Shah, 29 mins., 2021
7. Holiday (Hindi), dir. Rahul Nangia, 12 mins., 2020
8. Keep Punching (Hindi), dir. Kirnay Bhatt, 25 mins., 2020
9. Kiss (Hindi), dir. Varun Grover, 17 mins., 2021
10. Kopfkino (Malayalam, English), dir. Veena Bharati, 16 mins., 2021
11. Man & Wife (Bengali, English), dir. Rahul Roye, 9 mins., 2021
12. Mintgumri (Hindi), dir. Aakash Chhabra, 23 mins., 2021
13. Mr. Lawyer (Hindi), dir. Sumit Purohit, 23 mins., 2021
14. My Mother’s Girlfriend (Marathi), dir. Arun Fulara, 15 mins., 2021
15. Nafs Said (Hindi), dir. Huma Hussain, 13 mins., 2021
16. Overbridge (Kannada), dir. Nihar Kapoor and Amshu Chukki, 9 mins., 2020
17. Pariah (Hindi), dir. Nishant Roy Bombarde, 26 mins., 2021
18. Raavi (Punjabi), dir. Jasmine Kaur Roy, 14 mins., 2021
19. Smrisha (English, Malayalam), dir. Shilpa Krishnan Shukla, 30 mins., 2021
20. Succulent (Hindi, English), dir. Amrita Bagchi, 29 mins., 2021
21. Swarna (Telugu), dir. Anusha Rao, 29 mins., 2021
22. The Daughter (Hindi), dir. Soumyak Kanti Debiswas, 16 mins., 2022
23. The Silent Echo (Nepali), dir. Suman Sen, 15 mins., 2021
24. The Test (Hindi), dir. Shahnawaz Qadeer, 14 mins., 2020
25. The Way We Are/ Phir Kabhi (Hindi), dir. Nihit Bhave, 18 mins., 2021
26. There is No Other Way to Do This (English), dir. Mragendra Singh, 6 mins., 2022
27. Together (Hindi), dir. Azad Alam, 23 mins., 2021
28. Vanilla (Hindi), dir. Kanishka Deo, 11 mins., 2021

Short Documentaries

1. Aakhri Safar/ The Last Journey (Hindi), dir. Suraj Gunjal, 22 mins., 2021
2. Kicking Balls (Hindi), dir. Priyanka Singh, 36 mins., 2020
3. Listen With Your Heart (English), dir. Meghna Damani, 27 mins., 2022
4. Murmurs of the Jungle (Marathi, Hindi), dir. Sohil Vaidya, 20 mins., 2022
5. Reflections at 29 (English), dir. Tanmaya Shekhar, 6 mins., 2021
6. The Bat Man and Woman of India (English), dir. Emily Driscoll, 7 mins., 2021
7. The Flowers and the Gemstones (Tamil), dir. Sriram Raja, 23 mins., 2019
8. The Spirit of Ganga (English), dir. Natashja Rathore, 17 mins., 2022

Media RSVP is required to neerja@neerjapr.com by April 18, 2022 for the Indian
Consulate press event and by Tuesday, May 3, 2022 for film reviews and
closing night attendance.
More information and a full list of all films available from April 19 at:
online.nyiff.us

The 22nd Annual NYIFF Award Nominations
This year’s nominations were chosen by a prestigious panel of filmmakers and
will be judged by artists, festival programmers, academics and media professionals.
The winners will be announced as part of the closing event on May 14, 2022.

Best Film

• Burqa
• Godavari
• Nishiddho/ Forbidden
• Once Upon a Time in Calcutta
• Shoebox

Best Director

• Aditya Vikram Sengupta (Once Upon a Time in Calcutta)
• Faraz Ali (Shoebox)
• Natesh Hedge (Pedro)
• Nikhil Mahajan (Godavari)
• Noopur Bora (Three-Legged Horse)

Best Screenplay

• Bhagavadajjukam
• Demons
• Waiting for Dawn/ Bhor Er Oppekha
• Mahishasur Marddini
• Powai

Best Actor

• Gopal Hedge (Pedro)
• Jitendra Joshi (Godavari)
• Kalaiyarasan Harikrishnan (Burqa)
• Muzaffar Khan (Jhini Bini Chadariya/ The Brittle Thread)
• Tanmay Dhanania (Nishiddho/ Forbidden)

Best Actress

• Aloknanda Roy (Waiting for Dawn/ Bhor Er Oppekha)
• Amrita Bagchi (Showbox)
• Kani Kusruti (Nishiddho)
• Mirna (Burqa)
• Sreelekha Mitra (Once Upon a Time in Calcutta)

Best Child Actor

• Arnav Abdagire (Arjun)
• Indrajeet Pegu (Boomba Ride)
• Jinay Haria (Dal Bhat)
• Reyaan Shah (Mintu) & Hiranya Zinzuwadia (Mitra) (Gandhi & Co.)
• Shreyas Kota (Deid)

Best Short (Narrative)

• Keep Punching
• Mr. Lawyer/ Vakeel Babu
• Succulent
• The Daughter
• The Way We Are/ Phir Kabhi

Best Short (Documentary)

• Kicking Balls
• Listen With Your Heart
• Murmurs of the Jungle
• The Bat Man and Woman of India
• Aakhri Safar/ The Last Journey

Best Documentary (Feature)

• 15 Seconds a Lifetime
• If Memory Serves Me Right
• Kaifinama
• Taangh/ Longing
• The Beatles and India

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Suman Gollamudi
suman.gn@iaac.us

2022 NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES
OPENING NIGHT, CENTERPIECE AND CLOSING NIGHT FILMS

Features diverse titles and Offers exclusive Q&A sessions with
filmmakers and talent. Virtual festival ends with in-person awards
night event in New York City on May 13.

NEW YORK, NY – March 21, 2022 – The annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is excited to announce its showcase films for opening, centerpiece and closing nights. NYIFF is North America's longest running and most prestigious Indian film festival. The NYIFF’s virtual film festival will be streamed via Shift72 - one of the world’s fastest growing video on demand (VOD) entertainment platforms, recognized for hosting film festivals across the globe including: Cannes, Sundance, South by Southwest and the Toronto International Film Festival. The dates of NYIFF are May 7-13, 2022 with the closing film screening and awards function taking place in-person in New York.

“For 22 years, NYIFF has showcased the most impactful and esteemed films and documentaries celebrating India, its people and its heritage,” said Suman Gollamudi, IAAC Executive Director. “The caliber of films on the 2022 lineup includes notable works by award-winning filmmakers, which aim to capture stories that have a truly profound message about our world today. These three films have received exceptional praise from critics and audiences around the globe.”

“For the third straight year, we are offering streaming services for the entire lineup in order to reach a wider audience, virtually, and have selected Shift72 as our VOD partner,” said Rakesh Kaul, Vice Chairman, IAAC. “Our world has emerged from the pandemic more interconnected than ever, and these featured filmmakers and storytellers continue to showcase the enduring impact Indian culture has had on current and future generations of artists.”

“The mission of NYIFF has and will always be to elevate the very best filmmakers and storytellers featuring India and its culture,” said Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Festival Director. “This year’s lineup highlights how Indian culture has influenced artists, athletes, writers and world leaders from around the globe. These are not only India’s stories but works that truly celebrate the infiniteness of human creativity and emotions.”

Each of these films along with the complete collection of NYIFF-recognized titles will be available for viewing starting May 7, 2022 at iaac.us.

OPENING FILM

Godavari(Marathi), dir. Nikhil Mahajan, Feature narrative, 113 mins, 2021

Starring Jitendra Joshi and Vikram Gokhle, Godavari is the story of Nishikant Deshmukh, a man who has strayed away from his family, but comes back home to discover secrets and to mend relationships that had never really broken. Taking place in present day Nashik, a city in western India on the banks of the river Godavari, this evocative drama tells the story of a family that is coping with death – grappling with grief as another unexpected loss looms.

Godavari won two awards at the International Film Festival of India – best actor for Jitendra Joshi and a special jury mention for director Nikhil Mahajan.

Godavari is presented by Jio Studios. The studio will release the film in theaters worldwide.

CENTERPIECE

Taangh/Longing (English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu), dir. Bani Singh, Documentary, 100 minutes, 2021

In this deeply personal documentary marking 75 years of Indian Independence, director Bani Singh examines her own father’s story against a backdrop of a major turning point in India’s history.

Against the backdrop of Partition, newly independent India’s first hockey team defeats England, their former colonizer, to win the Gold at the 1948 London Olympics. Six decades later when Grahnandan Singh (Nandy), a member of this iconic team suffers a stroke, his tenacious will to recover inspires his daughter to embark on a journey to know the champion he was before she was born.

Retracing Nandy’s life from his college days in Lahore, the director tries to fathom the resilience that enabled him and his teammates from Punjab to overcome the trauma of Partition to wear India’s blazer. The victorious team returned to a hero’s welcome after defeating England. Yet, Keshav Datt recalls that “something was lacking.” His words hint at the emotional cost of redrawing the political boundary between India and Pakistan.

CLOSING FILM

The Beatles and India: An Enduring Love Affair (English), dir. Ajoy Bose and Peter Compton, Documentary, 96 mins., 2021