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NYIFF 2020 – CINEMA, CINEMA

The New York Indian Film Festival Comes to Your Home

 Do you remember how every year you waited in anticipation for the iconic New York Indian Film festival? Then you would jump into the subway or the bus, maybe a taxi and rush to 12^th Street catch all the latest films, meet the stars and directors and go to all the festival parties and  after-parties with your friends. What a thrill it was to rub shoulders with Mira Nair or Gurinder Chadha!

All that may not be possible in the time of coronavirus but the good people at NYIFF are still ensuring that they home deliver the best movies to you – all  via contactless delivery! And they are also bringing you a special tribute to Irrfan Khan and a spotlight on the wonderful Manoj Bajpayee.  All you have to provide is the vino and the popcorn – and the eyeballs!

“We are excited to bring this year’s selection right into audience’s homes,” says long-time festival director Aseem Chhabra. “We will be hosting intimate conversations and chats with the filmmakers and stars involved in the movies being presented. This year all the events will stream exclusively on the MovieSaints platform.”

So keep yourself free for the 2020 Virtual Edition of NYIFF  from July 24 – August 2. What is particularly enriching is the emphasis on regional cinema with 12 narrative films, 4 documentaries and 30 shorts – on the screen India is truly diverse and a celebration of its many languages. The languages focused on are Assamese, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Kannada, Ladakhi, Punjabi, Khasi, Nepali and Haryanavi. All the films will have English subtitles.

This year there is a focus on Malayalam Cinema with opening and closing films both directed by women filmmakers. Opening film Run Kalyani by Geetha J and Closing film Moothon by Geethu Mohandas This year, the virtual edition will run online, powered by MovieSaints on nyiff.moviesaints.com. The rich canvas includes a variety of wonderful stories including Aani Maani (Hindi/ Urdu), Ahaa Re (Bengali), Gamak Ghar (Maithili), dir.
Kastoori (Hindi/ Marathi), Knock Knock Knock (Bengali, English), Lorni- the Flaneur (KhasiMoothon (Malayalam, Hindi), Nimtoh (Nepali),
Run Kalyani (Malayalam), Trijya (Marathi), The False Eye (Malayalam), The Prologue (Bengali),

There are also feature documentary films Aunty Sudha, Aunty Radha (Hindi),
Son Rise (Haryanvi, English), Two Flags (Tamil, French, English), dir. Pankaj Rishi Kumar and Yeh Yeh Freedom Life (Hindi),

The shorts program is divided into four groups: Queer Perspectives; Connection, Explores; Social Ideals & Illusions; and A Collection of Short Documentaries.

The best part of any festival is meeting the celebrities and thought leaders and this year you have Mira Nair and Kal Penn discussing Irrfan Khan’s work in The Namesake.  You will also get a chance to listen to Manoj Bajpayee discussing his amazing life and career. The festival will be hosting a Special Spotlight on Anubhav Sinha’s Article 15 which completed one year in June this year.

You will also get to hear Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, ever articulate, opening the panel session by moderating the Ram Kalyani post screening Q and A.

As Rakesh Kaul, Vice Chairman, IAAC, observed: “ During these tough times, we hope our selection of the best of Indian Indie Cinema provides a welcoming avenue of entertainment and relief for audiences across the world.”

So get yourselves ready for a movie –watching marathon!

Want to be the judge?

The envelope please! 

NYIFF 2020 Virtual Edition Nominations

Best Film 
1) Aani Maani
2) Gamak Ghar
3) Kastoori (Musk)
4) Moothon
5) Run Kalyani

Best Director
1) Achal Mishra (Gamak Ghar)
2) Akshay Indikar (Trijya)
3) Geetha J (Run Kalyani)
4) Geethu Mohandas (Moothon)
5) Vinod Kamble (Kastoori)

Best Screenplay
1) Knock Knock Knock
2 )Lorni – the Flaneur
3) Nimtoh
4) The False Eye
5) The Prologue

Best Actor
1) Adil Hussain (Lorni – the Flaneur)
2) Farrukh Seyer (Aani Maani)
3) Nivin Pauly (Moothon)
4) Paran Banerjee (Ahaa Re)
5) Prasenjit Chatterjee (The Prologue)

Best Actress
1) Garggi Anathan (Run Kalyani)
2) Priyanka Verma (Aani Maani)
3) Rituparna Sengupta (Ahaa Re)
4) Vee Kumari (Halwa)

Best Child Actor
1) Pravesh Gurung (Nimtoh)
2) Sabit Khan (Flying Wagon)
3) Samarth Sonawane (Kastoori)
4) Sanjana Dipu (Moothon)
5 )Vasudev Sajeesh Marar, Suryadev Sajeesh Marar & Ansu Maria Thomas (The False Eye)

Best Documentary (Feature)
1) Aunty Sudha, Aunty Radha
2) Two Flags
3) Son Rise
4) Yeh Freedom Life

Best Documentary (Short)
1) Gladiators on Wheels
2) In Thunder & Lightening
3) Niru’s News
4) Tailing Pond
5) Urmila Devi
6) Utran Conversations

Best Short (Narrative)
1) Arabian Nights
2) Grandfather
3) Hauah
4) Sekool
5) Wig

More info at: iaac.us & nyiff.us