Get ready for an exciting cinematic experience as the incredibly talented and versatile Shefali Shah and Kalki Koechlin take center stage as headliners at the upcoming New York Indian Film Festival! These two dynamic actresses are renowned for their captivating performances that have earned them critical acclaim and a global fan following. New York audiences will get a chance to witness their incredible talent on the big screen at the New York Indian Film Festival where Shefali Shah stars as the lead in the opening film The Three of Us and Kalki is the lead for the closing film Goldfish.
NYIFF is North America’s longest running and most prestigious Indian film festival. Running from May 11-14, 2023, the festival will screen more than 20 features, documentaries and shorts. Opening night will be held on May 11 at Village East by Angelika. Closing Night will be held on May 14 at SVA Theatre and will include the NYIFF AWARDS. Media is invited to cover the red carpet and post screening talkback on both days.
“As we celebrate the 23rd year of the New York Indian Film Festival, we are thrilled to witness the global recognition of Indian cinema with not just one, but three Indian films being acknowledged at the Oscars. This milestone highlights the incredible talent and diversity of Indian cinema, and we are honored to showcase some of the best works of Indian filmmakers to our audience. We are committed to providing a platform for independent voices and stories that captivate and resonate with audiences worldwide, and we look forward to another year of celebrating the rich culture and cinematic heritage of India.”, said Suman Gollamudi, Executive Director for the Indo-American Arts Council which runs NYIFF.
“At IAAC, we value our classical arts that are rooted deeply in our civilization, and we believe in nurturing and celebrating them joyfully. Through the New York Indian Film Festival, we strive to showcase not only the latest trends in Indian cinema but also the timeless traditions that have enriched our culture for centuries.”, said Rakesh Kaul, Vice Chairman, IAAC.
“As we look ahead to the coming year, the Indo-American Arts Council remains committed to our mission of promoting Indian art and culture through a variety of initiatives and programs. We are proud to serve as a platform for artists, scholars, and practitioners to share their talents and insights with audiences across the United States and beyond. We are excited to continue expanding our reach and impact in the years to come.”, added Dr. Nirmal Mattoo, Chairman, IAAC.
“After a hiatus of three years we are thrilled to be back with a physical film festival,” said Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Festival Director. “Once again our audience will interact with the filmmakers, discuss and celebrate new Indian cinema. The mission of NYIFF has and will always be to elevate the very best filmmakers and storytellers featuring India and its culture.”
Apart from the opening and closing films, NYIFF will also hold a special New York screening of Rahul Chittella’s critically acclaimed film Gulmohar on May 12 at 6.30 PM. In attendance will be actors Sharmila Tagore and Manoj Bajpayee and director Rahul Chittella.
The rest of the NYIFF line-up will be announced in a few weeks and more details including the link to buy tickets, after parties and panel discussions will be available at nyiff.us.
Opening Night
The Three of Us (Hindi), dir. Avinash Arun, Feature narrative, 113 mins, 2022,
East Coast Premiere with Red Carpet from 5:30 PM, Film Screens 6:30 PM
at Village East by Angelika 181-189 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Screening will be followed by Q&A with cast and crew in attendance
Starring Shefali Shah, Jaideep Ahlawat and Swanand Kirkire, The Three of Us narrates the story of Shailaja, a married woman who is grappling with the early symptoms of dementia, where she finds herself at the cusp of her past, present and future. She decides to go on a trip to revisit her childhood before her memories ebb away.
Shailaja embarks on a confrontational journey that makes her deal with questions related to a traumatic event in her childhood, the mundanity of her marriage and the complexity of her future. As Shailaja travels through the sprawling coastline of Konkan with her husband and childhood-love by her side, we see her inching closer towards the forgiveness and liberations she has always yearned for.
Director Avinash Arun won a National Film Award for Best Marathi language film for his debut feature Killa. The film also won the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Trained as a cinematographer, he also directed some episodes of the hit Amazon Prime show Patal Lok.
Closing Night
Goldfish (English), dir. Pushan Kriplani, 101 minutes, 2022,
East Coast Premiere with Red Carpet from 4:30 PM, Film Screens at 5:30 PM
at SVA Theatre 333 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Screening will be followed by Q&A with cast and crew in attendance.
Starring Kalki Keochlin and Deepti Naval, Goldfish is the story of Anamika Fields is the daughter of an Englishman and an Indian woman. Her mother, Sadhana Tripathi, left behind a career as a Hindustani classical vocalist of great promise to marry her father and move to the UK. Her father died when Anamika was ten.
Twenty-five years later, Sadhana is suffering from the onset of dementia. This situation is exacerbated by Sadhana’s deep-seated reluctance to leave the house she has worked so hard for, Ana’s own precarious financial and professional circumstances, and the astronomical cost of specialized care in a society that would just rather forget their elderly.
Mother and daughter, strangers for over a decade, find themselves thrown together once again after all this time. This has always been a difficult, damaging relationship. Some of it was a by-product of their circumstance. And some of it was absolutely deliberate.
Anamika is forced to become several things, all at once: she is daughter and mother, care-giver and secretary and detective, shield and scalpel. Around her, in the neighborhood she escaped, Anamika begins to discover a woman she never knew at home, alive in memory, in anecdote, in music she doesn’t understand.
Goldfish is director Pushan Kriplani’s second feature. His debut film Threshold won two awards at 2016 NYIFF – the Best Actress for Neena Gupta and Best Actor for Rajit Kapoor.
