The 4th annual Dallas/Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival (DFW SAFF) entertained, engaged and enthralled more than one thousand North Texans who attended sold-out screenings of 19 shorts, documentaries and feature films over the four-day period (February 8 to 11 at Highland Park Village Theatre and AMC Village on the Parkway in Addison). Addison Mayor Joe Chow attended the festival and addressed the cinephiles who packed the opening night screening.
Filmmakers and actors who attended the festival included:
Priyanka Bose (DEVI)
Suchitra Pillai (DANCE LIKE A MAN & THE VALLEY)
Alyy Khan (THE VALLEY)
Arshad Khan (ABU)
Faraz Ansari (SISAK)
Saila Kariat (THE VALLEY)
Nishil Sheth (BHASMASUR)
Siddartha Jatla (LOVE AND SHUKLA)
Sandeep Modi (CHUMBAK)
Naren Kumar (CHUMBAK)
Saurabh Bhave (CHUMBAK)
Shawn Parikh (KHOL)
Sangeeta Agrawal (FIVE O’CLOCK SHADOW)
Sridhar Mirajkar (FIVE O’CLOCK SHADOW)
Ash Chandler (Singer/Songwriter, Comedian & Actor)
Victor Cruz (Actor & Producer)
Zoe Arora (Singer/Songwriter)
With one world premiere, six international premieres, two U.S. premieres, nine Texas premieres and one Dallas premiere, festival director and founder Jitin Hingorani says, “We received a lot of positive feedback about our programming this year, as the issues raised in our films ranged from father/son relationships to child slavery and sex education in India to teenage depression in the U.S. to the plight of South Asians living in Europe. At the end of the day, our audiences keep coming back because of the strong content we showcase, and we are already preparing to incorporate audience and jury awards in the 5th iteration of our festival.”
Clockwise from top left: Opening Night Films WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY (feature) and MEHRAM (short), Centerpiece Film ABU and Closing Night Film CHUMBAK
For the complete festival lineup, including trailers & synopses, please go HERE!
JINGO Media, a Dallas and New York-based PR and events management company, created DFW SAFF four years ago, and in 2017, the festival was recognized by Texas Governor Greg Abbott as one of the “Most Innovative Small Businesses” in the state of Texas.
Wells Fargo has been the main sponsor of the festival since its inception. “At Wells Fargo, diversity and inclusion are a business imperative that lets us take advantage of the creativity and innovation that comes from multiple perspectives. It helps us understand our customers more fully, see business opportunities in new ways and succeed in serving the needs of all customers,” said Region Bank President for Greater Dallas, Scott Wallace. “For this reason, we value and promote diversity in every aspect of our business and at every level of our organization. It is only fitting for us to be supporting and celebrating the South Asian culture of Dallas-Fort Worth, while embracing the amazing contributions and legacy of the South Asian artistic community through this incredible festival.”
Other major sponsors included: Skypass Travel Group, Hotstar, Mercedes Benz of Plano, Town of Addison, Parish Episcopal School, UTD – Naveen Jindal School of Management, World Affairs Council, EarthxFilm, Margaret and Trammell Crow Collection of Asian Art & Dallas Film Commission.
