Of the 50 features, documentaries and short films showcased at the 15th edition of the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), jury members gravitated toward awarding movies like LABOUR OF LOVE, MARGARITA WITH A STRAW, HARAAMKHOR, KAAKA MUTTAI and DAUGHTERS OF MOTHER INDIA.
The longest-running, most prestigious South Asian film festival in the Untied States was attended by Indian film industry glitterati such as Kalki Koechlin, Vishal Bhardwaj, Hansal Mehta, Shonali Bose, Anant Mahadevan, Mohan Agashe, L. Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sharat Katariya and Vibha Bakshi, just to name a few. Young, up-and-coming filmmakers also showcased their films at the festival: the likes of Samrat Chakrabarti, Jaydeep Sarkar, Anshuman Jha, Abhay Kumar, Manu Warrier, Shlok Sharma, Manoj Nitharwaland Ravi Kapoor. In addition to screenings, the festival boasted a week of special events, industry panels and networking parties.
NYIFF jurors and participating filmmakers presented awards to the following films/actors:
Best Film: LABOUR OF LOVE
Best Director: ADITYA VIKRAM SENGUPTA, LABOUR OF LOVE
Best Screenplay: ADITYA VIKRAM SENGUPTA, LABOUR OF LOVE
Best Actor: NAWAZZUDIN SIDDIQUI, HARAAMKHOR
Best Actress: KALKI KOECHLIN, MARGARITA WITH A STRAW
Best Child Actor: J. VIGNESH & RAMESH, KAAKAA MUTTAI
Best Short Film: SEEK & HIDE, DIRECTOR MANOJ NITHARWAL
Best Documentary Film: DAUGTHERS OF MOTHER INDIA, DIRECTOR VIBHA BAKSHI
“We are so proud of our award-winning filmmakers and ALL the filmmakers who have showcased quality, independent cinema at our festival over the past week,” said Aroon Shivdasani, NYIFF Director. “The response from the community has been phenomenal, and we hope NYIFF continues to make a mark on the New York independent film circuit.”
