Filmmaker Geetha J’s Malayalam-language film, “Run Kalyani,” is set to open the 20th edition of the New York Indian Film Festival which will run online July 24 – Aug. 2.
NYIFF will pay a tribute to late actor Irrfan Khan by reminiscing about his work in “The Namesake.” Joining in will be Indian American director Mira Nair and Indian American actor Kal Penn. Returning to NYIFF is Manoj Bajpayee who will talk about his career, his directors and his experiences.
The festival, powered by MovieSaints, will be hosting a special spotlight on Anubhav Sinha’s film, “Article 15,” which completed one year in June this year. An incisive look at caste discrimination in India, the film was both a commercial and critical success in India.
Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor will open the panel sessions by moderating the “Run Kalyani” post-screening Q&A.
The festival, presented by the Indo-American Arts Council, will close with “Moothon” by Geethu Mohandas. The two documentaries which will be featured as the festival’s centerpiece are “Son Rise” by Vibha Bakshi and “Aunty Sudha, Aunty Radha” by Tanuja Chandra.
The festival will feature 12 narrative films, four documentaries and 30 shorts (both narratives and documentaries) on a range of subjects and languages like Assamese, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Kannada, Ladakhi, Punjabi, Khasi, Nepali and Haryanavi. All the films will have English subtitles.
The shorts program is divided into four groups: queer perspectives; connection, explores; social ideals and illusions; and a collection of short documentaries.
Here is the entire list of the feature films being shown:
Feature Narrative Films
Aani Maani (Hindi/ Urdu), dir. Fahim Irshad
Ahaa Re (Bengali), dir. Ranjan Ghosh
Gamak Ghar (Maithili), dir. Achal Mishra
Kastoori (Hindi/ Marathi), dir. Vinod Kamble
Knock Knock Knock (Bengali, English), dir. Sudhanshu Saria
Lorni – The Flaneur (Khasi), dir. Wanphrang Diengdoh
Moothon (Malayalam, Hindi), dir. Geethu Mohandas
Nimtoh (Nepali), dir. Saurav Rai
Run Kalyani (Malayalam), dir. Geetha J
Trijya (Marathi), dir. Akshay Indikar
The False Eye (Malayalam), dir. Rahul Nair
The Prologue (Bengali), dir. Chandrasish Ray
Feature Documentary Films
Aunty Sudha, Aunty Radha (Hindi), dir. Tanuja Chandra
Son Rise (Haryanvi, English), dir. Vibha Bakshi
Two Flags (Tamil, French, English), dir. Pankaj Rishi Kumar
Yeh Freedom Life (Hindi), dir. Priya Sen
And here is the list of NYIFF 2020’s nominated films for awards:
Best Film: Aani Maani; Gamak Ghar; Kastoori (Musk); Moothon; and Run Kalyani.
Best Director: Achal Mishra (Gamak Ghar); Akshay Indikar (Trijya); Geetha J (Run Kalyani); Geethu Mohandas (Moothon); Vinod Kamble (Kastoori)
Best Screenplay: Knock Knock Knock; Lorni – The Flaneur; Nimtoh; The False Eye; The Prologue
Best Actor: Adil Hussain (Lorni – the Flaneur); Farrukh Seyer (Aani Maani); Nivin Pauly (Moothon); Paran Banerjee (Ahaa Re); Prasenjit Chatterjee (The Prologue)
Best Actress: Garggi Anathan (Run Kalyani); Priyanka Verma (Aani Maani); Rituparna Sengupta (Ahaa Re); Vee Kumari (Halwa)
Best Child Actor: Pravesh Gurung (Nimtoh); Sabit Khan (Flying Wagon); Samarth Sonawane (Kastoori); Sanjana Dipu (Moothon); Vasudev Sajeesh Marar, Suryadev Sajeesh Marar and Ansu Maria Thomas (The False Eye)
Best Documentary (Feature): Aunty Sudha, Aunty Radha; Two Flags; Son Rise; Yeh Freedom Life
For more information, visit iaac.us or nyiff.moviesaints.com