9th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Announces Line Up

The 9th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announced its line up with 13 feature films, 6 documentaries and 13 short films that will make up their 2011 program. The brains behind the event is Christina Marouda who was born and grew up in the Greek island of Crete. Then she came to Los Angeles and …yes she created the Indian Film Festival. The event became a success for Hollywood and Bollywood and has attracted many sponsors. When people ask Christina how a Greek started an Indian festival she responds “When I was a little girl in Crete, my sister’s friends from India would send us tapes of their favorite films…we would invite all our friends for a half-day celebration of drama, dance, songs…I loved it and it grew in me deeply.” This year’s festival has also grown and it has already started to create buzz in Hollywood.

The list of the films to be showcased at the 9th IFFLA includes the Los Angeles premiere of I AM KALAM and the world premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ ZOKKOMON which will be this year’s galas screenings bookending the festival at ArcLight Hollywood, April 12th-17th.

Opening this year’s festival is the award-winning and inspiring narrative I AM KALAM which marks director Nila Madhab Panda’s feature film debut after having directed over 60 short films. I AM KALAM is the story of a young boy who struggles to get an education over seemingly insurmountable odds. The film is inspired by India’s former President Abdul J Kalam as well as by Panda’s own childhood experiences. Produced by the Smile Foundation and Eleeanora Images Private Limited, the film stars Gulshan Grover along with Harsh Mayar, Hussan Saad, Beatrice Ordeix, and Meena Mir. I AM KALAM is a festival favorite and India’s first feature film to be produced by a development organization. The film is in Hindi with English subtitles.

The red carpet festivities will take place on Tuesday, April 12, at ArcLight Hollywood with Bollywood celebrity and the film’s star Gulshan Grover (PAYBACK, BREAKING WAVES) in attendance along with this year’s festival’s filmmakers, jurors, and other celebrities.

The festival comes to a close with the world premiere screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ family action/adventure ZOKKOMON, written and directed by Satyajit Bhatkal (directorial debut). ZOKKOMON is the exciting and heart-warming live action adventure of an ordinary boy who finds the strength to face extraordinary challenges. The film is set for limited theatrical release on April 22nd in the U.S. and stars Darsheel Safary in the lead along with veteran actor Anupam Kher and Manjiri Phadnis (JAANE TU YA JAANE NA). The score is composed by famed Bollywood musical trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy. The star-studded red carpet gala event will take place on Sunday, April 17th, and will be attended by multi-award-winning actor Anupam Kher along with Disney executives and other celebrities. ZOKKOMON is in Hindi with English subtitles.

“We are extremely proud of this year’s program. This year’s selections were selected not only for their great storytelling, but because each reflects the creativity, color, pace, and surprises that truly represent Indian culture and cinema,” said Christina Marouda, the festival’s Executive Director.

Opening and Closing Night Galas are sponsored by Wells Fargo with delectable Indian flavors provided by Chakra Cuisine and Divya Wines, makers of the first wines created specifically to be paired with Indian and pan-Asian cuisine.

In addition to ZOKKOMON, the festival includes two other feature-films making their world premieres, I AM… and the documentary BIG IN BOLLYWOOD.

Marking their US premieres are the feature films AN UNFINSHED LETTER (ITI MRINALINI) from auteur director and star Aparna Sen and VIRGIN GOAT (LAADLI LAILA) directed by IFFLA alumnus Murali Nair.
Los Angeles audiences will also have their first viewing of five feature-length films and documentaries with the LA premieres of the narrative features I AM KALAM, THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS, TROUBLEMAKER, and the documentaries GANESH BOY WONDER, PINK CHADDIS and THE BENGALI DETECTIVE.

The ever popular Bollywood By Night series will screen three popular titles which include some of India’s major talent including Kiran Rao’s drama MUMBAI DIARIES (DHOBI GHAT) starring Aamir Khan and tells the intersecting stories of four very different people in Mumbai, the romantic comedy THE WEDDING PLANNER (BAND BAJAA BAARAAT) which marks Maneesh Sharma’s directorial debut and stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh, and S. Shankar’s sci-fi fantasy THE ROBOT (ENDHIRAN) starring Indian mega stars Aishwarya Rai and Rajnikanth. These 3 films will be presented as part of ArcLight Hollywood’s “21+ screenings.” Enjoy your movie while sipping a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail. Admission is restricted to guests age 21 and over.

IFFLA 2011 PROGRAM

FEATURE FILMS

OPENING NIGHT GALA
I AM KALAM
India- Los Angeles Premiere
Director: Nila Madhab Panda
Hindi (English subtitles)

CLOSING NIGHT GALA
ZOKKOMON
India- World Premiere
Director: Satyajit Bhatkal
Hindi (English subtitles)

I AM… (Director: Onir)
India- Los Angeles Premiere
I AM… paints a compelling portrait of modern Indian society through four short stories about individuals struggling to find their identities in an increasingly complex world.
Hindi (English subtitles)

AN UNFINSHED LETTER (ITI MRINALINI) (Director: Aparna Sen)
India- U.S. Premiere
Director and star Aparna Sen weaves the story of Mrinalini, an aging star, and her lifetime of successes, struggles, agonies and ecstasies. Screen icon Sen and her real-life daughter Konkona Sen Sharma team up to play Mrinalini at different ages throughout her life.
Bengali (English subtitles)

PEEPLI LIVE (Director: Anusha Rizvi)
India
All hell breaks loose when a journalist discovers that a farmer in the village of Peepli has decided to commit suicide so that his family can collect government compensation. India’s Official Entry for the 2010 Oscar’s foreign language category.
Hindi (English subtitles)

THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS (Director: Anurag Kashyap)
India- Los Angeles Premiere
A young British woman struggles to scrape by in the gritty underbelly of Mumbai as she searches for her estranged father.
English, Hindi (English subtitles)

TROUBLEMAKER (Director: Geeta Malik)
USA- Los Angeles Premiere
As Rekha’s life reaches the climax of a quarter-life crisis, she embarks on a road trip in search of her father.
English, Hindi (English subtitles)

UDAAN (Director: Vikramaditya Motwane)
India
An inspirational coming-of-age drama about a teenaged aspiring poet forced to fight for his dreams when he returns home from boarding school to live with his repressive, authoritarian father.
Hindi (English subtitles)

VIRGIN GOAT (LAADLI LAILA) (Director: Murali Nair)
India- USA Premiere
For farmer Kalyan Singh who has lost most of his ancestral land and livestock, salvation may be found in the last remaining goat in his possession, his beloved Laila.
Hindi (English subtitles)

DOCUMENTARIES

BIG IN BOLLYWOOD (Directors: Kenny Mehan, Bill Bowles)
USA- World Premiere
The True Story of the Fourth idiot’s path from Culver City to Bollywood stardom.
English, Hindi (English subtitles)

GANESH BOY WONDER (Director: Srinivas Krishna)
Canada- Los Angeles Premiere
Will Ganesh, a young boy who looks like the elephant-headed god he is named after, ever be able to live the normal life he dreams?
English

I AM (Director: Sonali Gulati)
India/USA- World Premiere
How does a parent respond when a child tells them they are gay in a country where homosexuality is illegal?
Hindi, English (English subtitles)

PINK SARIS (Director: Kim Longinotto)
UK/India
Sampat Pal Devi and her Pink Gang take their fight for women’s rights to the streets once case at a time.
Hindi (English subtitles)

THE BENGALI DETECTIVE (Director: Phil Cox)
UK/India/USA- Los Angeles Premiere
Fraud, murder, and dance are just part of the day for Rajesh and his Always Detective Agency.
Bengali, Hindi, English (English subtitles)

BOLLYWOOD BY NIGHT SERIES

MUMBAI DIARIES (DHOBI GHAT) (Director: Kiran Rao)
India
MUMBAI DIARIES, the directorial debut of Kiran Rao, follows the intertwining stories of four very different people as they move through the urban metropolis of Mumbai.
Hindi (English subtitles)

THE ROBOT (ENDHIRAN) (Director: S. Shankar)
India
South India’s biggest movie star Rajnikanth plays dual roles as a genius scientist and his own creation, a humanoid robot with artificial intelligence and emotions who falls in love with its creator’s girlfriend and wreaks havoc in Chennai by building an army of its own clones.
TAMIL (English subtitles)

THE WEDDING PLANNER (BAND BAAJA BAARAAT) (Director: Maneesh Sharma)
India
Pledging never to mix business and matters of the heart, Shruti takes Bittoo on as her partner in an ambitious wedding planning enterprise, only to see it disintegrate as success draws her closer to him in a way she always wanted to avoid.
Hindi (English subtitles)

Previously Announced:

SHORTS PROGRAM 1

BEHOLDER (Director: Nisha Ganatra)

IDOL (Director: Kranti Kanade)

IN THAT MOMENT (Director: Shipriya Mahesh)

THE RETURN ADDRESS (Director: Abi Varghese)

THE STITCHES SPEAK (Director: Nina Sabnani)

TUBELIGHT’S MOON (Director: Shlok Sharma)

WHEELING DREAMS (Director: Hardik Mehta)

SHORTS PROGRAM 2

…JUST THAT SORT OF A DAY (Director: Abhay Kumar)

ALL IS WELL (Director: Akshay Roy)

FAÇADE (Director: Iram Parveen Bilal)

JOY OF GIVING (Director: Shlok Sharma)

MUMBAIKER GANESH (Director: Collin D’Cunha)

THE ECLIPSE OF TAREGNA (Director: Rakesh Chaudhary)

For information on the above previously announced Shorts Programs and the Industry Leadership Awards please visit www.indianfilmfestival.org.
TICKETS AND PASSES – New Procedures this year:
Tickets can now be purchased online at http://indianfilmfestival.org.

On-site Box Office opens April 8th and tickets can be purchased at
The Cinerama Dome, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

For more information on box office and the film schedule please visit www.indianfilmfestival.org.

INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AWARDS TICKETS
The 9th Annual Indian Film Festival Los Angeles (IFFLA) runs from April 12-17 at ArcLight Hollywood located at 6360 W. Sunset Blvd between Vine and Ivar. Tickets for the Industry Leadership Awards are on sale now. For more information, please visit http://industryleadershipawards.eventbrite.com

ABOUT IFFLA
Now in its 9th year the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora. This year the festival’s cinema lounge is branded as the “STAR Lounge”, exclusively sponsored by STAR, a Major Sponsor of IFFLA 2011. Tickets are now on sale. For more information about the upcoming festival, please visit www.indianfilmfestival.org.

ABOUT ARCLIGHT CINEMAS
ArcLight Cinemas represents an evolution in the movie going experience. ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood, opened in March 2002, ArcLight Sherman Oaks location, which opened in late 2007 and ArcLight Pasadena is scheduled to open Summer 2010. ArcLight offers an unprecedented combination of technology, amenities, comfort, and customer service. Facilities include the historic Cinerama Dome (at the Hollywood location) and state-of-the Art “black box” auditoriums as well as a café bar and gift shop. Tickets can be purchased online without a fee (members receive a $1 per ticket discount) and printed at home, at the theaters’ automated ticketing kiosks and lobby box office. ArcLight offers a free membership program with purchasing rewards and other members-only benefits. ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood is located at 6360 W. Sunset Boulevard, between Vine and Ivar. ArcLight Sherman Oaks is located in the Sherman Oaks Galleria at 15303 Ventura Blvd., at the corner of Sepulveda and Ventura. For more information about ArcLight visit www.arclightcinemas.com.