Editor

The 7th Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival runs November 7-11 at prestigious venues across Manhattan, such as Loews Times Square, Madame Tussaud’s, Asia Society, and Loews Broadway.
Fueled by independent artistic expression, the 50 films selected this year include stories that range from social issues to gritty suspense dramas. This year’s Festival kicks off with the much awaited red-carpet screening of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’, the first Indian co-production by Sony Pictures. Highlights include: ‘Gandhi, My Father’ directed by Feroze Abbas Khan, Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘The Last Lear’ and ‘Dosar’, and Pan Nalin’s ‘Valley of Flowers’. This year’s selection continues to celebrate the Festival’s tradition for excellence and diversity with powerful performances and new cinematic expression by cutting-edge Indian directors. For a complete line up of films and synopsis, please visit the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council website at http://www.iaac.us/seventh_film_festival2007/index.htm.

For the 2007 MIAAC Film Festival, 50 films were selected including 12 world premieres, 11 US premieres and 15 New York premieres. The Festival includes films from several countries including India, Kuwait, France, United Kingdom, USA and Canada. “We are struck by the sheer diversity of independent film in this year’s festival. The range of artistic expression this year – both directorial and in performances – gives a special quality to the films presented. The films truly uncover the aesthetic experimentation and complex storytelling that is at the heart of emerging independent filmmaking at the moment,” says Pooja Kohli Taneja, Festival Director.

Other highlights include: the ‘AIDS JaaGo Project’ that presents four short dramatic films by cutting-edge Indian directors Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Santosh Sivan and Farhan Akhtar that aim to dismantle myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS.

Mira Nair, noted filmmaker whose films such as ‘The Namesake’ and ‘Monsoon Wedding’ have premiered at the Film Festival says, “The Indo-American Arts Council has given us a home for our work, our stories and our voices. It is a place for us to fly into the world. And like I always believe, if we don‘t tell our own stories, no one else will.”

The MIAAC Film Festival 2007 is a tribute to the abundance of compelling new voices and creative spirit in independent filmmaking and is proud to present some of the most promising new filmmakers from India and the Indian subcontinent to the audiences in the U.S.
Key Highlights from the MIACC Festival:
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya [November 7th, 6PM - AMC Loews 42nd Street] – Starring Ranbhir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, based on White Nights which is a short story written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is the first Indian Co-production with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear [November 11th, 9PM – AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2] – Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal. US premiere screening after Toronto Film Festival 2007, received standing ovation and critical acclaim.

Buddhadev Dasgupta’s The Voyeurs (Ami, Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala) [November 10th, 2:30 PM –AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2 and November 11th, 2:30 PM – Newport Mall Theatre] - Starring Amitav Bhattacharya, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Sameera Reddy. US premiere screening after its critical acclaim at Toronto Film Festival 2007.

Pan Nalin’s Valley of Flowers [November 9th, 6PM – AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2 and November 10th, 6PM – Newport Mall Theatre] - Starring Milind Soman, Mylene Jampanoi, Naseeruddin Shah. It won the Jury Award for Best Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival 2007. This is a NY premiere screening for this film.

Mridul Toolsidass & Vinay Subramanian’s Missed Call [November 8th, 8:30 PM – Newport Mall Theatre and November 10th, 6PM – AMC Loews 19TH Street & Broadway, Theatre 2]. NY premiere screening after Cannes 2007.

Arindam Nandy’s Via Darjeeling [November 8th, 6PM – Newport Mall Theatre and November 10th, 8:30 PM – AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2] – Starring Kay Kay Menon, Parvin Dabas, Vinay Pathak and Shonali Misra. This is a US premiere screening after the Osian Film Festival 2007.

Mira Nair presents AIDS JaaGo [November 9th, 8:30 PM – Newport Mall Theatre and November 11th, 2:30 PM – AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2]– 4 shorts films directed by Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Farhan Akhtar and Santosh Sivan. US Premiere after Toronto Film Festival 2007.

Teri McLuhan’s The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace [November 10th, 2:30 PM - AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 1 and November 11th, 12:30 PM – Newport Mall Theatre] - twenty years in the making, "The Frontier Gandhi" is a spiritual thriller about a Muslim peacemaker, Badshah Khan. This is the world premiere for this feature documentary.

Please find attached the complete schedule of films selected for the 2007 Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival.

Please visit www.iaac.us to purchase Festival Tickets.

About the Indo-American Arts Council: (www.iaac.us)
The Indo-American Arts Council was established in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC is committed to building an awareness of Indian artistic disciplines in North America, and does so through a wide, variety of activities and events, including their successful and acclaimed annual Film Festival.

The 7th Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival runs November 7-11 at prestigious venues across Manhattan, such as Loews Times Square, Madame Tussaud’s, Asia Society, and Loews Broadway. More information on ticket sales, film selections, and schedule can be found at www.iaac.us/seventh_film_festival2007. Project dossiers can be requested by writing to scriptlink@iaac.us