IFFLA Announces 2009 Award Winners
2009 INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES
ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS
“SITA SINGS THE BLUES” RECEIVES THE JURY PRIZE
FOR BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
“CHILDREN OF THE PYRE” RECEIVES THE JURY PRIZE
FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
“NARMEEN”
IS NAMED BEST SHORT FILM
AND
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS GO TO “LITTLE ZIZOU” FOR NARRATIVE FEATURE, “SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON” FOR DOCUMENTARY AND “KAVI” FOR SHORT
HOLLYWOOD, CA, April 26, 2009 – The 7th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles announces its 2009 Award winners with Nina Paley’s SITA SINGS THE BLUES as the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature and Nandita Das’s FIRAAQ receiving an Honorable Mention in the category. Rajesh Jala’s CHILDREN OF THE PYRE was named as the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. Dipti Gogna’s NARMEEN won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short with Sushrut Jain’s ANDHERI receiving an Honorable Mention.
Audience Choice Awards went to Sooni Taraporevala’s LITTLE ZIZOU for Narrative, Faiza Ahmad Khan’s SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON for Documentary and Gregg Helvey’s KAVI for the Short Film category.
Christina Marouda, IFFLA Director, said, “This film festival has been a pivotal one in celebrating the impressive diversity of filmmaking styles and vision from both well known Indian filmmakers and new cinematic voices emerging in the Indian filmmaking community. And the award winners only highlighted that fact. IFFLA also took another important step in establishing itself as a key annual event for the Hollywood and Indian entertainment business community to come together and collaborate.”
JURY AWARDS:
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE: SITA SINGS THE BLUES
DIR/PROD/SCR/ED: Nina Paley
Cast: Annette Hanshaw, Aseem Chhabra, Manish Acharya, Bhavana Nagulapally, Reena Shah
HONORABLE MENTION: FIRAAQ
DIR: Nandita Das
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Tisca Chopra, Paresh Rawal, Deepti Naval, Raghuveer Yadav
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: CHILDREN OF THE PYRE
DIR: Rajesh Jala
BEST SHORT FILM: NARMEEN
DIR: Dipti Gogna
HONORABLE MENTION: ANDHERI
DIR: Sushrut Jain
AUDIENCE AWARDS:
NARRATIVE: LITTLE ZIZOU
DIR: Sooni Taraporevala
Cast: Boman Irani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Zenobia Shroff, Shernaz Patel, Imaad Shah, John Abraham
DOCUMENTARY: SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON
DIR: Faiza Ahmad Khan
SHORT: KAVI
DIR: Gregg Helvey
2009 IFFLA JURY MEMBERS:
Features Jury
Paul Federbush
Paul Federbush is a thirteen-year independent film production, development and acquisition executive. While Paul has spent the majority of his career working within the studio system, most recently as a founding member and Senior Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at Warner Independent Pictures (WIP), he has also served as a conduit between the studios and the worlds of independent and international film. Some films acquired during his tenure at WIP include SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, PARADISE NOW, and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Rana Joy Glickman
Rana Joy Glickman rode into the film industry on horseback starting out as an equestrian stunt woman. Raised in NYC, Rana Joy was immersed in theater, film, photography, ballet, and music. She ultimately started producing, writing and directing. Her films have premiered at many festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and New York. Some of her films include: GOD SAID, “HA!” KICKING AND SCREAMING, FULL TILT BOOGIE, FEMALE PERVERSIONS, and SLEEP WITH ME. Her production company Shakrah Films is in post and development with a slate of captivating independent films.
Matt Holzman
An award-winning public radio arts and culture reporter, Matt Holzman is now the producer of The Business, public radio’s show about the business of show business heard locally on KCRW 89.9FM. He also comments on the state of the business with The Business Brief during KCRW’s afternoon broadcast of NPR’s All Things Considered and is the curator and host of Matt’s Movies, the station’s highly-regarded screening series for members. His opinions can be strongly swayed by a generous serving of homemade Tikka Masala.
Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard is an Emmy-Winning director (for the pilot of UGLY BETTY) of such movies as THE MATADOR with Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear, and THE HUNTING PARTY with Terrence Howard and Richard Gere. Besides UGLY BETTY, Richard directed the pilot for CRIMINAL MINDS. His latest film, I KNEW IT WAS YOU, a documentary about John Cazale (Fredo in THE GODFATHER), premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and will air on HBO in the fall.
Gill Dennis
Gill Dennis is a Master Filmmaker-in-Residence at the American Film Institute Conservatory. In addition to the 2005 film WALK THE LINE, he wrote the mini-series “Home Fires” for Showtime, which was selected by Time Magazine as among television’s Top Ten in 1987 and has received the Los Angeles Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Direction in the theater. Recently, Gill wrote THE SMALL BOAT OF GREAT SORROWS for Kennedy/Marshall, THE TATTOOED SOLDIER for Davids/Canton, and FOREVER with Tatia Pilieva for Present Pictures.
Documentaries Jury
Mark Jonathan Harris
Mark Jonathan Harris is an Academy-Award® winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, novelist, and film professor. Among the many documentaries he has written, produced and/or directed are THE LONG WAY HOME and INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT, both winners of an Academy Award® for Best Feature Length Documentary in 1997 and 2000, respectively. Since 1983 Harris has taught filmmaking at the School of Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California, where he is a Distinguished Professor.
Michael Lumpkin
In January 2009 Michael Lumpkin took over the leadership of the International Documentary Association as its new Executive Director. He had previously served as both Executive Director of Frameline and Festival Director for the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. He also co-produced the highly acclaimed documentary THE CELLULOID CLOSET. Michael has participated as a competition juror for the Sundance Film Festival, and served in an advisory capacity for numerous film festivals around the world.
David Tenzer
David Tenzer is an entertainment lawyer, business consultant and content producer, with extensive experience in many sectors of the media industry. For more than 20 years, David worked at Creative Artist Agency as an executive in Motion Picture Business Affairs before moving on to head Television Business Affairs. As a television packaging agent, David was responsible for selling more than 40 produced series, movies and specials, with budgets in excess of $800 million. David currently is on the board of directors of the International Documentary Association and the Banff World Television Festival.
Shorts Jury
Rupak Ginn
Rupak Ginn’s love for acting started at a young age and followed him into college at Harvard University, where during his senior year, director Mira Nair offered him a supporting role in THE NAMESAKE. Upon graduation, he ventured into the off Broadway world of New York City theater before he moved to Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, he landed a breakout role in Disney’s “The Cheetah Girls: One World”, where he played romantic lead Rahim, a Bollywood star. Rupak sits on Variety’s Power of Youth Advisory Board and volunteers with Aid Still Required in their campaign against genocide in Darfur.
Linda “O.” Olszewski
Linda “O.” Olszewski joined SHORTS INTERNATIONAL in January 2006 as co-head of global acquisitions. She acquires for and leads SHORTS on iTUNES USA, UK & Canada, and acquires films for SHORTS TV, television broadcast, new media and airline clients. Her credits include co-founder/director of the DreamWorks Short Film Festival; worldwide acquisitions director for EVEO; head of shorts for THE HATCHERY; and senior programmer for the Palm Springs Short Film Festival.
Hebe Tabachnik
Hebe Tabachnik is a short film programmer for Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), as well as a feature film Latin American Consultant for the LAFF and Palms Springs International Film Festival. She also serves on the selection committee and the Board of Directors for Dance Camera West. She is also the Co-Founder and Vice President of Lokro Productions, Inc., a film production company established in 1999 which produced the 3-D World Film Expos in 2003 and 2006, the largest retrospectives on 3-D films ever presented in the U.S.
The Indian Film festival of Los Angeles kicked off with the Opening Night Gala presentation of Anand Surapur’s THE FAKIR OF VENICE on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas in Hollywood. The evening’s festivities also included an after party at Crimson & Opera featuring culinary delights by Chakra Cuisine and performances by DJ Sandeep Kumar and Indian/Bollywood Fusion dance and drama team Project Pulse. Opening Night also featured the official launch of CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s and Suneel Gupta’s Kahani Movement. The brothers are co-founders of the film project to capture and share stories from Indians that immigrated to the United States. Kahani accomplishes this by motivating second-generation Indian Americans to pick up a camera, interview their parents, and then post that footage to a central website.
Other highlights included a salute to Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor one of Indian cinema’s most significant and popular personalities which included screenings of Kapoor’s classic films LAMHE (1991) and VIRASAT (1997) as well as the world premiere of the English language version of Kapoor’s production of GANDHI, MY FATHER (2007). IFFLA also continued its ongoing commitment to supporting and showcasing restored prints of Indian classic films, as it paid homage to BR Chopra by screening his classic, NAYA DAUR.
The presentation of the 2009 IFFLA Industry Leadership Award to Richard Fox and Amit Khanna took place on Thursday, April 23 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. Fox is the Executive Vice President of Warner Bros. International and heads up all of Warner Bros.’ non-US initiatives in all phases of the entertainment industry. Khanna is the Chairman of Reliance BIG Entertainment, the media arm of the $75 billion Ambani Group that recently completed its purchase of Dreamworks and announced that it would spend $1 billion on the Indian film and entertainment business. Presenting the awards were Walt Disney International Chairman Andy Bird and Deborah Bothun, entertainment media and communications advisory leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The event also included a musical performance by Gingger Shankar.
IFFLA’s popular Rhythm Village, presented by Rukus Avenue, featured free public outdoor entertainment at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas courtyard including performances by the entertaining and eclectic talent assembled are the South Asian acapella group Andaaz; performing duo The Dyad; “conscious” music artist Hoodini; the desi outfit O.C.P.; IFFLA alumni and sketch performer Rasika Mathur; experimental fusion group, The Rhetoricalz; and singer songwriter and multi-instramentalist Tasneem Nanji.
The festival closed with the IFFLA Closing Night Gala presentation of YES MADAM, SIR on Sunday, April 26 at ArcLight Hollywood. A documentary profiling Dr. Kiran Bedi, the first woman to join the Indian Police Service and a controversial and inspiring figure in India. Dr. Bedi attended the festival as a guest of honor that evening along with director, Doneman. The evening concluded with an after party at The Cabana Club, which once again featured culinary delights by Chakra Cuisine and performances by DJ Sandeep Kumar and Indian/Bollywood Fusion dance and drama team Project Pulse.
The 2009 IFFLA lineup showcased 21 features (16 narrative and 5 documentary) and 16 shorts for a total of 37 films representing 5 countries.
IFFLA Announces Seminars/Jury
7TH ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES (IFFLA)
AND PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS
ANNOUNCE
“IN PRIME TIME: HOLLYWOOD’S SPOTLIGHT ON INDIA” SEMINARS
IFFLA RHYTHM VILLAGE PERFORMANCES
IFFLA ALSO ANNOUNCES THE FESTIVAL’S JURORS
SPECIAL SCREENING OF BIG PICTURES’ “SIKANDAR”
LOS ANGELES, CA, April 7, 2009 – The 7th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) and major sponsor PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP announce “In Prime Time: Hollywood’s Spotlight on India” seminars to take place in conjunction with the film festival at the Creative Artists Agency on Friday, April 24.
IFFLA also announces the lineup of jurors for the 2009 edition of the popular festival which runs April 21-26 at ArcLight Hollywood. Members include production executive, Paul Federbush; veteran independent filmmaker Rana Joy Glickman; NPR/KCRW journalist Matt Holzman; Emmy-winning director Richard Shepard; screenwriter Gill Dennis; Academy-Award® winning documentary filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris; IDA Executive Director Michael Lumpkin; Raskin Peter Rubin & Simon Managing Director David Tenzer; actor Rupak Ginn; SHORTS INTERNATIONAL’s Linda “O.” Olszewski; and Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festival programmer Hebe Tabachnik.
The addition of a special screening of Big Pictures’ dramatic thriller SIKANDAR has been announced for the 2009 IFFLA film schedule. Written and directed by Piyush Jha (KING OF BOLLYWOOD, CHALO AMERICA), the film follows the events that occur after an innocent boy in Kashmir becomes embroiled in a power struggle between militant groups when he finds a gun on his way home from school. The film stars Parzaan Dastur, Madhavan, Sanjay Suri, Ayesha Kapoor and Arunoday Singh.
Held in the Ray Kurtzman Theater at CAA (2000 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles) on Friday, April 24 from 2:30PM – 5:30PM, IFFLA and PricewaterhouseCoopers will offer two separate panels focusing on Indian entertainment and filmmaking through the lens of the business community.
After opening comments by David Tenzer and remarks regarding the state of the Indian entertainment industry by Marcel Fenez, managing partner, global entertainment & media practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Smita Jha, director from the India entertainment and media practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, attendees will have the opportunity to hear insightful discussions with executives from Disney, Fox, Hyde Park Entertainment, Film Independent, NFDC, Nuclear Mango Studios and Phat Phish – all of whom have produced or are in production for Indian-themed films for the international market with an Indian cast. Also participating in the panel discussions will be IFFLA honoree and Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor.
The panel topics are as follows:
PRODUCING INDIAN CONTENT FOR THE INDIAN AND INTERNATIONAL MARKET
MODERATOR: Mike Goodridge, US Editor, Screen International
PANELISTS:
Ashok Amritraj, Chief Executive Officer, Hyde Park Entertainment Jill Gwen, Chief Financial Officer, Fox Searchlight
Anil Kapoor, Actor (Slumdog Millionaire), Anil Kapoor Productions
Jason Reed, Executive Vice President, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production
FILM FINANCING: CO-PRODUCTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES
MODERATOR: Josh Welsh, Director of Talent Development, Film Independent
PANELISTS:
Karim Ahmad, Programming Manager, Independent Television Service (ITVS)
Sanjay Bhattacharjee, CEO Motion Picture Division, Phat Phish
Nina Gupta, Managing Director, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC)
Govind Menon, Co-President/Nuclear Mango Studios, Founder/Split Image Pictures
The panels will follow the presentation of the IFFLA Industry Leadership Awards to Richard Fox and Amit Khanna which takes place the day prior on Thursday, April 23 (as previously announced). Fox is the Executive Vice President of Warner Bros. International and heads up all of Warner Bros.’ non-US initiatives in all phases of the entertainment industry. Khanna is the Chairman of Reliance BIG Entertainment, the media arm of the $75 billion Ambani Group that recently completed its purchase of Dreamworks and announced that it would spend $1 billion on the Indian film and entertainment business. Presenting the awards will be Walt Disney International Chairman Andy Bird and Deborah Bothun, entertainment media and communications advisory leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The award presentation will be made at the IFFLA Industry Leadership Award Luncheon at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. The event will also include a musical performance by Gingger Shankar.
Christina Marouda, IFFLA Festival Director said, “These seminars and the IFFLA Industry Leadership Awards are major business events for this festival which has always placed an emphasis on strengthening the bonds between the creative side of the Indian and Hollywood entertainment and film community with the business interests that can further their art.”
IFFLA’s popular Rhythm Village, presented by Rukus Avenue, will feature free public outdoor entertainment at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas courtyard April 22 – 25. Among the scheduled performances by the entertaining and eclectic talent assembled are the South Asian acapella group Andaaz; performing duo The Dyad; “conscious” music artist Hoodini; the desi outfit O.C.P.; IFFLA alumni and sketch performer Rasika Mathur; experimental fusion group, The Rhetoricalz; and singer songwriter and multi-instramentalist Tasneem Nanji.
Tickets are on sale now at ArcLight Hollywood Cinema’s box office located at 6360 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, CA and online at http://www.arclightcinemas.com.
For information on how to purchase tickets for the IFFLA Leadership Awards Luncheon and the IFFLA Seminars at CAA, visit http://www.indianfilmfestival.org/events.php.
For more information on IFFLA please go to http://www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Features Jury
Paul Federbush
Paul Federbush is a thirteen-year independent film production, development and acquisition executive. While Paul has spent the majority of his career working within the studio system, most recently as a founding member and Senior Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at Warner Independent Pictures (WIP), he has also served as a conduit between the studios and the worlds of independent and international film. Some films acquired during his tenure at WIP include SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, PARADISE NOW, and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Rana Joy Glickman
Rana Joy Glickman rode into the film industry on horseback starting out as an equestrian stunt woman. Raised in NYC, Rana Joy was immersed in theater, film, photography, ballet, and music. She ultimately started producing, writing and directing. Her films have premiered at many festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and New York. Some of her films include: GOD SAID, “HA!”, KICKING AND SCREAMING, FULL TILT BOOGIE, FEMALE PERVERSIONS, and SLEEP WITH ME. Her production company Shakrah Films is in post and development with a slate of captivating independent films.
Matt Holzman
An award-winning public radio arts and culture reporter, Matt Holzman is now the producer of The Business, public radio’s show about the business of show business heard locally on KCRW 89.9FM. He also comments on the state of the business with The Business Brief during KCRW’s afternoon broadcast of NPR’s All Things Considered and is the curator and host of Matt’s Movies, the station’s highly-regarded screening series for members. His opinions can be strongly swayed by a generous serving of homemade Tikka Masala.
Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard is an Emmy-Winning director (for the pilot of UGLY BETTY) of such movies as THE MATADOR with Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear, and THE HUNTING PARTY with Terrence Howard and Richard Gere. Besides UGLY BETTY, Richard directed the pilot for CRIMINAL MINDS. His latest film, I KNEW IT WAS YOU, a documentary about John Cazale (Fredo in THE GODFATHER), premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and will air on HBO in the fall.
Gill Dennis
Gill Dennis is a Master Filmmaker-in-Residence at the American Film Institute Conservatory. In addition to the 2005 film WALK THE LINE, he wrote the mini-series “Home Fires” for Showtime, which was selected by Time Magazine as among television’s Top Ten in 1987 and has received the Los Angeles Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Direction in the theater. Recently, Gill wrote THE SMALL BOAT OF GREAT SORROWS for Kennedy/Marshall, THE TATTOOED SOLDIER for Davids/Canton, and FOREVER with Tatia Pilieva for Present Pictures.
Documentaries Jury
Mark Jonathan Harris
Mark Jonathan Harris is an Academy-Award® winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, novelist, and film professor. Among the many documentaries he has written, produced and/or directed are THE LONG WAY HOME and INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT, both winners of an Academy Award® for Best Feature Length Documentary in 1997 and 2000, respectively. Since 1983 Harris has taught filmmaking at the School of Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California, where he is a Distinguished Professor.
Michael Lumpkin
In January 2009 Michael Lumpkin took over the leadership of the International Documentary Association as its new Executive Director. He had previously served as both Executive Director of Frameline and Festival Director for the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. He also co-produced the highly acclaimed documentary THE CELLULOID CLOSET. Michael has participated as a competition juror for the Sundance Film Festival, and served in an advisory capacity for numerous film festivals around the world.
David Tenzer
David Tenzer is an entertainment lawyer, business consultant and content producer, with extensive experience in many sectors of the media industry. For more than 20 years, David worked at Creative Artist Agency as an executive in Motion Picture Business Affairs before moving on to head Television Business Affairs. As a television packaging agent, David was responsible for selling more than 40 produced series, movies and specials, with budgets in excess of $800 million. David currently is on the board of directors of the International Documentary Association and the Banff World Television Festival.
Shorts Jury
Rupak Ginn
Rupak Ginn’s love for acting started at a young age and followed him into college at Harvard University, where during his senior year, director Mira Nair offered him a supporting role in THE NAMESAKE. Upon graduation, he ventured into the off Broadway world of New York City theater before he moved to Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, he landed a breakout role in Disney’s “The Cheetah Girls: One World”, where he played romantic lead Rahim, a Bollywood star. Rupak sits on Variety’s Power of Youth Advisory Board and volunteers with Aid Still Required in their campaign against genocide in Darfur.
Linda “O.” Olszewski
Linda “O.” Olszewski joined SHORTS INTERNATIONAL in January 2006 as co-head of global acquisitions. She acquires for and leads SHORTS on iTUNES USA, UK & Canada, and acquires films for SHORTS TV, television broadcast, new media and airline clients. Her credits include co-founder/director of the DreamWorks Short Film Festival; worldwide acquisitions director for EVEO; head of shorts for THE HATCHERY; and senior programmer for the Palm Springs Short Film Festival.
Hebe Tabachnik
Hebe Tabachnik is a short film programmer for Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), as well as a feature film Latin American Consultant for the LAFF and Palms Springs International Film Festival. She also serves on the selection committee and the Board of Directors for Dance Camera West. She is also the Co-Founder and Vice President of Lokro Productions, Inc., a film production company established in 1999 which produced the 3-D World Film Expos in 2003 and 2006, the largest retrospectives on 3-D films ever presented in the U.S.
IFFLA & Korn/Ferry Announces 25 Most Influential South Asians in U.S. Entertainment
KORN/FERRY INTERNATIONAL
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE
7TH ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES
ANNOUNCES
BASED IN THE UNITED STATES
HOLLYWOOD, CA, March 25, 2009– Korn/Ferry International, the world’s largest and leading executive search firm, today announced its listing of the U.S. 25 Most Influential South Asian Executives in the Entertainment and Media Industry. The list was created to honor senior executives of South Asian background who have excelled in various roles in the entertainment business.
In announcing the release of the list, Bill Simon, Senior Client Partner and Managing Director of Korn/Ferry International’s Global Media & Entertainment Practice, said, “We have all heard of the magnitude of the Indian entertainment sector, phenomenal success of Indian themed content with a main stream audience, and expansion of Indian companies into Hollywood. What we are celebrating with this list, however, is the remarkable story of talented business executives who have moved through the ranks and now occupy the top rungs of the corporations that control the entertainment sector.” Simon, who has personally assisted both Indian and global companies in securing senior corporate talent, worked closely with his colleagues in India to develop and refine the list. “While we could have added 25 more names to the list, we believe that those who made the cut represent the very best in their respective areas of focus and expertise,” Simon explained.
The individuals on the list will be honored at a Gala Dinner during the 7th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) hosted by Globosat Entertainment LLC. Delivering the keynote address at the dinner is Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment, and one of the most successful producers in Hollywood. Amritraj has produced over 100 films for the global audience.
Christina Marouda, Executive Director of IFFLA, observed that this year was particularly significant because of the recent success of Danny Boyle’s SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE at the Oscars and high profile corporate acquisitions by Indian companies such as Dreamworks by Mumbai based Reliance Entertainment. “We are delighted to be able to put the spotlight on executives of South Asian origin who now manage and influence broad areas of the traditional entertainment business,” Marouda noted.
The List:
Movie Mogul: Ashok Amritraj
Chairman and CEO
Hyde Park Entertainment
Finance: Bedi A. Singh
President, Finance and Administration &
Chief Financial Officer
MGM
Strategist: Salil Mehta
President of Business Operations, Strategy and Development
NBC Universal
Television: Roma Khanna
President, Global Networks and Digital Initiatives
NBC Universal International
Cable: Krishan Bhatia
Senior Vice President,
Strategy & Development
Comcast Interactive
Sports: Bobby Sharma
President & General Counsel, NBA Development League
National Basketball Association
Interactive: Bhavesh Patel
Vice President, Interactive Media
Fox Cable Networks
Digital: Salil Dalvi
Senior Vice President, Digital Distribution
NBC Universal
Digital Rights and Security: Rajan Samtani
Senior Director, Business Development
Digimarc Corporation
Technology: Kumar Mahadeva,
Founder and Former Chairman
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation
Online: Ramu Yalamanchi
Founder and CEO
hi5 Networks, Inc.
Industry Organizations: Noel de Souza
Studio Liaison
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Marketer: Rohan Oza
Senior Vice President of Marketing
Glaceau
News and International Affairs: Fareed Zakaria
Editor
Newsweek International
Publishing: Aparna Pande
Vice President and General Manager, U.S. Consumer Magazines
Disney Publishing Worldwide
Mobile: Manish Jha
President and Chief Executive Officer
envIO’s
Music: Nusrat Durrani
Senior Vice President and General Manager
MTV World
Advertising: Chris D’Rozario
Executive Creative Editor
JWT
Media Communications: Latha Sundaram
Senior Vice President & Global Account Director
Starcom Worldwide
Brands: Deepak Masand
Senior Vice President & Global Head, Innovation and Commercial Marketing
VISA International
Public Relations: Rohit Bhargava
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Ogilvy 360 Digital
Distribution, Television: Superna Kalle
Senior Vice President
Sony Pictures Television International
Distribution, Film: Deborah Tellis
Senior Vice President, International Distribution
Summit Entertainment
Post Production: Syed Ahmed
Vice President
Deluxe Laboratories, North America
Attorney and Strategist: Arnold Peter
Partner
Raskin Peter Rubin & Simon, LLP and RPRS Media Partners, LLC
IFFLA Announces Salute to Anil Kapoor & Closing Night Gala
7TH ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES (IFFLA)
ANNOUNCES
SALUTE TO BOLLYWOOD LEGEND ANIL KAPOOR
YES MADAM, SIR AS CLOSING NIGHT GALA
WITH DOC SUBJECT DR. KIRAN BEDI AS GUEST OF HONOR
HOLLYWOOD, CA, March 10, 2008 – The 7th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announces its salute to SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE star and Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor. IFFLA also announces YES MADAM, SIR will highlight the Closing Night Gala with Dr. Kiran Bedi, India’s first and highest ranking woman officer of the Indian Police Service, attending as a special Guest of Honor on Sunday, April 26. The film festival will be held April 21-26, 2009, at ArcLight Hollywood.
The salute to Kapoor will include screenings of his classic films LAMHE (1991) and VIRASAT (1997) as well as the world premiere of the English language version of GANDHI, MY FATHER (2007). Kapoor produced the film, which explores the cost Mahatma Gandhi’s own family bore due to his efforts to free the nation of India.
Kapoor first appeared on the big screen in HAMHARE TUMHARE in 1979. His first lead role followed four years later in the film WHO 7 DIN (1983). Kapoor has appeared in over 100 movies including LAMHE and VIRASAT, prior to his signature turn as the dynamic game show host, ‘Prem Kumar’ in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Other notable titles include CHAMELI KI SHAADI (1986), MR. INDIA (1987), RAM LAKHAN (1989), EESHWAR (1989), TAAL (1999) and PUKAR (2000). Upcoming films include the action thriller RACE 2.
Kapoor said, “I am thrilled to be a part of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and honored that they have chosen to include my work as an actor and producer. With the incredible success of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, the timing could not be better. I feel as though I have come full circle. In November, I attended the AFI FEST premiere of Slumdog Millionaire at the ArcLight Theatre. Now, some five months later, I am humbled and honored that my work as an actor and filmmaker has been chosen to receive such a fantastic tribute at the same venue.”
Directed by Megan Doneman, YES MADAM, SIR profiles Dr. Kiran Bedi, the first woman to join the Indian Police Service and a controversial and inspiring figure in India. A former professional athlete with interests in social issues, Dr. Bedi’s career has been marked by moments of physical courage, institutional innovation, and patriarchal prejudices. From fighting back Sikh extremists, modernizing the notorious Tihar Jail, and reforming the corrupt Police Training Academy, Dr. Bedi’s work has been celebrated around the world and vilified by those threatened by a woman’s success in a male dominated field. She has worked with the United Nations as the Police Advisor to the Secretary General, in the Department of Peace Keeping Operations. In addition, Dr. Bedi has represented India at international forums on crime prevention, drug abuse, police and prison reforms and women’s issues.
Doneman lived with Dr. Bedi on and off for six years, gaining unparalleled access to her subject. Narrated by Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, Doneman’s film recently won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Adelaide International Film Festival as well as Best Documentary and the Social Justice Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. It will be the first documentary to receive Gala presentation at IFFLA – introduces audiences to Dr. Bedi’s extraordinary, path-breaking life and work.
Dr. Kiran Bedi will attend the film festival as IFFLA’s Guest of Honor and join Donerman for a Q&A after the gala screening.
Donerman said, “After filming India’s modern-day Gandhi and national heroine, Kiran Bedi’s life story for six years, I am truly honored to be invited to close the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles with the finished film, YES MADAM, SIR. Both Kiran Bedi and I are excited to attend the red carpet Gala event”.
IFFLA Festival Director Christina Marouda said, “We couldn’t be more proud and excited to shine the spotlight on such striking and dynamic figures as Anil Kapoor and Dr. Kiran Bedi. Kapoor is an accomplished artist and ambassador for the Indian filmmaking community and Dr. Bedi is an absolute inspiration for women around the world. We are honored to place them both front and center at IFFLA this year.”
Hosted by Malibu Family Wines with Chakra Cuisine providing its celebrated authentic dishes reinventing classic Indian cuisine for the most sophisticated palate, the Closing Night Gala will feature a performance by Project Pulse, a Bay Area based performing arts company known for creating expressive sequences fusing Bollywood, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, and Contemporary dance into their performances.
For further information on the Festival, please visit http://www.indianfilmfestival.org.
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