Featuring 49 Narrative, Docs and Short Films

Special Event Celebrating 50 Years of Shabana Azmi in Cinema

New York, NY - The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), North America’s oldest and most prestigious and festival featuring cinema from the global India community has announced the full line-up for the 24th edition which runs May 31-June 2, 2024 in New York City. This year’s festival lineup features films that showcase the depth and range of contemporary Indian cinema, including cutting-edge dramas, documentaries, and shorts, some that premiered at Cannes Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. All films will screen at Village East by Angelika, 181 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10003.

The year 2024 marks 50 years of Shabana Azmi in Indian and International  cinema. To celebrate the landmark anniversary the multiple award-winning actress will attend this year’s NYIFF. The special event will include the screening of Ms. Azmi’s 1996 film “Fire,” directed by Deepa Mehta. This will be followed with a conversation between Ms. Azmi and filmmaker Mira Nair.

Ms. Azmi will delve into her remarkable journey, from her groundbreaking debut in Shyam Benegal’s “Ankur,” to her trailblazing roles that have earned her five National Film Awards and international accolades. Beyond her cinematic achievements, Ms. Azmi’s dedication to social activism, particularly for the rights of women and the underprivileged, is truly inspiring.

"I have been associated with the New York Indian Film Festival since its inception and I am heartened by the progress it has made over the years in leaps and bounds. I am happy that my 50th year is being celebrated at the NYIFF and I look forward to it,” Ms. Azmi said.

“NYIFF is a must-watch event for anyone interested in Indian cinema and its growing impact on global cinema. It offers a unique opportunity to explore and appreciate the diverse cinematic voices emerging from India today,” said Dr. Nirmal Mattoo, Chairman of the Indo-American Arts Council, the organization that presents the film festival.

Several other well-known Indian film personalities will be featured in a wide array of works.

- Opening Film “Dear Jassi” is directed by celebrated Indian American filmmaker Tarsem Singh, who has made films with Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts. Plus he has directed videos for music legends like the bands R.E.M. and Lady Gaga.
- Closing Film “Mrs.” stars Bollywood actress Sanya Malhotra.
- Amitabh Bachchan, Vivek Gomber (“Court” and “Sir”), classical dancer and actress Leela Samson (“O Kadhal Kanmani”) and Adil Hussain (“Life of Pi”) star in filmmaker Pooja Kaul’s debut film “The Umesh Chronicles.”
- Rajshri Deshpande (Netflix show “Trial by Fire” and “Angry Indian Goddesses”) plays the lead in “Privacy.”
- Roshan Mathew (“Moothon,” “Darlings” and the recent Amazon Prime show “Poacher”) and Darshana Rajendran (“Koode” and “C U Soon”) star in the Sri Lankan drama “Paradise” directed by Prasanna Vithanage and presented by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies.
- Tannishtha Chatterjee (“Brick Lane” and “Angry Indian Goddesses”) plays the lead in American filmmaker Wendy Bednarz’s debut film “Yellow Bus.”
- Last year’s best director winner Avinash Arun (“Three of Us”) returns with a stunning short film “Monsoon Walk.”
- Two times NYIFF best film winner Umesh Kulkarni (“Highway Ek Selfie Arpar,” 2016) and “Vihir,” 2010) brings a short film this year “U=Me.” The film stars Arjun Radhakrishnan (“Pada,” and the series “Rocket Boys”), Shweta Basu Prasad (“Makdee” and last year’s hit show “Jubilee”) and veteran actor Mohan Agashe (“Astu” and “Kaasav”).
- Naseeruddin Shah stars in the short film “Khidki.”
- Geetanjali Kulkarni (“Court” and the series “Gullak”) plays the lead in the short film “Rhino Charge.”
- Actresses Palomi Ghosh (“Nachom-ia Kumpasar”) and Anjali Patil (“Newton”) star in the short “Identity.”

“We aim to truly underscore the NYIFF commitment to diversity and cultural representation in film,” said Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Festival Director. “This year, we will feature films in 12 languages spoken in India: Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oria, Punjabi, Tamil. Two films also feature Sinhalese and Arabic languages. All films will have English subtitles.”

“I am thrilled to present the lineup for this year’s New York Indian Film Festival. Our selection of films not only epitomizes the artistic brilliance we champion but also mirrors the vibrant narratives we strive to share with our community. This year, the amalgamation of cultural richness, outstanding narratives, and stellar performances is poised to make this edition of the festival unparalleled in its appeal,” said Poonam Khubani IAAC Board Member.

Ticket prices are $15 for regular film programs and $50 for opening and closing films. Tickets for the special event with Shabana Azmi are $30. Tickets are on sale at nyiff.us.

Features (Narrative)

1.     Agra (Hindi), dir. Kanu Behl, 135 mins, 2023,

2.     DAMaN (Odia), dirs. Vishal Mourya and Debiprasad Lenka, 120 min, 2022

3.     Dear Jassi (Punjabi, English), dir. Tarsem Singh, 130 mins, 2023

4.     Dear Latika (Hindi), dir. Kanchan Pant, 104 mins, 2023

5.     Fire (Hindi, English), dir. Deepa Mehta, 104 mins, 1996

6.     Mithya (Kannada, Marathi), dir. Sumanth Bhatt, 97 mins, 2023

7.     Mrs. (Hindi), dir. Arati Kadav, 111 mins, 2024

8.     Padatik (Bengali), dir. Srijit Mukherji, 115 mins, 2023

9.     Paradise (English, Tamil, Sinhalese), dir. Prasanna Vithanage, 93 mins, 2023

10.   Pratikshya (Odia), dir. Anupam Patnaik, 133 mins, 2022

11.   Privacy (Hindi), dir. Sudeep Kanwal, 84 mins, 2023

12.   Sahela (Hindi, Gujarati, English), dir. Raghuvir Joshi, 90 mins, 2023

13.   Sthal (Marathi), dir. Jayant Digambar Somalkar, 104 mins, 2023

14.   Sumo Didi (Hindi), dir. Jayant Rohatgi, 118 mins, 2023

15.   The Scavenger of Dreams (Hindi), dir. Suman Ghosh, 83 mins, 2023

16.   The Umesh Chronicles (English, Kashmiri, Hindi), dir. Pooja Kaul, 124 mins

17.   Three Sons of Narayani (Malayalam), dir. Sharan Venugopal, 108 mins, 2023

18.   Yellow Bus (English, Hindi, Arabic), dir. Wendy Bednarz, 109 mins, 2023

Features (Documentaries)

1.     Merchant Ivory (English), dir. Stephen Soucy, 112 mins, 2023

2.     Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen (English, Bengali), dir. Suman Ghosh, 96 mins, 2023

3.     The House of Baruas (Assamese, English), dir. Utpal Borpujari, 71 mins, 2023

4.     The World is Family (English), dir. Anand Patwardhan, 96 mins, 2023

5.     Zende (English, Hindi, Marathi), dir. Akshay Shah, 65 mins, 2023

Shorts (Narrative)

1.     A lullaby for yellow roses (Hindi), dir. Rahul Roye, 18 mins, 2023

2.     Anu (Hindi, English, Maori), dir. Pulkit Arora, 13 mins, 2023

3.     Chor (Hindi), dir. Ayush Anita Sharma, 13 mins, 2023

4.     Chunaav (Hindi), dir. Avinash Shriram Shembatwad, 11 mins, 2023

5.     Crown (Hindi), dir. Krishav Payyade, 7 Mins, 2023

6.     Dosh (English, Hindi), dir. Radha Mehta, 16 mins, 2023

7.     Full and Final (Hindi), dir. Sohit Khanna, 16 mins, 2023

8.     Identity (Hindi), dir. Suraj Gunjal, 23 mins, 2023

9.     Impasse (Hindi, Tamil), dir. Tuhin Basu, 24 mins, 2021

10.   Khidki (Hindi), dir. Anhad Mishra, 26 mins, 2023

11.   Loo (English, Kannada), dir. Chanakya Vyas, 14 mins, 2023

12.   Monsoon Walk (Marathi), dir. Avinash Arun, 27 mins, 2023

13.   Postcard From Tahiti (English), dir. Nitin Madan, 15 mins, 2023

14.   Rhino Charge (Bengali), dir. Abhiroop Basu, 25 mins, 2024

15.   Samay Ki Baazi (English), dir. Anil & Vel, 6 mins, 2023

16.   Solution (Hindi), dir. Lakshit Koushal, 14 mins, 2023

17.   Starch (Tamil, English), dir. Ajai Vishwanath, 16 mins, 2023

18.   Stitched (English, Hindi, Tamil), dir. Lorena Lourenco, 16 mins, 2023

19.   U=Me (Hindi), dir. Umesh Kulkarni, 27 mins, 2024

20.   What Just Happened (Hindi), dir. Arunash Bhatt, 20 mins, 2023

21.   XO (Bengali, English, Hindi), dir. Samrat DasGupta, 25 mins, 2023

Shorts (Documentaries)

1.     Gotho – A Shelter (Marathi), dir. Sainath Uskaikar, 12 mins, 2023

2.     In the Wake of the Current (English), dir. Étienne, 64 mins, 2024

3.     Occupied (English, Arabic), dir. Pranav Pingle, 23 mins, 2018

4.     Tam-Bram Cooking (Tamil English), dirs. Sraiyanti Haricharan, Prem Akkatoos, 10 mins, 2023

5.     The Color Yellow (Bengali, English), dir. Modhurima Sinha, 27 mins, 2023

About Shabana Azmi: Over five decades, Shabana Azmi has showcased exceptional talent and versatility across the silver screen, starring in over 140 Hindi films and 12 International Productions such as Deepa Mehta’s “The Midnight Children” and “Fire,” Mira Nair’s “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” Gurinder Chadha’s “It’s a Wonderful Afterlife” and Ismail Merchant’s “In Custody.” From her gripping portrayal in “Ankur” to her recent roles in “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” and “Ghoomer,” her collaborations transcend borders, with projects including Shekhar’s Kapur's “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” and Steven Spielberg’s prestigious mini-series “Halo.” Azmi's repertoire is a testament to her unparalleled skill and diverse roles. As Shabana Azmi continues to illuminate screens and stages alike with her presence, her legacy as a trailblazer in Indian cinema remains unparalleled.

Shabana Azmi believes art should be used as an instrument for social change and is also a committed social activist. She is both a Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan Awardee. She heads the NGO Mijwan Welfare Society (MWS) founded by her father that works for the upliftment of rural India with a focus on the girl child and women. She was awarded the Gandhi International Peace Prize at the House of Lords by Vanessa Redgrave and honored at the Bicentennial celebrations of International Human Rights in Paris, alongside Mother Theresa, by President Mitterrand of France. Additionally, Ms. Azmi received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum, with Mohammed Ali and Michael Douglas. Her recent nomination as Global Leadership Ambassador for Women in Public Service Project, initiated by Hillary Clinton, further underscores her global impact and commitment to fostering positive change. She has been chosen by Time Magazine as one of 25 Asian heroes and is the only woman among four Indians who has made a difference. She stands as a beacon of inspiration, epitomizing excellence in both art and activism.