One of L.A.'s most eclectic and renowned festivals, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla), has announced its 2015 lineup of narrative and documentary features and short filmsl. The impressive program, which includes several works that premiered in Cannes and Berlin, reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema, as well as the future of Indian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers bringing their acclaimed films to Los Angeles.
Celebrating its 13th year, Iffla will run April 8-12 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. You can purchase Festival Passes and Gala tickets on the festival's website. Individual screening tickets are also available.
Iffla 2015 will screen 25 films, including four world premieres, seven North American premieres, two U.S. premieres, and 10 Los Angeles premieres. The films hail from six different countries, including India, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Cuba, in 10 different languages, from Hindi and Tamil to English, Spanish, and German.
Highlights include: the centerpiece and world premiere screening of "One Crazy Thing," directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta ("Jadoo") and featuring BAFTA ‘Breakthrough Brit’ winner Ray Panthaki and Daisy Bevan ("The Two Faces of January") in a comedic story about a man who meets the girl of his dreams, but struggles to find a way to tell her how he became an internet sensation and the Los Angeles premiere of Academy Award-winner Danis Tanovic's latest feature film "Tigers," starring Bollywood heartthrob Emraan Hashmi in a political thriller based on the true story of a salesman who took on a multinational pharmaceutical corporation guilty of marketing a baby formula that caused hundreds of infant deaths.
Additional highlights include: "Jai Ho," a documentary feature on one of the most prolific composers in the world, A.R. Rahman directed by Umesh Aggarwal; Kanu Behl’s "Titli," which had its world premiere at Cannes in 2014, shot on Super 16 and starring gifted newcomer, Shashank Arora, in a coming of age story set against Dehli’s dark side where perpetual cruelty and violence prevail; and "Miss India America," directed by Iffla alum Ravi Kapoor and starring Tiya Sircar ("The Internship") and Hannah Simone ("New Girl"), is the story of a woman's plan to win the crown after her boyfriend runs off with the former Miss India America.
The Opening and Closing night red-carpet galas have also been announced: Shlok Sharma’s debut feature film "Haraamkhor," starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and produced by Anurag Kashyap ("Gangs of Wasseypur") and Guneet Monga ("The Lunchbox") will open the festival with its world premiere. Nagesh Kukunoor’s "Dhanak" ("Rainbow") will have its U.S. premiere as the Closing Night film, fresh from 2015 Berlinale where it won Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for best feature film.
The 2015 lineup also includes titles from the diverse regional language cinemas of India. Along with Bengali and Malayalam films, Iffla will screen two Marathi language features, including the North American Premiere of "Elizabeth Ekadashi." Tamil language titles include the documentary "Amma and Apaa,"about a filmmaking South Indian/German couple and their parents, and the U.S. premiere of the delightful "The Crow’s Egg," which premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Produced by famed South Indian actor Dhanush (best known for the popular song “Why This Kolaveri Di” from the film 3), the film follows two young boys in a slum who try to get their first bite of pizza after seeing it in an ad.
“Many of the films at this year's Iffla look at contemporary youth from diverse backgrounds, united in their creative ways of overcoming life’s situations. The palpable energy of youth spirit runs throughout our film lineup, and these stories take you on an adventurous journey,” said Jasmine Jaisinghani, Iffla’s Artistic Director. “I believe our audiences will engage with these riveting characters and be fully entertained."
A special inclusion for Iffla 2015 is a Secret Screening for passholders only, offering a first look at a film that has become a sensation in festivals around the world, winning numerous awards. The film is slated to release later this year. Directed by one of the most exciting auteurs in contemporary Indian cinema, and featuring a powerhouse performance by one of India's brightest young stars, this is a film. It's expected to be a highlight of this year's festival.
The festival’s popular “Bollywood by Night” series returns this year with an exciting screening of Bollywood smash "Taal." Directed by Subhash Ghai and featuring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Akshaye Khanna. Originally released in 1999 to worldwide acclaim, "Taal" features iconic music composed by A.R. Rahman and is considered one of the best soundtracks in Bollywood history.
The shorts competition showcases an diverse selection of 10 films including narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include: acclaimed director Gitanjali Rao’s "TrueLoveStory," a stunning animated film that made its premiere at the Critics’ Week section of Cannes; Jayisha Patel's multiple award-winning documentary "A Paradise" ("Un Paraiso"); and the U.S. premiere of three of India’s National Award winners, Pranjal Dua’s "Fly, Bird" (Chidiya Udh), Christo Tomy’s "Virgin" ("Kanyaka"), and Ruchir Arun’s "Mandrake! Mandrake!." In addition, screening with "Jai Ho" will be Satyajit Ray’s "Two," a spellbinding and deeply affecting short film by India’s master storyteller, which has been beautifully preserved by the Academy Film Archive.
Attending the festival this year to present their films will be a group of celebrated filmmakers, including Nagesh Kukunoor ("Dhanak"), Kanu Behl ("Titli"), Amit Gupta ("One Crazy Thing"), Ravi Kapoor ("Miss India America"), Paresh Mokashi ("Elizabeth Ekadashi"), Bikas Mishra ("Four Colors ), Shlok Sharma and award-winning producer Guneet Monga ("Haraamkhor").
Iffla will also host a number of the films’ stars, including: Ray Panthaki and Daisy Bevan from "One Crazy Thing;" critically-acclaimed Nawazuddin Siddiqui for "Haraamkhor;" and from"Miss India America," Hannah Simone ("New Girl"), Tiya Sircar ("The Internship"), and Meera Simhan ("Anger Management") who is also the film’s co-writer.
For tickets and the festival's schedule visit Here...
Celebrating its 13th year, Iffla will run April 8-12 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. You can purchase Festival Passes and Gala tickets on the festival's website. Individual screening tickets are also available.
Iffla 2015 will screen 25 films, including four world premieres, seven North American premieres, two U.S. premieres, and 10 Los Angeles premieres. The films hail from six different countries, including India, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Cuba, in 10 different languages, from Hindi and Tamil to English, Spanish, and German.
Highlights include: the centerpiece and world premiere screening of "One Crazy Thing," directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta ("Jadoo") and featuring BAFTA ‘Breakthrough Brit’ winner Ray Panthaki and Daisy Bevan ("The Two Faces of January") in a comedic story about a man who meets the girl of his dreams, but struggles to find a way to tell her how he became an internet sensation and the Los Angeles premiere of Academy Award-winner Danis Tanovic's latest feature film "Tigers," starring Bollywood heartthrob Emraan Hashmi in a political thriller based on the true story of a salesman who took on a multinational pharmaceutical corporation guilty of marketing a baby formula that caused hundreds of infant deaths.
Additional highlights include: "Jai Ho," a documentary feature on one of the most prolific composers in the world, A.R. Rahman directed by Umesh Aggarwal; Kanu Behl’s "Titli," which had its world premiere at Cannes in 2014, shot on Super 16 and starring gifted newcomer, Shashank Arora, in a coming of age story set against Dehli’s dark side where perpetual cruelty and violence prevail; and "Miss India America," directed by Iffla alum Ravi Kapoor and starring Tiya Sircar ("The Internship") and Hannah Simone ("New Girl"), is the story of a woman's plan to win the crown after her boyfriend runs off with the former Miss India America.
The Opening and Closing night red-carpet galas have also been announced: Shlok Sharma’s debut feature film "Haraamkhor," starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and produced by Anurag Kashyap ("Gangs of Wasseypur") and Guneet Monga ("The Lunchbox") will open the festival with its world premiere. Nagesh Kukunoor’s "Dhanak" ("Rainbow") will have its U.S. premiere as the Closing Night film, fresh from 2015 Berlinale where it won Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for best feature film.
The 2015 lineup also includes titles from the diverse regional language cinemas of India. Along with Bengali and Malayalam films, Iffla will screen two Marathi language features, including the North American Premiere of "Elizabeth Ekadashi." Tamil language titles include the documentary "Amma and Apaa,"about a filmmaking South Indian/German couple and their parents, and the U.S. premiere of the delightful "The Crow’s Egg," which premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Produced by famed South Indian actor Dhanush (best known for the popular song “Why This Kolaveri Di” from the film 3), the film follows two young boys in a slum who try to get their first bite of pizza after seeing it in an ad.
“Many of the films at this year's Iffla look at contemporary youth from diverse backgrounds, united in their creative ways of overcoming life’s situations. The palpable energy of youth spirit runs throughout our film lineup, and these stories take you on an adventurous journey,” said Jasmine Jaisinghani, Iffla’s Artistic Director. “I believe our audiences will engage with these riveting characters and be fully entertained."
A special inclusion for Iffla 2015 is a Secret Screening for passholders only, offering a first look at a film that has become a sensation in festivals around the world, winning numerous awards. The film is slated to release later this year. Directed by one of the most exciting auteurs in contemporary Indian cinema, and featuring a powerhouse performance by one of India's brightest young stars, this is a film. It's expected to be a highlight of this year's festival.
The festival’s popular “Bollywood by Night” series returns this year with an exciting screening of Bollywood smash "Taal." Directed by Subhash Ghai and featuring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Akshaye Khanna. Originally released in 1999 to worldwide acclaim, "Taal" features iconic music composed by A.R. Rahman and is considered one of the best soundtracks in Bollywood history.
The shorts competition showcases an diverse selection of 10 films including narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include: acclaimed director Gitanjali Rao’s "TrueLoveStory," a stunning animated film that made its premiere at the Critics’ Week section of Cannes; Jayisha Patel's multiple award-winning documentary "A Paradise" ("Un Paraiso"); and the U.S. premiere of three of India’s National Award winners, Pranjal Dua’s "Fly, Bird" (Chidiya Udh), Christo Tomy’s "Virgin" ("Kanyaka"), and Ruchir Arun’s "Mandrake! Mandrake!." In addition, screening with "Jai Ho" will be Satyajit Ray’s "Two," a spellbinding and deeply affecting short film by India’s master storyteller, which has been beautifully preserved by the Academy Film Archive.
Attending the festival this year to present their films will be a group of celebrated filmmakers, including Nagesh Kukunoor ("Dhanak"), Kanu Behl ("Titli"), Amit Gupta ("One Crazy Thing"), Ravi Kapoor ("Miss India America"), Paresh Mokashi ("Elizabeth Ekadashi"), Bikas Mishra ("Four Colors ), Shlok Sharma and award-winning producer Guneet Monga ("Haraamkhor").
Iffla will also host a number of the films’ stars, including: Ray Panthaki and Daisy Bevan from "One Crazy Thing;" critically-acclaimed Nawazuddin Siddiqui for "Haraamkhor;" and from"Miss India America," Hannah Simone ("New Girl"), Tiya Sircar ("The Internship"), and Meera Simhan ("Anger Management") who is also the film’s co-writer.
For tickets and the festival's schedule visit Here...
- 3/24/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
It’s almost astonishing that we’ve managed to guess two (we also had Nadav Lapid pegged for the Main Comp) of the eleven titles unveiled by the Cannes Critics’ Week sidebar earlier today. On our radar we had Djinn Carrénard’s sophomore film (Faire L’Amour has been selected as the opening film) and Jonas Alexander Arnby’s debut (When Animals Dream is one among the seven comp titles) as strong possibilities and we’re excited that an American indie personality we’ve featured on this site before in David Robert Mitchell will be showcasing his sophomore film, It Follows (starring Maika Monroe and Keir Gilchrist) in a section that showcased The Myth Of The American Sleepover back in 2010. Mélanie Laurent’s Respire (which could catapult the careers of thesps Lou de Laâge and Joséphine Japy) receives the Special Screening status alongside Lapid’s The Kindergarten Teacher. Also on...
- 4/21/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The lineup for the 53rd Semaine de la Critique (or "Critics' Week") has been announced and feature seven films in competition, four special screenings, and ten short and medium-length films in competition.
Opening Film
Faire: L'amour (Djinn Carrénard)
Competition
Darker Than Midnight (Sebastiano Riso)
The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)
It Follows (David Robert Mitchell)
Gente de bien (Franco Lolli)
When Animals Dream (Jonas Alexander Arnby)
Hope (Boris Lojkine)
Self Made (Shira Geffen)
Closing Film
Hippocrates (Thomas Lilti)
Special Screenings
Breathe (Mélanie Laurent)
The Kindergarten Teacher (Nadav Lapid)
Short And Medium-length Films In Competition
Young Lions of Gypsy (Jonas Carpignan)
Goodnight Cinderella (Carlos Conceição)
The Chicken (Una Gunja)
Back Alley (Cécile Ducrocq)
Crocodile (Gaëlle Denis)
Les fleuves m'ont laissée descendre où je voulais (Laurie Lassalle)
Little Brother (Rémi St-Michel)
Safari (Gerardo Herrero)
TrueLoveStory (Gitanjali Rao)
A Blue Room (Tomasz Siwiński)...
Opening Film
Faire: L'amour (Djinn Carrénard)
Competition
Darker Than Midnight (Sebastiano Riso)
The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)
It Follows (David Robert Mitchell)
Gente de bien (Franco Lolli)
When Animals Dream (Jonas Alexander Arnby)
Hope (Boris Lojkine)
Self Made (Shira Geffen)
Closing Film
Hippocrates (Thomas Lilti)
Special Screenings
Breathe (Mélanie Laurent)
The Kindergarten Teacher (Nadav Lapid)
Short And Medium-length Films In Competition
Young Lions of Gypsy (Jonas Carpignan)
Goodnight Cinderella (Carlos Conceição)
The Chicken (Una Gunja)
Back Alley (Cécile Ducrocq)
Crocodile (Gaëlle Denis)
Les fleuves m'ont laissée descendre où je voulais (Laurie Lassalle)
Little Brother (Rémi St-Michel)
Safari (Gerardo Herrero)
TrueLoveStory (Gitanjali Rao)
A Blue Room (Tomasz Siwiński)...
- 4/21/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival is one of those institutions that generally looks impressive only in retrospect. In advance, it's hard to tell which of the films selected for the sidebar will really land, but look back at the archives, and it's remarkable how many significant films -- from Ken Loach's "Kes" to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu's "Amores Perros" -- have quietly premiered there. In other words, while I don't have much to say right now about this year's Critics' Week selection, announced earlier today, it could yet give us plenty to talk about. As it stands, the most famous name in the lineup isn't one best known for her work behind the camera: French actress Mélanie Laurent, whose second directorial effort, "Respire," will play as a Special Screening in the section. Laurent starred in her 2011 debut, "The Adopted," a middling family melodrama that received a quiet release in France and the UK,...
- 4/21/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
Djinn Carrenard’s second feature to open selection; genre pictures When Animals Dream [pictured] and It Follows to compete in Cannes Critics’ Week.
Djinn Carrénard’s Faire L’Amour (Fla)], revolving around the relationship between a musician and woman on parole, will open the 53rd edition of Cannes Critics’ Week, running May 15-23
The respected parallel selection, focusing on first and second works, unveiled its 2014 line-up on Monday (April 20). In total, the selection committee screened 1,200 feature-length films and 1,770 shorts.
Haitian, France-based Carrénard won France’s prestigious Louis Delluc prize for best first film in 2011 for his buzzy, micro-budget Donoma, which premiered in Cannes in 2010 in the indie-focused Acid selection.
“The director of Donoma instils in his second feature all the energy of the previous one with a sense of drama and character development that really packs a punch,” commented Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson, adding it revolved around, “how to construct love and how to really make love...
Djinn Carrénard’s Faire L’Amour (Fla)], revolving around the relationship between a musician and woman on parole, will open the 53rd edition of Cannes Critics’ Week, running May 15-23
The respected parallel selection, focusing on first and second works, unveiled its 2014 line-up on Monday (April 20). In total, the selection committee screened 1,200 feature-length films and 1,770 shorts.
Haitian, France-based Carrénard won France’s prestigious Louis Delluc prize for best first film in 2011 for his buzzy, micro-budget Donoma, which premiered in Cannes in 2010 in the indie-focused Acid selection.
“The director of Donoma instils in his second feature all the energy of the previous one with a sense of drama and character development that really packs a punch,” commented Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson, adding it revolved around, “how to construct love and how to really make love...
- 4/21/2014
- ScreenDaily
Djinn Carrenard’s second feature to open selection; genre pictures When Animals Dream [pictured] and It Follows to compete in Cannes Critics’ Week.
Djinn Carrénard’s Faire L’Amour (Fla)], revolving around the relationship between a musician and woman on parole, will open the 53rd edition of Cannes Critics’ Week, running May 15-23
The respected parallel selection, focusing on first and second works, unveiled its 2014 line-up on Monday (April 20). In total, the selection committee screened 1,200 feature-length films and 1,770 shorts.
Haitian, France-based Carrénard won France’s prestigious Louis Delluc prize for best first film in 2011 for his buzzy, micro-budget Donoma, which premiered in Cannes in 2010 in the indie-focused Acid selection.
“The director of Donoma instils in his second feature all the energy of the previous one with a sense of drama and character development that really packs a punch,” commented Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson, adding it revolved around, “how to construct love and how to really make love...
Djinn Carrénard’s Faire L’Amour (Fla)], revolving around the relationship between a musician and woman on parole, will open the 53rd edition of Cannes Critics’ Week, running May 15-23
The respected parallel selection, focusing on first and second works, unveiled its 2014 line-up on Monday (April 20). In total, the selection committee screened 1,200 feature-length films and 1,770 shorts.
Haitian, France-based Carrénard won France’s prestigious Louis Delluc prize for best first film in 2011 for his buzzy, micro-budget Donoma, which premiered in Cannes in 2010 in the indie-focused Acid selection.
“The director of Donoma instils in his second feature all the energy of the previous one with a sense of drama and character development that really packs a punch,” commented Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson, adding it revolved around, “how to construct love and how to really make love...
- 4/21/2014
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.