CHICAGO (TIP): Now in its 8^th year, Chicago South Asian Film Festival, (CSAFF) will take place from September 29^th to October 1^st and will screen films in three distinct locations across the Chicagoland area – the Showplace ICON Theater in Downtown Chicago, DePaul University, and the AMC Theater in Oakbrook.

 This year of CSAFF has been made possible by arts-conscious sponsors DePaul University, Counsel General of India Chicago, Bank of America, B-Raja, West Monroe Partners, and Air India.

“Our mission at CSAFF is to further diversity and cultural education in Chicago so that young multicultural filmmakers and artists can be given a strong platform to tell their stories and share their art”, said Festival Manager Jigar Shah. “At the 2017 CSAFF we look forward to our third year of in-competition sections for both feature and short films and a focus on the pivotal role of women in South Asian cinema. As part of this focus, we are proud to host the illustrious Indian actors, Shabana Azmi, Aparna Sen, Rajkummar Rao, and Akshay Oberoi who will be joining us on the Red Carpet at 6 p.m. on Opening Night, September 29^th in Oakbrook.”

A carefully curated collection of independent films, shorts, documentaries, events and discussions will create the three-day Festival experience. The Festival will open at the Oakbrook AMC Theater, with Red Carpet performances by local dance companies on the central festival theme of “Women in Cinema”.

There is a stellar lineup of films this year including Trapped, Dobara Phir Se, You Are My Sunday, Sonata, Newton, Gurgaon, and many other short films and documentaries. Filmmakers will also be present for moderated Q&A sessions throughout the weekend through most of these films.  Closing night festivities will take place at the Showplace Icon in the South Loop at 8 p.m., including an awards ceremony.

Renowned actors Shabana Azmi and Rajkummar Rao will walk the Red Carpet and Ms. Azmi will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Opening Night will close with the Chicago premiere of Newton by director Amit Masurkar and includes dynamic performances by Rajkummar Rao. Newton premiered at the Berlin Film Festival to rave reviews earlier this year. There will be a Q&A session with Mr. Rao after the film.