NYIFF AWARDS/QUEENS CULTURAL DIVERSITY

By Mabel Pais

CLOSING FILM

 Acelebratory gesture distinguished the close of the 22nd annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2022 with the screening of the film ‘The Beatles and India: An Enduring Love Affair’ on May 14, 2022! The final night of the Festival was held at Cinema Village East by Angelika at 181-189 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003. This was followed by a Q & A moderated by Festival Director Aseem Chhabra.

On the 75th year of India’s independence, NYIFF manifested the worldwide influence Indian cinema has made while recognizing the talent and works that celebrate the country’s acclaimed cinematic traditions.

“Tonight’s closing event was truly an unprecedented look at the global impact of Indian culture and cinema in recent years with the screening of ‘The Beatles and India: An Enduring Love Affair’,” added Suman Gollamudi, IAAC Executive Director. “It was wonderful to bring this community back together tonight with a star-studded awards ceremony and to celebrate in-person after a gap of two years.”

AWARDS & WINNERS

The  Awards Ceremony followed the Closing Night film.

“On behalf of the entire board, I applaud all the winners and nominees.  We are proud to continue our tradition of supporting and recognizing this stellar talent and bringing these acclaimed works to a new audience. This year, our aim was to resonate a lasting dialogue about the ongoing, world-wide impact of Indian culture on the 75th Anniversary of Independence,” said Dr. Nirmal Mattoo, Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) Chairman.

The winners of each category are as follows:

Best Film

‘Shoebox’ (Hindi), dir. Faraz Ali, 98 mins., 2021

“Faraz Ali’s film Shoebox explores themes of family and community that truly capture this moment in cinematic history and elevates Indian film and art within the U.S,” said Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Festival Director.

Best Director

Aditya Vikram Sengupta for ‘Once Upon a Time in Calcutta’ (Bengali), 131 mins., 2021

Best Actor

Jitendra Joshi for ‘Godavari’ (Marathi), dir. Nikhil Mahajan, 113 mins., 2021

Best Actress

Sreelekha Mitra for ‘Once Upon a Time in Calcutta’ (Bengali), dir. Aditya Vikram Sengupta, 131 mins., 2021

Best Screenplay

Kuldip Patel for ‘Powai’ (Hindi), dir. Kuldip Patel, 126 mins., 2021

Best Child Actor(s)

Reyaan Shah & Hiranya Zinzuwadia for ‘Gandhi & Co.’ (Gujarati), dir. Manish Saini, 101 mins., 2022

Best Documentary (Feature)

‘Taangh/ Longing’ (English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu), dir. Bani Singh, 100 minutes, 2021

Best Short (Narrative)

‘Succulent’ (Hindi, English), dir. Amrita Bagchi, 29 mins., 2021

Best Short (Documentary)

‘Kicking Balls’ (Hindi), dir. Vijayeta Kumar, 36 mins., 2020

Best Debut Film (Presented by the Film Critics Circle of India):

‘Jhini Bini Chadariya/ The Brittle Thread’ (Hindi), dir. Ritesh Sharma, 97 mins., 2021

The NYIFF hosted 60 film screenings, including both full-length feature and short narratives and documentaries between May 7-14, 2022. For more information and a full list of all films, visit nyiff.us.

The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF):

NYIFF is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the independent, arthouse, alternate, and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremonies, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention, and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain and educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. For more information, visit nyiff.us.

The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC):

The IAAC supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. IAAC works cooperatively with colleagues around the U.S. to broaden its collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. The focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform and produce their work here. For more information, visit iaac.us.

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Cuisine, Health & Wellness and Spirituality.)