Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly will Open The New York Indian Film Festival

The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) announced the Opening Night Gala film: Anurag Kashyap’s UGLY, a sensational tale of corruption, indifference, and systemic violence that begins when a 10-year-old daughter of an aspiring actor disappears.

The festival is widely recognized as the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States, showcasing some of the greatest talents working in the diaspora. Celebrating its 14th year, NYIFF will run May 5 to 10 at a variety of prestigious New York City venues, including the Skirball Center for Performing Arts, where the opening and closing films are set to take place. The full line-up of screenings and events will be announced on April 8th, 2014.

Director Anurag Kashyap returns to NYIFF after closing the 2012 festival with his highly received film, GANGS OF WASSEYPUR, a two-part five-hour long drama that Hollywood Reporter declares “puts Tarantino in a corner with its cool command of cinematically-inspired and referenced violence, ironic characters and breathless pace.”

Both GANGS OF WASSEYPUR, as well as his current film, UGLY, were prominently screened in the sidebar section at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight section. Previously, Kashyap received notoriety for his controversial and award-winning film about the 1993 Mumbai bombings, BLACK FRIDAY.

“We are thrilled to be opening this year’s New York Indian Film Festival with Anurag Kashyap new film UGLY,” said festival director Aseem Chhabra. “Anurag has been in the forefront of India’s growing indie film movement, always pushing the boundaries and inspiring the new generation of filmmakers. Personally I am a big fan of his films.”

Kashyap will participate in a post-screening conversation, to be followed by the opening night gala event, with celebrated IAAC supporters and other filmmakers in attendance.

In addition, NYIFF announced this years centerpiece and closing films. Renowned actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen will close the festival with her latest work, GOYNAR BAKSHO. Sen began her career as an actress in Satyajit Ray’s 1961 masterpiece THREE DAUGHTERS (released as TWO DAUGHTERS in the US.)

In her latest work Sen provides a refreshing and vibrant take on acclaimed Bengali novelist Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s famous tale of three generations of women and their changing position in society, as seen in relation to an inherited box of jewels. The film features the talents of her daughter, Konkona Sen Sharma, who rose to fame in another Aparna Sen film, MR. AND MRS. IYER.

Renowned actress and first time director Geethu Mohandas with showcase her film LIAR’S DICE as this year’s Centerpiece. LIAR’S DICE was in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section at Sundance this January, and has been hailed by Variety as “an assured feature debut” and “quietly effective.” The film follows Kamala, a young woman from Chitkul village and her girl child Manya, who embark on a journey leaving their native land in search for her missing husband. It stars India’s leading indie film actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who was recently seen as the eager office worker in Ritesh Batra’s THE LUNCHBOX.

OPENING NIGHT GALA
Monday May 5, 2014 at 6 pm at Skirball Center for Performing Arts, NYC
UGLY
New York Premiere
India/2014/128 minutes
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Abir Goswami, Sandesh Jhadev, Siddhant Kapoor
Logline: A terrible tale of corruption, indifference, and systemic violence starts when 10-year-old daughter of an aspiring actor disappears.

Direct ticket link: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/opening-night-nyiff-2014-tickets-11062455101

CENTERPIECE
Thursday May 8, 2014 at 6 pm at Village East Cinemas, 2nd Ave & 12th Street, NYC
LIAR’S DICE
New York Premiere
India/2014/1O4 minutes
Director: Geethu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Logline: The film follows Kamala, a young woman from Chitkul village and her girl child Manya, who embarks on a journey leaving their native land in search for her missing husband.

Direct Ticket Link: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/centerpiece-2014-new-york-indian-film-festival-tickets-11140255805?aff=eorg

CLOSING NIGHT
Saturday May 10, 2014 at 5 pm at Skirball Center for Performing Arts, NYC
GOYNAR BAKSHO
India/2013/141 minutes
Director: Aparna Sen
Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Moushumi Chatterjee, Saswata Chaterjee, Paran Banerjee
Logline: Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s famous tale of 3 generations of women & their changing position in society, seen in relation to a box ofjewels, handed down from one generation to the next.

Direct ticket link: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/closing-night-nyiff-2014-tickets-11062529323

For IAAC Membership and NYIFF Tickets:
Celebrating its 14th year, NYIFF will run May 5 to May 10. Memberships may be purchased at: http://www.iaac.us/Contribution.htm
Festival Passes and Individual Tickets go on sale in April at the festival’s website:
http://www.iaac.us/NYIFF2014

About the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC):
The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India to exhibit, perform and produce their works here.

About the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF):
The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States. It is dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Independent, art house, alternate and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent. Our mission is to encourage filmmakers to tell their stories, to educate North America about them and their talent and to facilitate the making and distribution of these films. NYIFF boasts five days of premiere screenings of feature, documentary & short films, industry panels, special events, retrospectives, red carpet galas, an award ceremony, packed audiences and amazing media coverage.