New York Indian Film Festival

The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest such film event in North America. We present NYIFF 2025, the 25th edition. Three days will be packed with a celebration of new Indian cinema from different regions of the country - a mixture of films and conversations. Hope you enjoy our curated programme.

Schedule of Events:

10:00 AM: Feature Film: An Orphanage of Memories

Director: Rayit Hashmat Qazi
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Shafiya Maqbool
Run time: 20 minutes 46 seconds
Language: Kashmiri
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

In a small village of Kashmir, Farah, the caretaker of a small piece of land has lost her husband under tragic, unexplained circumstances. Feeling overwhelmed with grief, Farah clings onto her late husband’s memories. Under threat of her home being uprooted by the prospect of a new buyer, Farah finds a new lease of life when she discovers the saplings her husband brought to their kitchen garden. Just as she is done planting them, she discovers small rat droppings around the garden. With this Farah dives deep into a point of no return as she dedicates her life towards protecting the saplings at the cost of affecting her sanity.

Orphanage of Memories is a protest against how the average Indian views Kashmir in movies - where the focus is always on the landscape and never on the people. We were keen on telling the story of an individual and not the serenity of Kashmir. This is precisely why we chose to set the story in the harshest part of winter, before snowfall starts - when the whole valley is engulfed in a blanket of deary gray monotones.

10:00 AM: Feature Film: Ayesha

Director: Nihit Bhave
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Fatima Sana Shaikh, Anant Jog, Swaroopa Ghosh
Run time: 12 minutes 48 seconds
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

Ayesha, a Muslim house-help, reluctantly takes on a one-day job at a Hindu household. She wants to be upfront about her identity, but when she introduces herself, the owner of the house mishears her name to be ‘Asha,’ a common Hindu name. With each minute spent in the house, Ayesha learns just how the "other side" perceives you, when they think you're one of them.

10:00 AM: Feature Film: Blind Spot

Director: Nitin Baid
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Konkona Sensharma, Ayan Khan
Run time: 14 mins 53 Secs
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

CHASHMA (BLIND SPOT) takes place in India during 1992, a time of significant socio-political change. While Hindu-Muslim tensions had existed in India since the post-Partition era, this year that witnessed a dramatic escalation, after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Inspired by actual events, the narrative follows Supriyo, an 11-year-old boy struggling with poor vision. However, his challenges go beyond his eyesight. When a school conflict erupts between two familiar students that Supriyo witnesses, he is asked to make an important decision. Amidst rising religious tensions in the country, the short film explores the blind spots of a young boy and the country as a whole, and Supriyo is forced to confront his biases and perceptions.

10:00 AM: Feature Film: Moti

Director: Yash Saraf
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Koosilab Sengupta, Aarav Gomes
Run time: 15 mins 50 Secs
Language: Bengali
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

One day a dog named Moti turns into a boy. Shocked and confused, Moti’s human masters take him to the hospital to find out what is wrong. Science intervenes: Moti starts to evolve. But in becoming fully human Moti loses something vital along the way: his doggy sense of smell, his canine way of navigating the world.

10:00 AM: Feature Film: Over A Cup Of Chai

Director: Anvita Brahmbhatt
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Ratna Pathak-Shah, Dalai, Danesh Razvi
Run time: 17 mins
Language: English
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

In an exploration of a mother-daughter relationship; tensions arise when a headstrong and sensitive daughter along with her shy boyfriend visit her reserved mother.

12:00 PM: Feature Film: Marching In The Dark

Director: Kinshuk Surjan
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Language: Marathi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

Amid an escalating crisis of farmer suicides, a young widow, Sanjeevani, intent on the seemingly impossible task of providing a better life for herself and her children, refuses to surrender to despair or the cultural ostracization of widows. In a quiet yet powerful act of resistance, she discovers a community of other widows, confronting, sharing, and collectively overcoming grief. Through this shared sisterhood, she forges a path forward, finding unexpected strength in being there for others like her.

12:15 PM: Feature Film: Kaisi Ye Paheli

Director: Ananyabrata Chakravorty
Location: Theatre 3, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Sukant Goel, Sadhana Singh, Rajit Kapur, Chittaranjan Giri
Run time: 1 Hour 36 minutes
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2025
Country: India

Synopsis:

In the quaint hill town of Shottipur, northeast India, a sixty-year-old warm and cultured widow, Ma, lives with her thirty-something son, Uttam, a policeman. Uttam’s father, Baba, died on duty eight years ago, leaving Ma lonely and yearning for connection. Uttam, however, dismisses her as a simple homemaker, ignoring her intelligence and her past contributions to Baba’s cases. Their strained relationship deepens her isolation.

When 19-year-old Ishita, a talented girl, is found dead in her PG, Uttam joins the inexperienced police team tasked with solving the murder. The ruling party, eager to promote Shottipur as a tourist haven of honest folk, pressures Uttam’s boss, Tamang, to close the case in two weeks—preferably as a suicide—before the launch. Ma sees this as a chance to bridge the gap with Uttam. She logically debunks the suicide theory, impressing Tamang, who was Baba’s trainee and admired her skills. So, he recruits Ma to assist.

As Ma shines in the investigation, Uttam stubbornly refuses to acknowledge her worth. Then a second murder happens —of someone close to Ma, making things personal. With days left, a seasoned detective, Bondo, takes over, barring Ma from the station. Undeterred, Ma pursues the killer alone, risking her life, while Uttam remains at odds with her.

Will Ma unmask the murderer? Will Uttam finally see her for the brilliant woman she is? The answers to the who, why, and how of this gripping mystery unfold in Kaisi Ye Paheli a tale of resilience, redemption, and a mother’s unwavering spirit in the misty hills of Shottipur.

12:30 PM: Feature Film: Pyre

Director: Vinod Kapri
Location: Theatre 4, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Padam Singh Kapri, Heera Devi
Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

In a remote part of the Indian Himalayas, aging couple Padam and Tulsi find their world beginning to erode. Their once lively village is now desolate as more and more families migrate to the cities, leaving the couple to wonder if there will be anyone left to carry out their last rites when their time finally comes. With little hope left, the couple begin to feel themselves wither away beside their beloved village, turning to their childlike bickering as a source of fleeting distraction. One day, to their surprise, Padam and Tulsi receive a letter from their son - a son who they have not heard from in over 30 years. Through this unexpected beacon of hope, their lives change overnight as their once estranged son unwittingly provides them with the will to live on.

12:30 PM: Feature Film: Rangashoor

Director: Pratap Rout
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Suryamayee Mohapatra, Chodhuri Jayaprakash
Run time: 2 Hours
Language: Odia
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

Bagha Nacha*, a vibrant folk art from Odisha, showcases dancers painted like tigers. Chitra, a 20-year-old girl from Olab village, odisha carries forward her family’s legacy despite societal challenges. Trained by her father, Ghana, in this male-dominated tradition, she defies norms to preserve her heritage.

Raised amidst the jungle's stories, Chitra develops a deep love for nature, further fueled by a childhood encounter with poachers that ignites her passion for wildlife protection. As a skilled *Bagha Nacha* dancer, she performs alongside her father and troupe members Mahua and Lakha, navigating personal tensions and societal expectations.

Her life takes a pivotal turn during a performance for a forest officer, Ranjan Babu, when she experiences her first menstruation. This event leads her grandmother to pressure her into abandoning dance. However, Ghana supports her unwavering determination, and Chitra boldly confronts gender restrictions, preparing for Durga puja festival(dedicated to Goddess Durga).

Combining *Bagha Nacha* with conservation awareness, Chitra gains recognition for spreading messages about forest protection through performances and street plays. Her journey intensifies when Lakha, driven by jealousy, endangers her and her father during a Jatra performance. Chitra’s courage shines as she saves her father, confronts Lakha, and channels the spirit of Durga Mata in a transformative moment.

A year later, Chitra leads a troupe of village girls, symbolizing her triumph over adversity and her commitment to tradition. Her story of resilience, courage, and dedication ensures the legacy of *Bagha Nacha* lives on, inspiring her community and future generations.

3:00 PM: Feature Film: The Renaissance Man

Director: Ajay Chitnis
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Run time: 1 Hour 05 minutes
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

3:00 PM: Feature Film: Manthan

Director: Shyam Benegal
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad
Run time: 2 hours 14 mins
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 1984
Country: India

Synopsis:

“Manthan” is a powerful film about the tempestuous winds of change that blow through a village when Dr. Rao (Girish Karnad) an idealistic veterinary surgeon from the city arrives to work with the locals to start a milk cooperative movement. The villagers, half of whom are Dalits, sell their milk to a local businessman Mishraji (Amrish Puri) who cheats them by paying a very low rate for the milk. The village headman (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), an upper caste man, is opposed to the idea as he does not want his higher social status diminished as is Bhola (Naseerudin Shah), the leader of the Dalits. He faces stiff resistance from the village headman (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) and Mishraji, the exploitative dairy owner, insecure about losing their power to a cooperative, Bhola (Naseeruddin Shah), a lower-caste peasant  who views the city dweller with suspicion and Bindu (Smita Patil), a feisty milkmaid whose initial misgivings about the doctor blossoms into liking and support for his initiative.

His notions of equitable distribution of profits irrespective of class and caste and freedom from exploitative middlemen, churn up a maelstrom of mistrust, anger and resistance among the feudal landlords and the peasants, threatening the deep-rooted social hierarchy based on generations of discrimination.

3:15 PM: Feature Film: I’m Not An Actor

Director: Aditya Kripalani
Location: Theatre 3, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Chitrangada Satarupa, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Run time: 2 Hours
Language: Hindi, English, German
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

Mouni is a puritanical actor who hates Mumbai. She hates the commerce that overshadows the art each day and life here in general. It is her deepest dream to move abroad to any part of Europe and do Shakespeare. She ends up at an online audition with Adnan, a 55 year old Kashmiri Muslim man, who’s now a retired banker living in Frankfurt, Germany.Adnan is depressed and having just retired he’s desperately seeking a new sense of self.  After the audition in which Mouni improvises to make Adnan react genuinely, they're both shortlisted. Shocked with the power of acting, he begs her to teach him. This sets off a day long acting class between two countries and two very different people over a long video call. It unravels their pasts, their fears, their pains and joys and leaves them changed.

Like any good acting class should. We explore both Mumbai, dirty, grimy, soiled, dark, dense, intense and Frankfurt, squeaky clean, bright, colorful and as we see with the people, so also we see with the cities, that at the heart they're very similar. But acting is psychology. And now they both must learn to be vulnerable. To trust.

3:30 PM: Feature Film: Angammal

Director: Vipin Radhakrishnan
Location: Theatre 4
Starring: Geetha Kailasam
Run time: 1 Hour 57 minutes
Language: Tamil
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

In a remote rustic village in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in the mid-90's, a city educated young man feels awkward because his mother doesn't wear a blouse. But this is how his mother always dressed. What changed suddenly? As he tries to find a solution before a visit from his prospective in-laws, a simple problem spirals out of control.

6:00 PM: Feature Film: The Other Side

Director: Indu Lakshmi
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Jagadish
Run time: 1 Hour 20 minutes
Language: Malayalam
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

In an array of incidents triggered by the mental issues of her mother, a teenager Janaki is stranded between the love for her mother and the fear of losing her. As she treads through this intricate maze, she discovers the limitations of her youth, often realizing the helplessness of being a young girl in a world where adults make all decisions.

6:00 PM: Feature Film: A Fly On The Wall

Director: Nilesh Maniyar, Shonali Bose
Location: Theatre 2
Run time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Language: English
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

A friendship walks the distance between life and death in Nilesh Maniyar and Shonali Bose’s “A Fly on the Wall.” Loved ones , pour in from different parts of the world to raise one last toast with Chika Kapadia. In the coming week he has an appointment at Dignitas for physician assisted suicide, as he chose not to be tied to tubes and wires in his last moments.

A film maker friend tasked with shooting Chika’s countdown to death, records her own feelings too. Thus weaving a tale of dignity in death through the lens of friendship. Ironically, the locale is beautiful Switzerland - the backdrop of many a blockbuster Indian film.

6:15 PM: Feature Film: Kennedy

Director: Anurag Kashyap
Location: Theatre 3, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Rahul Bhat, Sunny Leone
Run time: 2 Hours 22 mins
Language: Hindi, English
Year Made: 2023
Country: India

Synopsis:

Presumed dead for years, Kennedy is an insomniac former cop who continues to officiate for a corrupt system while seeking redemption.

6:30 PM: Feature Film: Second Chance

Director: Subhadra Mahajan
Location: Theatre 4, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Dheera Johnson, Thakri Devi, Kanav Thakur
Run time: 1 hour 44 minutes
Language: English , Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

Desolate after experiencing a traumatic incident, Nia travels to the family's summer retreat amid the snow-covered Himalayas in order to regain her strength. There she finds the company of the caretaker’s mother-in-law, Bhemi, and her grandson, Sunny. Irrespective of their differing ages, social background and their ideas of happiness, a surprisingly strong bond develops between them, which cannot be broken, not even by the arrival of someone who drives Nia straight back into her trauma. This visually mesmerising film offers an authentic and vivid depiction of the process of coping with female pain and demonstrates that a second chance might emerge where we least expect it.

9:00 PM: Feature Film: Thursday Special

Director: Varun Tandon
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Anubha Fatehpuria, Ramakant Daayama
Run time: 26 minutes 27 seconds
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

27 years of a loving marriage.
27 years of sharing a passion for food.
27 years of celebrating it every Thursday.
Thursday Special is a poignant tale of love, companionship and change.

9:00 PM: Feature Film: A Night, After All

Director: Anshul Agrawal
Location: Theatre 2,
Run time: 14 minutes 58 seconds
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

A retired couple, one sleepless night, a game played, a question asked, a decision pending and a life hanging. Is it right to sacrifice everything? Is it wrong to not do the same? Can a caregiver be tired of giving?

“a night, after all” is a story of a night which is dark, terrifying, lonely yet warm and full of love. Love which exists between its characters that we see and the ones we do not.

Supriya and Kishore are two souls in the twilight of their lives, Supriya being a retired teacher and her husband Kishore a retired railway’s officer. Having lived a quiet life in various cities over various transfers, they are now settled in their own house.

But there is someone else who is a part of their life now. Bittu, the 19 year old daughter of Supriya’s elder sister is living with them. Her presence in their life creates a dilemma they both are unable to solve.

The story unfolds as the night progresses, sharing with us the vulnerabilities of the human heart, how it falls prey to attachment, and asks us to think about the meaning of sacrifice.

9:00 PM: Feature Film: As Dusk Falls

Director: Jaskirat Singh
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Shahbaz Bajwa, Mohinder Kaur Gujral, Shalini Sharma
Run time: 21 minutes 30 seconds
Language: Punjabi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

The promise of a bigger and better life in Canada where his older brother has already settled has long inundated the dreams of Navraj, a young Punjabi man in Chandigarh. But when his long-awaited visa finally gets approved, he realizes the cost of leaving home may be far greater than he ever anticipated. More than leaving behind his friends, he cannot bear to break the news to his beloved grandmother who adoringly depends on him.

9:00 PM: Feature Film: hush-hush

Director: Manahar Kumar
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Run time: 12 minutes 26 seconds
Language: English
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

Innovative ideas fail as a Philosophy professor finds the courage to tell his wife a hidden secret before their 5th anniversary.

9:00 PM: Feature Film: Simple Manusan

Director: Haran & Shobaan
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Hindravel Chandra Bose, Mogan Chandra Dass, Shamini Ramasamy Braima Sivagnanam
Run time: 1 Hour 59 minutes
Language: Tamil
Year Made: 2024
Country: Malaysia

9:00 PM: Feature Film: Loop Line

Director: Renuka Shahane
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Mitalee Jagtap, Anand Alkunte
Run time: 8 minutes 18 seconds
Language: Marathi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

In the heart of Mumbai, a middle- aged Maharashtrian housewife, endures her husband's chauvinism and the tedium of her relentless chores. She finds solace in her rich fantasies. Her husband's departure for work allows her to reduce the pace of her work a little, but his return with misogynistic colleagues shatters her peace. After a particularly demeaning remark from her husband, she fantasizes about serving them " Brain pakoras" made from her brain. These flights of fancy are her only escape from the monotonous rhythm of her domestic life. These breaks are unfortunately all too brief as she has to quickly return to her daily grind, akin to the city's lifeline, the local train, enduring and unnoticed.

9:00 PM: Feature Film: Memories Of A Kiss

Director: Aakash Prabhakar, Harsh Agarwal, Aditya Grover
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Run time: 29 Minutes
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2025
Country: India

Synopsis:

Memories of a Kiss captures the tender reunion of Anand and Khushi, two former lovers who unexpectedly cross paths in their hometown of Jabalpur. Through playful banter, shared nostalgia, and quiet silences, they gradually uncover the reason behind their abrupt separation years ago—gently finding their way back to understanding, forgiveness, and emotional healing.

9:15 PM: Feature Film: RipTide

Director: Afrad VK
Location: Theatre 3, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Swalah Rahman, Faris Hind, Charlie Jean-Guillaume Le Bouffo, Shafeeque Kodinjhi
Run time: 1 hour 23 minutes
Language: Hindi, English
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

As college life comes to a close, roommates and lovers Suku and Charlie prepare to part ways. They spend their final days together drinking on the beach, discussing literature, making love and taking long drives down deserted roads. A health emergency forces Suku to leave town early, and when he returns following a near-death experience, he finds Charlie leading a spectral existence, intimate to him but invisible to everyone else.

9:30 PM: Feature Film: The Tiger

Director: Nikhil Mahajan
Location: Theatre 4, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Jitendra Joshi, Mukta Barve, Priyadarshan Jadhav, Sonalee Kulkarni, Mallaikotai Vaaliban, Sagar, Deshmukh, Mrunmayee Deshpande, Mohit Takalkar, Rashmi Agdekar .
Run time: 2 hours 12 mins
Language: English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu
Year Made: 2024
Country: India

Synopsis:

In the heart of the deep forest, a timeless battle brews between greed and preservation, capitalism and conservation. Brave officers face off against a cunning mafia in a struggle that transcends mere human conflict. But as the jungle's very soul hangs in the balance, will they stand united to protect the delicate harmony between humanity and wildlife?

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