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:
11:00 AM: Feature Film: Babli By Night
Director: Neel Soni
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Run time: 24 minutes 23 seconds
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
Babban, a Muslim, transgender forest guard navigates life in a rural Indian forest with a family that doesn't understand them, with animals that may be the only hope and an unexpected HIV diagnosis.
11:00 AM: Feature Film: Mic Drop
Director: Kallol Mukherjee
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: FPC ANK
Run time: 27 minutes
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
In a region where the native language is often overlooked, a young Bundelkhandi (a tribal dialect) rapper from Madhya Pradesh, India works tirelessly on his first album. As he faces financial struggles and a lack of resources, the question remains: will he be able to make it and at what cost?
An electrifying performance by Ankit ignites the stage, leaving the audience in awe. But when the organizer refuses to pay them the next day, Ankit's disappointment turns into determination. Without hesitation, he revs up his bike and races towards the city. Arriving at a friend's house, they transform the bedroom into a makeshift recording studio. Ankit changes his clothes and with each layer of clothing replaced, a common guy sheds his former self and wears his new identity: FPC ANK, The Bundelkhandi Rapper. The documentary delves deep into FPC ANK's world, exposing his tenacity and unwavering passion as he tirelessly works on his debut album to tell the stories of his people. The film takes a behind-the-scenes approach, capturing his artistic process from the initial stage of inspiration to producing a music video from his debut album through all the frugal ways! With every moment, the audience is left on the edge of their seats, eagerly wondering: Will FPC ANK make it after all?
11:00 AM: Feature Film: P for Paparazzi
Director: Divya Kharnare
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Manoj Mahara
Run time: 26 minutes 40 seconds
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
Amidst the chaos of flashing lights and crazy crowds, Manoj, an established Paparazzi from Nepal, faces off against fellow photographers in a high-stakes race to capture the most sensational photos. Despite his years of experience and connections with celebrities, Manoj confronts the harsh reality of his brother's deteriorating health.
Will the connections be enough to secure the funds needed for his brother's treatment, or will he find himself facing a solitary battle for survival?
11:00 AM: Feature Film: Where the Light Enters You
Director: Hemal Trivedi, Matt Alesevich
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: FPC ANK
Run time: 27 minutes
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
In the wake of personal loss, an unexpected sisterhood unites an ambitious New York med student with a spirited girl from a nomadic tribe in India.
11:15 AM: Feature Film: Turtle Walker
Director: Taira
Location: Theatre 3, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Run time: 1 Hour 15 minutes
Language: English , Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
In the late 1970s, Satish Bhaskar embarked on an epic journey along India's coastline and the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where he uncovered the vital nesting beaches ofsea turtles. During his death-defying quest, he unravels mysteries surrounding these enigmatic ocean creatures – and sets out to save them from extinction. After a devastating tsunami strikes in 2004, Bhaskar grapples with a pressing question: What happens to sea turtles when their nesting beaches disappear?
11:30 AM: Feature Film: Parab
Director: Chinmay Das
Location: Theatre 4, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Anu Choudhury, Choudhury Jayaprakash Das
Run time: 2 hr 05 minutes
Language: Odia
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
-Why do borders divide us when humanity unites us? "PARAB", a story of hope, resilience, and unity!
2:00 PM: Feature Film: Sunday Special
Director: Abhilash Shetty
Location: Theatre 5, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Samrudhi Kundapura, Sanidhya Acharya, Radha Ramachandra, Prabhakar Kunder
Run time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Language: Kannada
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
On the day of Gandhi Jayanti, when meat sale is prohibited nationwide, an 11-year-old girl goes on a quirky adventure in pursuit of a forbidden chicken curry.
2:15 PM: Feature Film: Parikrama
Director: Goutam Ghose
Location: Theatre 3, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Chitrangda Singh, Marco Leonadri, Aaryan Badkul, Emanuele Esposito
Run time: 1 Hour 54 minutes
Language: English, Hindi, Italian
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
The narrative in Parikrama travels through multiple spaces and times, through parallel experiences of its twin protagonists that criss-cross each other, though they come from worlds apart. Alessandro is an Italian writer filmmaker making a film on Narmada Parikrama. An age old pilgrimage along the holy river Narmada.During the cinematic journey Alessandro meets a village boy Lala, who fled home to secure dignity and land for his displaced peasant family. Lala is almost at the same age as his son Francesco who lost his mother in the recent past. The narrative unfolds the story of two boys,one without his mother,the other without his motherland. Alessandro’s narrative takes a new turn as the river Narmada flows by.
2:30 PM: Feature Film: Village Rockstars 2
Director: Rima Das
Location: Theatre 4, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Bhanita Das, Basanti Das, Junumoni Boro, Boloram Das, Manabendra Das, Bhaskar Das
Run time: 1 Hour 48 minutes
Language: Assamese
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
In a charming village, a teenage girl passionately pursues her musical dream. However, life's harsh realities challenge her innocence. As she faces these trials, she embarks on a journey to rediscover the profound connection between music and life, seeking a new harmony in the symphony of her dreams.
3:00 PM: Feature Film: The Ancient
Director: Suman Ghosh
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Sharmila Tagore, Rituparna Sengupta, Indraneil Sengupta.
Run time: 1 Hour 40 minutes
Language: Bengali with English Subtitles+
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
Rittika returns to her ancestral house with her husband Rajeev to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday. After reaching her house she finds that her mother is not the same as she had always believed her to be. Initially jolted with this realization, she slowly comes to terms with her condition and its irreversibility. Through her mother she comes to change her perspective on life and being. What seemed like an ostensibly routine and ritualistic event turns to a larger metaphysical enquiry into human existence and how the past dictates our current state. The film deftly braids in questions of failing memory, cherishing the past, a fear of obsolescence and reconciliation into a haunting, moving story that is at its heart about burying the ghosts of the past in order to make peace with what has happened so that one can move on.
5:30 PM: Feature Film: Little Thomas
Director: Kaushal Oza
Starring: Rasika Dugal, Gulshan Devaiah, Hridansh Parekh
Run time: 2 hour 5 minutes
Language: Hindi, English
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
Seven year old Thomas, the only child of his parents, desperately wants a little brother. One day, he is told that to get a baby brother his parents will have to kiss. Since his quarrelling parents won't kiss any longer, little Thomas takes it upon himself to make them do the yucky act!
9:00 PM: Feature Film: Humans In The Loop
Director: Aranya Sahay
Location: Theatre 2, Village East by Angelika, New York, NY
Starring: Ridhima Singh, Geeta Guha, Anurag Lugun
Run time: 1 Hour 14 minutes
Language: Hindi
Year Made: 2024
Country: India
Synopsis:
An indigenous/ tribal woman begins interacting with artificial intelligence while working at a data centre in remote Jharkhand (an indigenous province of India).
Nehma, an indigenous woman from the Oraon tribe, returns to her village with her children Dhaanu (12) and Guntu(1), after her divorce. She begins to work as a data labeller, training the ‘childlike’ AI models to differentiate objects. While Nehma faces the challenge of giving Dhaanu - forever tempted to flee back to the city - a reason to stay, she also notices AI adopting harmful human biases, echoing prejudices against her own community.
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