By A STAFF REPORTER
LOS ANGELES, CA - The 16th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles concluded on April 15 with a red carpet and gala that featured the Los Angeles premiere and official Hollywood Foreign Press Association screening of Rima Das’s ‘Village Rockstars,’ one of the most lauded Indian films on the festival circuit.
LOS ANGELES, CA - The 16th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles concluded on April 15 with a red carpet and gala that featured the Los Angeles premiere and official Hollywood Foreign Press Association screening of Rima Das’s ‘Village Rockstars,’ one of the most lauded Indian films on the festival circuit.
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It also just took home four top awards at the recently announced National Film Awards in India, including Best Feature Film. IFFLA’s screening of the film was also selected by the HFPA as a Golden Globes-qualifying screening.
‘Village Rockstars’ took home the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature. In awarding the prize, the narrative jury stated: This film explores gender expectations in a gentle manner. It blends beautiful cinematography with naturalistic performances in a fun and uplifting coming-of age story. Working as a one woman army, this director created an unforgettable portrait of childhood. The 16th annual fest took place April 11-15 at the Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center, here. This year the festival featured four world premieres, three North American premieres, two U.S. premieres, and 14 Los Angeles premieres. The lineup represented an impressive 12 languages and a strong list of first and second time filmmakers, including 11 female filmmakers.
The final evening also featured the presentation of the festival’s Grand Jury and Audience Choice Awards presented by HBO. A special jury mention was made for Sushama Deshpande’s performance in ‘Ajji.’ The jury said: Taking on difficult characters is always a challenge for an actor. It takes courage to humanize and portray a role that breaks the stereotypes. This actress demonstrated undeniable talent and commitment to deliver an authentic and grounded performance.
The Grand Jury Prize for Best Short was presented to ‘The Caregiver,’ directed by Ruthy Pribar. The jury explained, “a film that we loved for its elegant representation of the nuances between compassion and survival, and for its understated yet decisive storytelling.”
A special jury mention was made for ‘Counterfeit Kunkoo,’ which the jury called “an incredible short film about apartment hunting in Mumbai that not only manages to be well-paced, gripping and bold but also a heart-wrenching perspective into gender inequality in metropolitan India.” The audiences at this year’s IFFLA chose ‘Take Off’ directed by Mahesh Narayanan as their favorite narrative feature film of the festival. ‘Lovesick’ directed by Priya Giri Desai and Ann S. Kim took the Audience Award for Best Documentary and ‘An Essasy of the rain’ directed by Nagraj Manjule was chosen as Best Short.
The members of the jury: Film critic Carlos Aguilar, Director Haifaa Al-mansour and actor Sujata Day for the narrative section and for the shorts: Producer Giulia Caruso, Director Aneesh Chaganty and Screenwriter Guinevere Turner.
‘Village Rockstars’ took home the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature. In awarding the prize, the narrative jury stated: This film explores gender expectations in a gentle manner. It blends beautiful cinematography with naturalistic performances in a fun and uplifting coming-of age story. Working as a one woman army, this director created an unforgettable portrait of childhood. The 16th annual fest took place April 11-15 at the Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center, here. This year the festival featured four world premieres, three North American premieres, two U.S. premieres, and 14 Los Angeles premieres. The lineup represented an impressive 12 languages and a strong list of first and second time filmmakers, including 11 female filmmakers.
The final evening also featured the presentation of the festival’s Grand Jury and Audience Choice Awards presented by HBO. A special jury mention was made for Sushama Deshpande’s performance in ‘Ajji.’ The jury said: Taking on difficult characters is always a challenge for an actor. It takes courage to humanize and portray a role that breaks the stereotypes. This actress demonstrated undeniable talent and commitment to deliver an authentic and grounded performance.
The Grand Jury Prize for Best Short was presented to ‘The Caregiver,’ directed by Ruthy Pribar. The jury explained, “a film that we loved for its elegant representation of the nuances between compassion and survival, and for its understated yet decisive storytelling.”
A special jury mention was made for ‘Counterfeit Kunkoo,’ which the jury called “an incredible short film about apartment hunting in Mumbai that not only manages to be well-paced, gripping and bold but also a heart-wrenching perspective into gender inequality in metropolitan India.” The audiences at this year’s IFFLA chose ‘Take Off’ directed by Mahesh Narayanan as their favorite narrative feature film of the festival. ‘Lovesick’ directed by Priya Giri Desai and Ann S. Kim took the Audience Award for Best Documentary and ‘An Essasy of the rain’ directed by Nagraj Manjule was chosen as Best Short.
The members of the jury: Film critic Carlos Aguilar, Director Haifaa Al-mansour and actor Sujata Day for the narrative section and for the shorts: Producer Giulia Caruso, Director Aneesh Chaganty and Screenwriter Guinevere Turner.
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