April 05, 2006

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MIXED DOUBLES” TO CLOSE INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
OF LOS ANGELES

IFFLA also Announces Deluxe Labs One-on-One Discussions
Animation and Financial Seminar schedule
Mario Van Peebles amongst the jury
Festival to be broadcast live on BroadRelay's new Hindi Channel

April 5, 2006 ( Los Angeles, CA) - Rajat Kapoor's comedy MIXED DOUBLES will close the 4th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) on Sunday, April 23, it was announced by Festival Director, Christina Marouda. Kapoor who also directed the Award winning “Raghu Romeo,” will be in attendance along with cast member Rani Shorey and producer Sunil Doshi.

At the Gala Reception following, popular DJ Cheb I Sabbah will perform along with double electric violinist virtuoso Gingger Shankar (“The Passion of the Christ”) and Indo-Jazz tabla player Satnam Ramgotra accompanied by the Taal Dance Company at the Ivar Club.

MIXED DOUBLES, which premiered recently at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, is a comical look at when a husband tries to spice up his ten-year old marriage that has become boring. After responding to "“Personal” ads", he has to convince his wife to participate.

“This is an important film to come out of India today,” commented Marouda. “It challenges the status quo escapism of Bollywood fare and wittily serves as a social commentary on India's middle class.”

At the same time, Marouda announced that the Audience Choice Award and the Jury Awards for Best Feature, Best Short, and Best Documentary will be presented at the Closing Night ceremonies.

Leading the features jury is MARIO VAN PEEBLES along with Hollywood Foreign Press journalist ERSI DANOU and KATHERINE HABER, one of the founding BAFTA LA members. On the documentary jury is Executive Director of the International Documentary Association (IDA) SANDRA RUCH, award-winning filmmaker JESSICA SANDERS (After Innocence) and VEENA HARIHARAN from USC School of Cinema and Television. The shorts committee consists of filmmaker ANURAG KASHYAP (Black Friday), producer GINA KWON (Me and You and Everyone We Know) and MIKE GOODRIDGE, US Editor of Screen International.

IFFLA's seminars this year will focus on the fast growing animation sector of the Indian entertainment industry with leading executives from the US and India, as well as on film financing through co-productions, tax incentives and pre-sales between India and the US.

This year Deluxe Labs will be sponsoring the “One-on-One conversations, which provides an opportunity for the festivals filmmakers to meet informally with industry professionals. Participants include producer BRIAN AVERY from the Yari Film Group, BRINDA BHATT from United Talent Agency, UDY EPSTEIN, producer, Seventh Art Releasing, ERIKA L. GREEN, director of acquisitions of Oxygen Media, JESUS DI SICCA, Business & Legal Affairs, Buena Vista International, and DAVID TAGHIOFF from William Morris. 

All the festival activities will be broadcast live for the first time by BroadRelay on the worldwide web during the premiere launch of the Hindi Channel in April. Using the power of the high-speed Internet BroadRelay brings video entertainment, news and other rich media content from around the world. BroadRelay Holdings, Inc. is the parent company of BroadRelay, Inc., a Philadelphia-based technology, media and entertainment company bringing world entertainment via broadband Internet to ethnic and non-English speaking US residents via SIVOO.  

Further highlights of IFFLA 2006 include:

Seminar 1 on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 2:00pm
THE INDIAN ANIMATION INDUSTRY: Pencils to Pixels to Prominence
Panelists will include: GOTHAM CHOPRA, Co-Founder & COO Virgin Animation, India
RICHARD RICH, President, RichCrest Animation Studios ( Div. Crest Animation, India) , KAREN MALACH, 3D Development Producer, DisneyToon Studios / Walt Disney, MIKE YOUNG, Co-Founder & CO-CEO, Mike Young Productions
Moderator: KEN SILVERMAN, President & CEO, Interactive Teamworks

Seminar 2 on Saturday, April 22, 2006, 4:00pm
FILM FINANCING 101
Panelists will include: CHARLES HEAPHY, Vice President & Senior Relationship Manager, City National Bank, ANDREW SPAULDING, Executive Vice-President, Echo Lake Productions, GREG TRATTNER, Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, Film Finances, HARRIS E. TULCHIN, CEO/President, Harris Tulchin & Associates.
Moderator: GARY RASKIN, Founding Partner, Raskin Peter Rubin & Simon  

Friday, April 21, 2006, 11am-2pm
ONE-ON-ONE Sponsored by Deluxe Labs IFFLA brings together an eclectic mix of industry professionals for informal 15-mins meetings with its participating filmmakers. The objective is to provide a platform for both communities to foster relationships that will inspire creativity.

Participants include:

Festival Partners: ArcLight Cinemas, Pixion Studios; Festival Affiliate: AFI FEST; Grand Sponsors: Air India, Chakra Cuisine, Deluxe Labs, Los Angeles Recording School, Masala Bowl, Raskin Peter Rubin & Simon, Western Liquors, Ziba Beauty Center; Opening Night Media Sponsor: The Hollywood Reporter; Major Sponsors: Avid Technology Inc, Broad Relay, Fuji Film USA Inc., Indian Medical Association of Greater Los Angeles, TiE-Southern California, Wells Fargo Bank; Media Sponsors: KPFK, LA18, LA Weekly

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is the only film festival in North America dedicated entirely to presenting the cinema of India - the world's most prolific motion picture industry - by showcasing features, documentaries and short films from and about India.

Tickets for IFFLA are on sale at ArcLight Hollywood's box office, located at 6360 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, and online at: www.arclightcinemas.com . Ticket prices are $11 for general admission and $9 for discounted admissions (students, seniors, and AFI and ArcLight members). Gala ticket prices are $60 each for Opening and Closing nights and $25 for the Tribute on April 21. Festival Passes are priced at $75 for the Fest Pass (includes all regular screenings), and $200 for the All-Access Pass (includes all screenings, Galas and Seminars).

Both passes offer access to the festival's Cinema Lounge.

For more information on IFFLA please go to www.indianfilmfestival.org.

IFFLA 2006 runs April 19-23, presented by the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization devoted to paving the way for a greater appreciation of India's cinema and diverse culture by providing the public with a selection of films from and about India by Indian and international filmmakers.

About ArcLight Cinemas
ArcLight Cinemas, created by Pacific Theatres, represents a new evolution in the movie going experience. The beautifully designed flagship facility in Hollywood, which opened in March 2002, offers an unprecedented combination of technology, amenities, comfort, and customer service. Facilities include the historic Cinerama Dome and 14 state-of-the-art "black box" auditoriums as well as a café bar and a cinema-focused gift shop. Tickets can be purchased online without a fee and printed at home, at the theaters automated ticketing kiosks, lobby box office and over the phone. Plus, ArcLight offers a free membership program with purchasing rewards and other members-only benefits. ArcLight Hollywood is located at 6360 W. Sunset Boulevard, between Vine and Ivar. For more information about ArcLight, visit www.arclightcinemas.com.

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