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Wednesday, April 20
7:00pm

Opening Night Gala

BLACK, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. BLACK is a cathartic tale of a deaf, mute and blind girl, and her teacher who brings a ray of light into her world.

Reception to follow at IVAR on 6356 Hollywood Blvd.

IFFLA will present Shankar and Gingger with the 1st Annual Cinematic Scoring Achievement Award for their compositional contributions on films like PASSION OF CHRIST and 2005 Academy Award winning documentary BORN INTO BROTHELS.
For more information on Shankar & Gingger please visit www.shankarandgingger.com. Also featuring an eclectic DJ set by Tej Gill.

Thursday, April 21
4:30pm

A BREATH (SHWAAS)
A young boy is diagnosed with a debilitating form of eye cancer and his grandfather struggles with two unbearable choices: allowing the deadly cancer to spread, or surgery that will leave him blind.

7:00pm

WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THESE?
An in-depth and gripping view into the world of three young people impacted by the federal policy of Special Registration and post 9/11 prejudice.

Q&A with director Theresa Thanjan

LITIGATING DISASTER
Litigating Disaster revisits the haunting tragedy of a disastrous gas leak that occurred in the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, India on December 3, 1984. Indian-American lawyer, Rajan Sharma, presents chilling evidence on behalf of the victims that begs the question: How is it possible that after two decades, no justice has been served and people continue to suffer?

9:00pm

EMPTY CANVAS (SHUNYO É BUKEY)
An artist falls in love with the physical embodiment of the ideal Indian beauty, but upon marrying discovers that she doesn't quite measure up to his expectations.

Q&A with director Kaushik Ganguly

Friday, April 22
5:00pm

EMPTY CANVAS (SHUNYO É BUKEY)
An artist falls in love with the physical embodiment of the ideal Indian beauty, but upon marrying discovers that she doesn't quite measure up to his expectations.

Q&A with director Kaushik Ganguly

6:30pm

BLACK FRIDAY
Black Friday is a film about the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Bombay, from the perspective of the conspirators and the police detectives investigating them.

9:30pm

THE JOURNEY (SANCHARRAM)
A lesbian relationship burgeons between two friends in a South Indian village.

Q&A with director, Ligy J. Pullappaly

Saturday, April 23
12:00pm

Children's Program 1

RAJU & I
Young Atul takes his carefree childhood and education for granted until a walk home from school opens his eyes to the problems of less privileged children coping with poverty, abuse, and exploitation.

TORA'S LOVE (TORA)
One small girl teaches the elders around her a valuable lesson in compassion after friends and neighbors fail to resolve a feud.

2:00pm

Shorts Program

AMAL
A humble autorickshaw driver, content with his place in the world has his faith challenged by a mysterious old man.

MAYA - THE INDIAN PRINCESS
Maya finds that everything she needs to transform into an Indian princess can be found at home.

VIVA LIBERTY!
In this dark comedy, a British Muslim's holiday in the US of A takes a detour to a detention camp.

MULIT
This musical extravaganza channels the glory of 1970s Bollywood with a dazzling tale of a local hairdresser who invents the infamous mullet.

SYSTEM OF UNITS
In the near future, the only legitimate form of existence is online. In a world where verbal communication is outdated and emotions do not compute, one man looks to the old ways to understand and express his feelings for a woman.

DON'T SEARCH THE GARDENS (BAAGON NA JAA)
Singer Shubha Mudgal beautifully interprets the lyrics of medieval poet Kabir in a music video that urges us to look within to find a love that transcends all barriers.

ELEPHANT BOY
A disabled boy on the streets of Mumbai is forced to beg for the profit of others. One day he escapes the harsh city for a place that is not quite home, but which offers respite.

THE FRIEND
The colorful animated tale of a princess who learns the true meaning of friendship from a frog.

GIDOO'S COSMIC CRISIS
Convinced that he will die the following morning, Gidoo attempts to change his destiny by altering the alignment of the stars.

Q&A with filmmakers Richie Mehta, Dishad Husain, Shivani Khanna, René Mohandas, Durdana Shaikh, Shi Narayan and Patralekha Mukherjee.

5:00pm

LITTLE TERRORIST
A young Muslim boy from Pakistan inadvertently crosses the border into India where he finds an unlikely ally- a Hindu man who provides refuge from soldiers searching for the "terrorist" who has crossed over.

GANGES: RIVER TO HEAVEN
People gather at the bank of the Ganges River seeking healing, purification and vitality- but for residents of a nearby hospice, the Ganges represents a pathway to heaven and a release from suffering.

Q&A with director Gayle Ferraro
Presented by the International Documentary Association (IDA)

7:00pm

PAGE 3
A novice journalist ventures into the glamorous world of India's socialites and celebrities and uncovers its dark side.

Q&A with director Madhur Bhandarkar

7:30pm

BREAKING THE FUTURE (DOORBREEK DE TOEKOMST)
Grass roots organizations like the Kabir Foundation, Muskan Foundation and Barefoot College adopt traditional Indian art forms as tools for social change and education among India's poor and illiterate to counter the prevailing view that "you are born to do what you must do".

THE NEW HEROES: INDIA, WITH ROBERT REDFORD
An individual with an idea and the skills to implement that idea can bring about enormous change to the lives of the less fortunate. Three such individuals in India are combating slavery, poverty and blindness against all odds.

Q&A with directors Louis Spoelstra and Carl Byker, as well as David Green and Sally Osberg, President of the Skoll Foundation.

10:00pm

KESARIYA BALAM
A woman's beauty transforms, intensifies and eventually fades - yet, Sandeep Chowta's unique musical blend of traditional Indian song and the ethereal voice of singer Soumya Raoh linger.

GANGES DREAMING
Take a surreal journey alongside the Ganges River and through the streets of Varanasi where random images and events unfold to the hypnotic sounds of Karsh Kale.

ASIAN VIBES BOMBAY
In today's Bombay what was old is made new again as an emerging DJ culture remixes Bollywood film music with dance beats and electronic rhythms creating a hybrid that bridges generation gaps and dominates popular music charts.

SUNSET BOLLYWOOD
What happens when you become an overnight sensation in Bollywood and then cannot maintain your star status? This documentary examines the rise, fall and continuous struggle of a few stellar performers who fell from grace.

Q&A with directors Eric Hiss and Komal Tolani.
Presented by Masttones and Hollywood Masala

Sunday, April 24
12:15pm

Children's Program 2

THE BLIND CAMEL (HEDA HODA)
A young boy pitches in when his father falls ill by taking the camels out to graze. When the animals wander toward the Pakistani border, he must navigate bureaucratic hurdles to get them back.

1:00pm

THE JOURNEY (SANCHARRAM)
A lesbian relationship burgeons between two friends in a South Indian village.

Q&A with director, Ligy J. Pullappaly

3:00pm

HALF TRUTH (ARDH SATYA)
A salute to Amrish Puri (1932- 2005) who portrays the brutal father of an idealistic police officer butting heads with an ineffectual system that renders him powerless against corrupt a gangster/politician.

6:00pm

Closing Night Gala

HARI OM
An autorickshaw driver and a French tourist set out on a cross-cultural journey through Rajasthan as he eludes gangsters and she attempts to catch a glimpse of the "real" India.

Reception to follow at SIR on 6465 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA 90028.

Live performances by TAAL Dance Company, international renowned world music artist Girish, and an eclectic DJ set by Tej Gill.

 

© Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, 2002-2008