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April 24, 2005 TOP AUDIENCEAWARD GOES TO HARI OM JURY GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS BLACK FRIDAY April 24, 2005 (Los Angeles) - The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles concluded tonight with HARI OM, director Bharatbala was in attendance, at ArcLight Hollywood with a Gala reception at SIR that included performances by Taal Dance Company, www.taaldance.com, international renowned world music artist Girish, www.girishmusic.com, and an eclectic DJ set by Tej Gill, www.gillometermusic.com, one of LA's emerging South Asian artists. Although official attendance figures are still being tabulated, festival organizers have seen a 15% increase in Box Office receipts over the previous year and many of the films were sold out. Festival Director Christina Marouda said, "Over the past five days, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from filmmakers, audiences, sponsors and press. IFFLA 2005 has been extremely successful on every level." IFFLA 2005 kicked off on Wednesday, April 20, with the Hollywood Premiere of BLACK, directed by internationally renowned filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The festival showcased 30 films including 11 US Premieres and 5 World Premieres with many of the filmmakers and actors in attendance. The director of the controversial film BLACK FRIDAY, Anurag Kashyap, surprised the festival audience by attending the Centerpiece gala screening and engaging with them in lively conversation afterwards. JURY AWARDS DRAMATIC FEATURE COMPETITION GRAND JURY PRIZE BLACK FRIDAY directed by Anurag Kashyap Jurors: Mira Advani-Honeycutt, Peggy Rajski and Cheng-Sim Lim Jury statement: "In recognizing this years winner, the dramatic feature jury wanted to be as poetic as the film that it is recognizing and are afraid we'll come up short." "This years winner displayed original storytelling, innovative cinematic technique and boldness of vision in tackling a complicated social issue. It told a story with multiple and conflicting points of view and did it without ever being judgmental. The film commands admiration from us as filmgoers and human beings. This years award goes to BLACK FRIDAY." DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION GRAND JURY PRIZE WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THESE? Directed by Theresa Thanjan Jurors: Noel de Souza, Parminder Nagra, and Vinay Lal SHORTS COMPETITION GRAND JURY PRIZE AMAL Directed by Richie Mehta Jurors: Gotham Chopra, Paul Wolansky and Catherine Park AUDIENCE AWARDS Whose Children Are These? (Dir: Theresa Thanjan/USA/2004/27 min/Beta SP)BEST FEATURE FILM BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM BEST SHORT FILM CHILDREN'S STORYBOARD CONTEST WINNERS 8 - 12 category 13 - 17 category Now in it's third year IFFLA, April 20-24, 2005, 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. IFFLA is the first U.S. festival dedicated entirely to showcasing Indian cinema and culture. For more information go to our website: www.indianfilmfestival.org. IFFLA thanks our sponsors: ### |