Why an Independent Film Festival?
The cinema is truth 24 frames per second.
Our culture and heritage are integral parts of our identity. Therefore, in an attempt to explain who we are, we feel the urge to explain our culture to others. In this post-modern world, where every aspect of our life and our world is so fragmented, understanding our culture has actually become a necessity, because it gives us a sense of belonging. This urge to understand and explain who we are is significantly stronger when we are in a foreign land, where we often find ourselves trying to hold on to whatever we have carried with us from our homelands. Where, as socially conscious people, one of our prime duties is to acquaint the second generation of non-residents with their roots. Because, unless we understand ourselves and be proud of where we come from, we can never completely come to terms with ourselves; we remain only half-evolved.
NJISACF is what started as a sincere attempt by a handful of socially committed individuals to bring to the substantial population of South Asians residing in the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania tri-state area a taste and an awareness of their roots, through films. South Asian films have, in the recent few years, made a ubiquitous mark throughout the world. However, instead of the large banner mainstream films which at times keep on churning the old formulae, relying on what has been historically known to have worked, NJISACF decided to focus on independent films. These films are by fearless and talented individuals who have attempted to voice their concerns and their view of the world in terms of films in which the personal creative vision is maintained. We feel a need to celebrate these voices because these are the ones more rooted to reality. Though some festivals in New York offer a wide range of South Asian Independent films for the New York audience, not many viewers from New Jersey or Pennsylvania find it feasible to venture out to the city to watch those films. We endeavor to reach out to these viewers, and our growing popularity is an indication of the fact that a festival of this kind was much needed.
Our Films
For selecting the films to be screened at the film festival, we go through a unique and rigorous process: first, we send out our call for submission to a number of film schools, entertainment and film magazines and newspapers all over the world. Once we start receiving submissions, one or more NJISACF representatives in each of the various South Asian countries and in the UK preview the film-submissions they get, judge them based on artistic and technical qualities, and make up a shortlist. The list is sent send to the film selection committee in the USA. At the same time, we also send out invitations to a few chosen established and renowned filmmakers, requesting them to submit their latest works or works that have received critical acclaim at other international film festivals. Finally, the film selection committee in the USA prepares a final list out of all the film-submissions they receive (including films from USA and Canada), adhering to strict evaluation guidelines. This is how we guarantee a high artistic quality of the films screened at the festival. All our representatives in the various South Asian countries and in the UK are eminent filmmakers, film critics and film school instructors.
Films showcased in our inaugural year included:
- “Little Terrorist,” an Oscar-nominated short film from India;
- “Cosmopolitan”, a comedy shot in USA, starring Roshan Seth and Madhur Jaffrey;
- US premier of one of the brightest uprising talent of Indian cinema Konkona Sen Sharma’s debut directorial venture, “Naamkoron/ Naming Ceremony”;
- US premiere of Sonali Kulkarni’s Marathi film “Restaurant”;
- US premier of “Forever Flows”/ Nirontor” from Bangladesh, which won the Best Feature Film award at Kerala International Film Festival, 2006, and Goa International Film Festival, 2006;
- “Tales of the Night Fairies”, a groundbreaking documentary by academic activist Shohini Ghosh about the struggles of a collective of about 60,000 sex workers in West Bengal;
- “Viva Liberty” ( UK) and “Divided We Fall” (USA), both dealing with the aftermath of 9/11;
- “Bombay Calling”, a probing documentary from Canada on call centers in India;
- Award-winning “No More Tears, Sister” on the life of a human rights activist in Sri Lanka;
- “Dancing Kathmandu” a documentary feature from Nepal;
- A narrative short film “The Goodbye Man” from Pakistan.
