CHICAGO: The 2014 Chicago South Asian Film Festival, presented by Zee Cinema, treated film enthusiasts and artists alike to a weekend of art, culture and entertainment in mid September at the Showplace ICON Theater in South Loop and the Evanston Public Library.
The fifth annual festival kicked off the four-day event with opening night on Thursday, September 18. Over the next three days, the Festival showcased over 30 carefully curated shorts, documentaries and feature independent films, red carpet events, after parties, VIP dinners and the especially enjoyable post film discussions with the actors, directors and producers of films like Liar’s Dice, Monsoon Shootout, Brahmin Bulls, Algorithms, M Cream and Ankhon Dekhi.
On the heels of a successful four-day event, the Festival proudly shared the news of its opening night film and the film that it premiered in Chicago, Liar’s Dice, as India’s official submission to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the Oscar’s foreign language category. Algorithms, another audience favorite, has been nominated for the Grierson Award, the most prestigious documentary awards in the UK, for Best Newcomer Documentary.
Several notable filmmakers and actors were in attendance throughout the weekend to support the best of multicultural cinema. Those present included: Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Liar’s Dice, Monsoon Shootout, The Lunchbox, Gangs of Wasseypur), Rajat Kapoor (Ankhon Dekhi, Dil Chahta Hai, Monsoon Wedding), Imaad Shah (M Cream, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Tasher Desh), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Brahmin Bulls, Heros, Covert Affairs, Beauty and the Beast), Ian MacDonald (Algorithms), Mahesh Pailoor (Brahmin Bulls), Manish Mundra (Liar’s Dice), Ric Gazarian (Hit The Road India), Shahnawa Zali (Mohammad), Ashok Vish (Boy Named Boris), and Sai Prasad (Color of War) Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed, was in attendance as well.
The 5th annual event introduced the South Asian Films in America (SAFA) Awards to recognize South Asian films and talent and honor the achievements that they have made to the art of cinema on a platform that is exclusive to Chicago. On opening night, the first SAFA Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement was presented to independent film circuit favorite and now the lead actor in an Oscar submission, Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
A diverse selection of short films, documentaries and features whose themes explored topics from women’s and LGBTQ issues to politics to the dynamics of human emotions brought multitudes to Showplace ICON Theater and Evanston Public Library. The Festival presented multiple World, U.S. and Chicago premieres.
Chicago South Asian Film Festival is dedicated to fostering a diverse cinematic experience through South Asian films.
The Festival was founded in 2010 and is organized by the Chicago South Asian Arts Council Inc. The Festival is held in late September and includes a stellar selection of films and guests, panel discussions, opportunities for filmmakers and film lovers to connect, musical performances, tributes to major artists and galas.
In 2014, the Festival introduced the South Asian Films in America (SAFA) Awards, an Award honoring South Asian Films and Artists exclusively in Chicago.
India Post News Service
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