This year’s Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) commemorates the 50th anniversary of director Bimal Roy’s death with a restored version tribute screening of his film Sujata. Roy was known for and influenced Indian film with his realistic and socialistic style. Sujata, starring Sunil Dutt and Nutan with music by S.D. Burman, explores and criticizes caste discrimination, social expectations and bigotry through the story of a family who adopts an orphaned baby girl.
IFFLA is in its fourteenth year, and was founded in 2003 by Christina Marouda, who grew up in Crete watching Indian films and later worked in Hollywood where she established the festival in response to a lack of a platform there for Indian films. From April 6-10 the festival screens short and feature films at the Arclight Cinema Hollywood, opening tonight with Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Goddesses and closing Sunday with Anu Menon’s Waiting. For complete film event and ticket details, check the 2016 film guide.
With a record number of feature filmmakers in attendance this year, a filmmaker roundtable event on April 9 will present ten directors discussing the state of independent Indian cinema, the filmmaking landscape and challenges ahead.
Visit http://www.indianfilmfestival.org/ for more information.
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