Editor

IFFLA's big Opening Night at ArcLight Hollywood was a stunning success. Tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of Rituparno Ghosh's CHOKHER BALI (A Passion Play) were sold out for this gala event.

The Opening Night party afterwards at SIR in Hollywood featured an array of festival guests, including IFFLA Tribute honoree KIRRON KHER (KHAMOSH PANI, BARIWALI), along with festival filmmakers MANISH JHA (MATRUBHOOMI), CHRISTOPHER MIGLINO (A DAY IN THE LIGHT), ANUJ MAJUMDAR (EQUATION) and KESHNI KASHYAP (HOLE). A variety of entertainment industry executives and guests from India, the U.K., Malaysia and all across the U.S. mingled with festival audience members and enjoyed an amazing performance by the Fabulous Monsters dance group.

Weekend Program Highlights
Saturday and Sunday program highlights included:

Saturday, April 17, 12:00PM

COSMOPOLITAN, directed by Nisha Ganatra. Deserted by his family, a middle-aged man (Roshan Seth) seeks advice from a popular women's magazine in order to woo his neighbor, played by renowned actress Carol Kane. Written by Sabrina Dhawan (MONSOON WEDDING), the film also features performances by Purva Bedi and Madhur Jaffrey.

SANGAM, directed by Prashant Bhargava. Two South Asian men on a subway share their nostalgia, loneliness, hopes and despair about life in America.

HOLLY-BOLLY, directed by Dishad Husain. Two young men pitch their art film to an industry filled with the desire for all things commercial.

HOLE, directed by Keshni Kashyap.
A hilarious treatise on love and longing, and that mysterious void many women sometimes find themselves edging towards.

Q&A with directors Nisha Ganatra (COSMOPOLITAN), Prashant Bhargava (SANGAM), Dishad Husain (HOLLY BOLLY) and Keshni Kashyap (HOLE).

Saturday, April 17, 1:00pm

Children's Section: Take your kids to see this magical film by award-winning director Santosh Sivan.

MALLI, directed by Santosh Sivan. This third feature by Santosh Sivan (THE TERRORIST) is a delightful children's tale about Malli, a precocious ten-year-old girl who searches in the forest for a magic bead that will cure her ailing friend.

Presented by Echo Lake Productions

Saturday, April 17, 5:45pm

WHEN THE STORM CAME, directed by Shilpi Gupta
This documentary profiles a village in Kashmir whose women survived an alleged rape by Indian security forces. The film reminds the viewer that rape is a "weapon" of conflict and is a timeless global phenomenon.

THE DAY MY GOD DIED, directed by Andrew Levine. On any given day in India and Nepal, hundreds of young girls are abducted from their villages and sold into the child sex trade. The victims describe their experience as "The day my God died" in this powerful and timely film, co-narrated by Tim Robbins and Winona Ryder.

Panel discussion with director Andrew Levine and Laura Lederer, US Department of State. Presented by the Amnesty International Film Festival and Asia Society.

Sunday, April 18, 12:15pm

Children's Section: Take your kids to an afternoon screening of this wonderful film by award-winning director Santosh Sivan.

HALO, directed by Santosh Sivan. Director Sivan has crafted a lovely story about the adventures of an adorable seven-year-old girl searching for her lost puppy. This award-winning children's film will delight audiences of all ages.

Presented by Echo Lake Productions

Sunday, April 18, 2:15pm

MUGHAL-E-AZAM (The Great Mughal), directed by K. Asif. Set in the 16th century court of the Mughal Empire, this elegant black-and-white Bollywood classic is the tale of a fateful romance that sparks a royal family feud.