Museum of the Moving Image, India Center Foundation Launch Fest Dedicated to Regional-Language Films
New York’s Museum of the Moving Image and the India Center Foundation are starting a festival to show regional-language films from the sub-continent.
Running Dec.8-11, India Kaleidoscope will show eight films, of which one is a classic and the rest are premieres at the Sumner Redstone Theater in Astoria, Queens. Kicking off with “India in a Day,” a doc initiated by Google and put together by Richie Mehta, the fest will show “Loktak Lairembee” (Lady of the Lake), directed by Haobam Paban Kumar in Manipuri language; Marathi-language “Lathe Joshe,” directed by Mangesh Joshi; “The Violin Player,” helmed in Hindi by Bauddhayan Mukherji; the Tamil “Sila Samayangalil” (Sometimes), helmed by Priyadarshan; Girish Kasaravalli’s classic “Ghatashraddha” (The Ritual) in Kannada; his daughter Ananya Kasaravalli’s “Harikatha Prasanga” (Chronicles of Hari), also in Kannada; and the Bengali “Tope” (The Bait, pictured) by Buddhadeb Dasgupta.
“Consistent with our mission to offer a platform for barrier-breaking and emerging work from the subcontinent, the films featured in India Kaleidoscope film festival are eye opening studies from all corners of India,” said Priya Giri Desai, a founding director of the India Center Foundation. “The India Center Foundation is proud to present many of these new voices for the very first time in North America. The festival represents the kind of work we hope to continue: quality collaborations that result in exposure to new sights and sounds to inspire our audience.”
“India Kaleidoscope is an auspicious start to MoMI’s collaboration with the India Center Foundation,” said the museum’s chief curator, David Schwartz. “This dynamic partnership is proven by the quality of the Festival lineup and the participation of so many emerging and established film directors.”
“We are thrilled to turn the spotlight on Indian regional cinema, showcasing its diversity and richness,” added Christina Marouda, festival organizer and MoMI’s director of development.
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