Namaste, readers! Well, the new year is over a month underway, it’s wintertime, and the date was Thursday, February 8th which only meant one thing for this critic–it was the opening cannon blast for the 4th Annual DFW South Asian Film Festival in Dallas, TX! Hosted by festival Founder/Director and PR guru Jitin Hingorani of JINGO Media plus his excellent support staff including Artistic Director Ambica Dev and Festival Coordinator/Media Relations head Nisha Bhatt, the totally sold out night could not have begun better than how it did via kicking everything off with the event’s first volley of South Asian independent cinema at Highland Park Village Theater spotlighting the Feature Film from director Iram Haq, “What Will People Say” and the Short Film “Mehram” from director Zain Anwar. Needless to say, neither film disappointed, which didn’t at all surprise this critic, as my “to date” experiences with multiple levels of South Asian cinema has been nothing short of eye-opening and fulfilling.
Yet, the night was only getting started folks, as once the screen went dark and the seats emptied out, all activity turned to a gala red carpet/VIP Afterparty event where we were highly entertained to watch as the actors and filmmakers able to attend this year’s festival lit up the runway with class, colorful style, and charisma. This all, of course, only signals the initiation of the next 3 days following that will not only see the presentation of the festival’s other 17 short film/feature film line-up, but Q&A sessions with such talents like directors Jatla Siddartha (“Love & Shukla”), Faraz Arif Ansari (“Sisak”), Arshad Khan (“Abu”), Nishil Sheth (“Bhasmasur”), and Sandeep Modi (“Chumbak”), along with writer/actor Shawn Parikh (“Khol”), producer Naren Kumar (“Chumbak”), and those brilliant luminaries from on screen including actress Suchitra Pallai (“Dance Like A Man”, “The Valley”), actress Priyanka Bose (“Devi”), and actor Swanand Kirkire (“Chumbak”).
However that STILL only scratches the surface of those who will be here taking in the soul-stirring entertainment and atmosphere created by Hingorani and Company. So, without further ado, please enjoy some images from last night, courtesy of iAsia TV here in Dallas. I truly hope you, dear readers, all get to venture out and try a new flavor of cinema along with the rest of us here in Dallas between February 8th-11th. Come on, the curiosity is piqued, so find out what you’ve been missing and why this creation won the 2017 Texas Governor’s Small Business Award for “The Most Innovative Small Business” in Texas! Just sayin’.
It’s time to bring South Asian independent cinema into the spotlight here in the U.S. Get ready, because it’s coming!
Get more information about the Festival by going to the DFW SAFF website: HERE
Beautiful event, rich in fictions, emotions with this aesthetic, this mood of Asia so different from ours: a great moment!
What a phenomenal recap of our opening night, Kirk! Thanks so much for the praise. Hope you are enjoying your time in Dallas with us!