new jersey indian & international film festival (njiiff) 2018

New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival (NJIIFF) 2018

Venue: Regal Hadley Theatre Stadium 16 1000 Corporate Ct., South Plainfield, NJ 07080

Schedule: **Please note actual schedule may vary **

Friday, June 8, 2018 :

4pm to 6pm: Red Carpet / Network at Lobby

6pm NJIIFF 2018 Opens in Screen 2

6.30pm to 8.15pm: Screening of “Half Widow” festival’s opening night film Director: Danish RenzuFeature: 1hr 31minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Kashmiri / Urdu

Amid the backdrop of the Kashmiri conflict, a young woman must come to grips with the disappearance of her doting husband and embarks on harrowing journey of self-discovery.

6.30pm NJIIF 2018 Opens in Screen 3

7pm to 9pm: Screening of Popular Film “Shubha Mangal Savdhaan” with Director R. S. Prasanna

NJIIFF 2018 Schedule (Schedule May Vary) Page ! of !1 13

Saturday, June 9, 2018 :

Screen 2:

11am to 1pm: Master Class with Director R. S. Prasanna known for “Shubha Mangal Savdhaan” along with Producer of “Prague” Rohit Khaitan

1pm to 2.45pm: Tamil Feature Film from India “Saalai” Director: Antony CharlesFeature: 1hr 33minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Tamil

A young manʼs journey to discover the purpose of his life; with his subconscious mind killing his career choices one by one to finally show him the road to be taken. The film accentuates the pervasive culture of excessive consumption in todayʼs world.

2.45pm to 4.50pm: Feature Film From USA “Yadvi” Director: Jyotii Singh Feature: 1hr 52minCountry: USA/IndiaLanguage: English

In 1940's India, before even a hint of feministic equality, how does a woman not only uphold her own dignity but also raise three refined daughters in the face of unexpected adversity? The pure personification of integrity, Yadvi, will take you on her journey through the India of Kings and Queens, of Princes and polygyny.

5.00pm to 6.00pm: Short Feature Film “My Pot Of Gold” Director: Priyanka TanvarFeature: 57minCountry: IndiaLanguage: English

My Pot of Gold revolves around the lives of three wonderfully different people; Alexandra (Nani), Kiarrah (Granddaughter) and Sunita (Maid). The relationship they share is so strong that in spite of all their violent and outrageous fights; a hearty laugh, a tight hug and a big kiss is undoubtedly exchanged.

6.15pm to 9pm: Popular Feature Film “Mukkabaaz” Director: Anurag Kashyap


Screen 3:

11am to 12.30pm: Feature Film From Iran

“Mahatab” Director: Vahid PakzadFeature: 1hr 25minCountry: IranLanguage: Persian

Mahtab with her brother, Mahan, have to obey whatever order they receive through text massage unless…

12.35pm to 2.10pm: Documentary Films

No Body Dies Here: Director: Simon PanayDocumentary: 24minCountry: FranceLanguage: French

Perma gold mine, Benin. Some dream to find something, others realized there was nothing to be found. Some dig relentlessly hoping to become rich, others died in the process. And a few of them say that here, nobody dies.

Illish People:Director: Nachiket PangareDocumentary: 20minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Bengali/English

A brief look at the fishermen who fish Hilsa in India and Bangladesh. The Hilsa fish is the most important commercial and cultural fish of the Bengali people but the drastic decline in fish numbers has made millions of fishermen who catch this fish, vulnerable.

HOLY CHILLI:Director: Eva WeingartDocumentary: 30minCountry: GermanyLanguage: English/Telugu

In a place where the caste system still divides the society, there is one thing that everyone seems to have in common: the love for chili. An Indian story about tradition, hard work and passion.


LIFE OF AN AMBULANCE DRIVER:Director: Dhinesh KumarDocumentary: 17minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Tamil

Every second counts for an Ambulance Driver ! Unveils his life saving moments amidst congested city roads and other problems.

2.15pm to 3.25pm: Feature Film

Forced Orphans Director: V N AdityaFeature: 1hr 07minCountry: USALanguage: English

The impact of divorce from children point of view. Two siblings Sid and Meenu returned from school only to learn that their parents are getting divorced. Forced Orphans deals with the aftermath and series of incidents they encounter.

3.30pm to 6.00pm: Short Films

DIVORCEʼISH:Director: Tarun VermaShort: 20minCountry: USALanguage: English

Divorce is a tricky thing! No one knows that better than Reena and Jay who have a prenup that states they have to spend 1 hour in a room together before they can finalize their divorce.

DRONE:Director: Cedric SpozioShort: 6minCountry: Switzerland Language: English

A young guy gets chased by a scary drone… and…


ANANDHA YAZ ( THE HARP'S RESONANCE): Director: B Shivakumar Short: 28minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Tamil

The story revolves around a child in the autism spectrum, whose parents find ways to keep their kid comfortable and enable him to life his life to the fullest!

A BITTER PILL:Director: Ashutosh JhaShort: 12minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

The short film depicts physical, mental and emotional condition of a girl who has undergone molestation . She is deeply disturbed and perturbed and has become mentally so imbalanced that she is unable to keep normal behavior even with her boyfriend who is always loving and most caring towards her.

BANOFFEE PIE:Director: Inderjit BanselShort: 15minCountry: IndiaLanguage: English/Hindi

The story Banoffee Pie revolves around two individuals who meet at a café, like any other day, but end up interacting with such radical forces in the society. The couple's conversation is candid and thought-provoking; raising several questions in the way things are perceived by some people.

CLASH OF MORALITY:Director: Vinay PujaraShort: 17minCountry: USALanguage: English

Mohamed & Richard stuck in an elevator clash upon their morals. Mohamed confronts Richard upon being judged for his look & his religion.


SONO UN SUPEREROE ( I AM A SUPER HERO):Director: Nino GiuffridaShort: 19minCountry: ItalyLanguage: Italian

The classic Italian family, happy until the dismissal from the workplace of Sergio, husband of Miriam and father of Federico, a 9-year-old down child, and Chiara, a 6-year-old girl. The man will not say anything to the family, he believes he has been wronged.

JUSTAJU -THE LONGING: Director: Mudassir MashalkarShort: 30minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

The film is about a day in the life of Valmiki, an old retired professor who has little in life to look forward to. Sadness is visible in his eyes. Stepping out of his house every morning, and taking aimless journeys from one end of the city to another has become a ritual for him. On one such journey, he comes across two stories that intrigue him. What is it in these stories that attracts him? And most importantly how do these stories resonate with his own journey?


TIKLI AND LAXMI BOMB:Director: Aditya KripalaniFeature: 2hr 14minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

Tikli and Laxmi Bomb is a mini revolution in which two sex workers in Mumbai, create a system for women, run by women, in which the final customer is a man but women run it the way they want. How far are they able to go in this endeavor? How tall is their new organization able to grow before it becomes too big a threat for patriarchy to let it exist?


Sunday, June 10, 2018 :

Screen 2:

11.00am to 12.30pm: Master Class with Director Tejas Deoskar & Producer Ashok Subhedar known for Madhuri Dixit’s first Marathi film “Bucket List”

12.40pm to 2.55pm: Short Films

WEIRD:Director: Fausto MontanariShort: 2minCountry: ItalyLanguage: English

"Weird" is a short animated film about the diversity. It is a shout of a girl usual to be judged like weird and different.

FIRST CHAIR:Director: Colleen Davie JanesShort: 14minCountry: USALanguage: English

A teenage cellist, struggling against artistic roadblocks, ends up saving her high school music program in a big musical finale.

PEACOCK:Director: Vijay SridharanShort: 15minCountry: USALanguage: English

Peacock is a mockumentary about an Indian gangster from Fremont, California. Peacock Gupta is forced to confront his ways of living after his prized possession is stolen on the streets by a rival gangster.

FIVE O”CLOCK SHADOW:Director: Sangeeta AgrawalShort: 7minCountry: USALanguage: English

Five O'Clock Shadow, is the story of an Indian-American mother who is the victim of racial abuse. Her worst fear rises to the surface and for the first time ever, she asks the question: Do we really belong here?


SHUNYATA (THE VOID):Director: Chintan SardaSHort: 22minCountry: India Language: Hindi

Madhur works as a hitman for a gang in Mumbai. He leads a bleak existence and a life full of regrets. He is friendly with a kid who lives on the street. Madhur sees this kid getting into crime and decides to intervene to give the kid a chance he never had.

NOT MEANT TO UNDERSTAND:Director: Anjani PandeyShort: 12minCountry: USALanguage: English

A slice of life story about a man and woman, married for more than forty years. They have enjoyed a strong physical relationship, as well as many financial successful ventures. They have been good friends, honest, caring, always generously working to help their community. Suddenly, the wife is struck by the reality that she herself is too old to ever have a child.

CURSED:Director: John Williams Short: 15minCountry: USALanguage: English

Young girl Eve is trying to cope with her twin sisters apparent suicide but is plagued with strange happenings and voices that she feels is her sister trying to communicate from the other side.

BOY ON A BICYLE: Director: Kiran BambulkarShort: 14minCountry: USALanguage: English

This is story of a teenage boy living in with close-nit family in quiet suburban town of America. This is a soulful story of love, togetherness and optimism. The bicycle plays a silent witness and companion through the emotional journey of a young boy.


TU (YOU): Director: Rahul NangiaShort: 7minCountry: IndiaLanguage: English

A mixed-faith couple finds ways to keep their relationship alive, while it struggles to make sense of an increasingly intolerant world.

WATER:Director: Mark Knight Documentary: 4minCountry: USALanguage: English

Water takes you on a journey to some of the planet's most spectacular glaciers, waterfalls, beaches, rivers and waterways. Destinations include, Iceland, Igauzu Falls Brazil, Atchafalaya Basin Louisiana, Lake Tahoe California, Black Canyon of the Gunnison Colorado, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.


TARPAN:Director: Neelam R. SinghFeature: 1hr 43minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

Tarpan is derived from the root word ʻTruptʼ meaning to satisfying others. Tarpan literally means offering water to God. The story of the film – Tarpan deals with the sensitive issue of cast system in rural India.

4.50pm to 6.30pm: Documentary WITH THIS RING:Director: Anna SarkissianDocumentary: 1hr 30minCountry: CanadaLanguage: English/Hindi

Filmed over the course of six years, With This Ring follows the meteoric rise of three Indian women who sidestep traditional roles to become world champion boxers. Boxing becomes their lifeline, their source of income, and their community, and ultimately what rips them apart.

6.30pm to 7pm AWARD CEREMONY SCREEN 2


Screen 3:

11.00am to 12.20pm: Short Films BRITTLE BONE RAPPER:Director: Andy Mundy CastleDocumentary: 25minCountry: USALanguage: English

Sparsh is 14 years old and has broken 120 bones in his body (so far). Heʼs also an extraordinarily talented rapper. He has big dreams of becoming the next Eminem - thatʼs what inspires him to transcend his condition and inspire the world. Heʼs about to give the biggest performance of his life, but first comes the biggest operation.

DUM DUM DUMROO:Director: Akash GoilaShort: 11minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

A scary peon tries to scare new recruited doctor at a hospital, will she dance to his tunes.

BEGGARS:Director: Ram Prasad MandalShort: 8minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

Desire to live with self esteem and pride awakes in his heart. When thinking of a person starts changing, that thought affects the society he lives in.

MERI ROCKSTARWALI JEANS:Director: Susheel JangiraSHort: 20minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

An extraordinary journey of Bhanoo, a 10 year old girl staying in Mumbai Chawls with her mother. Going through some past emotional and physical trauma in life, how little Bhanoo gets inspired from her teacherʼs jeans, how “Teacher Miss” brings “New Dreams” in her life. How Bhanooʼs life starts rocking in her “Rockstar Jeans”.


ME & I:Director: Aashish DubeyShort: 13minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

Santosh, who stays alone in a metro city Mumbai. He is a loner and unhappy. One night he got a chance to meet someone and started feeling happy. He changes something in his room, which makes him feel happy again.

12.30pm to 2.00pm: Short Films MARIAM:Director: Mohammed JaffarDocumentary: 28minCountry: IraqLanguage: Arabic/English

In IRAQ , Military media team help and rescuer Mosul family from the rubble after their house was blown up by ISIS.

TORN PAGES:Director: Vick KrishnaShort: 7minCountry: USALanguage: English

A story of a young woman trying to resolve a conflict within her as she is confronted with her dark past.

VISITA ( THE GUEST):Director: Abdur RafiShort: 18minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Bengali

The cyclone Aila had washed away many small villages along the eastern coast of India when it hit the Bay of Bengal in 2009. A group of people are relaxing in the lounge of an inn, when suddenly at midnight a woman checks into the inn. While she is shown to her room by the caretaker, it strikes them odd that this mysterious woman enters exactly at midnight.


VAAHANA:Director: Bharat MirleShort: 16minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Kannada

A ʻVaahanaʼ is the celestial vehicle of a Hindu god which takes the shape of an animal. Inspired by folklore from Hindu mythology, the film deals with the pedantry of the priestly Brahmin caste which has lost faith, still to be found in the lower order in society.

CASCADE:Director: Haris Imtiyaz KhanShort: 6minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Hindi

A cascade of events that take place around a domestic environment, leading to an uncertain verdict.

THE SNAG:Director: Desalos IsabelleShort: 8minCountry: FranceLanguage: French

When Camille meet Etienne, there is something more than usual. But she has a secret which will ruin everything between them. Despite their shared desire, those two hearts will hurt each other.

2.05pm to 3.45pm: Feature Film Repeat ( If Time Permits)

HALF WIDOW:Director: Danish RenzuFeature: 1hr 31minCountry: IndiaLanguage: Kashmiri / Urdu

Amid the backdrop of the Kashmiri conflict, a young woman must come to grips with the disappearance of her doting husband and embarks on harrowing journey of self-discovery.


4.00pm to 6.30pm: Premier of Madhuri Dixit’s First Marathi Film “BUCKET LIST”

6.30pm to 7pm AWARD CEREMONY SCREEN 2


new jersey indian & international film festival (njiiff) 2018

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