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Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) is dedicated to fostering a diverse cinematic experience through South Asian films. Their third annual film festival will start on September 20th! This four-day festival hosted at Showplace Icon Theaters and Film Row Cinema will present 24 films, including 5 world premieres, 8 US premieres and 11 Chicago premieres!!
The Festival opens with the premiere of Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Heroine” starring Kareena Kapoor. A special discussion about the film and its themes will take place after the film with acclaimed poet, lyricist, and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar and Heroine cast member Lillete Dubey.
The centerpiece film is the world premiere of Listen Amaya starring acclaimed actors Deepti Naval and Farooq Shaikh. Closing out the Festival is the world premiere of Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon’s comeback film, Shobhna’s 7 Nights. The actress is expected to attend the screening in Chicago.
The lineup also consists of Nila Madhab Panda’s new movie Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid. The film was recently screened at the Marché Du Cannes and is based on the issue of female foeticide. “After seeing the film, people will get entertained and get a message too,” Panda said in a recent interview. Three regional films are also playing at the Festival this year: the Marathi film Masala, Bengali film Runaway, and the Malayalam film Abu Son of Adam which was India’s entry to the Oscars in 2011. Shabana Azmi-starrer A Decent Arrangement, Delhi in a Day, Lessons in Forgetting, Rat Race and Gattu round off the features.
Programming director Mili Ghosh says,
“We wanted to bring about different layers of South Asian cinema by tracking South Asian content produced commercially or independently both within and outside the subcontinent. There’s something for everyone. From learning about rat killers in India to watching socially relevant films about female feoticide, imported wives and in a more entertaining form watching a woman-centric film ‘Heroine’ which reveals the underbelly of the Hindi film industry and it’s well kept secrets”
For more information on the Chicago Film Festival please check out the website for details and scheduling!
