The Indian Film Festival New Zealand presented its launch events this week in Auckland and Christchurch.
Indian actors and producers Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha were in attendance, presenting and taking part in a post-screening Q+A for their first feature as producers, Shuchi Talati’s Sundance-premiered and multi-award-winning Girls Will Be Girls. Mostly in English, the film – a coming of age tale – was an astute choice which pushed beyond the expectations of most people’s expectations of ‘an Indian film’.
Fazal and Chadha were gracious guests, and spent much of the evening outside the screening accommodating requests for selfies with many of those attending the launch.
Those speaking at the Auckland event included India’s Consul General Dr. Madan Mohan Sethi and Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan, the first person of Indian origin to become a Minister in NZ during the last Labour government.
Festival Founder and Director Petrina D’Rozario delivered some key info about the coming festival – including that the festival will present a short film programme, for which submissions are now being sought via Miralot. Submission deadlines are 1 July and 14 July.
The Indian Film Festival NZ will run 23-25 October in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
