The Indo-American Film Society ( www.iafs.us) is pleased to announce the First annual Atlanta Indo-American Film Festival (AIAFF) scheduled to take place November 10th – 14th, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. AIAFF will have the unique distinction of offering simultaneous screenings in theatres and an online contest for short films. AIAFF is being presented with support from IMAGE, Atlanta ( http://www.imagefv.org/) and Indo American Arts Council, New York ( www.iaac.us) . In addition, Kaneva ( www.kaneva.com), an online social entertainment network, will host the one of a kind online short film competition extending the festival globally. IAFS has also partnered with many community organizations and corporations. 

The first AIAFF will be a five-day delightful journey into independent Indian cinema with a selection of mainstream films, discussions with filmmakers and a gala reception. New (2005 and 2006) feature-length and short films from India and from the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) diaspora in the Narrative and Documentary categories will be screened at three distinguished locations in Atlanta: Georgia Tech, Emory University and at Georgia State University. AIAFF is likely to attract over 3,000 diverse viewers in theatres and myriad viewers online.

An online competition will feature submitted Indian-American short films for global viewing and voting. Details of the competition are being released separately. AIAFF Director, Ani Agnihotri, said, “The goal of IAFS is to create global awareness and encourage the production and exhibition of Indian diaspora cinema, music and video in partnership with artists and other organizations.”

Indian cinema has become synonymous with Bollywood or Hindi musicals. However, there is an equally vibrant independent film producing industry in India. For years the Indian film industry’s annual production hovered at around 1,000 features a year, 25% more than Hollywood’s. In 2002, 3.6 billion tickets were sold to Indian motion pictures, exceeding Hollywood by better than a third. There are various forms of alternative cinemas in India. Today, a whole new generation of Indians and émigrés from the Indian subcontinent are building a trans-national hybrid “Desi” cinema that reflects their lives around the world. Recent graduates of film schools in and out of India are providing international festivals with shorts, features and documentaries that continue to broaden the concept of “Indian Cinema.” 

The online social entertainment network, Kaneva is a “canvas” enabling anyone to showcase and share their passions through the easy creation of Profiles and web Channels that include a wide range of media as well as online interaction opportunities and community. Kaneva also gives its members the ability to share media and interact with people in 3D – in a totally modern 3D Virtual World, providing the next generation interactive entertainment experience. To learn more visit www.kaneva.com.

Call for Entries is available at www.iafs.us/AIAFF or by sending an e-mail request to Director_AIAFF@iafs.us. These is no entry fees for making submission. For more information please contact Ani Agnihotri, Director, Atlanta Indo-American Film Festival (AIAFF) at USA phone number 404-394-6678 or by e-mail at Director_AIAFF@iafs.us.