BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE
Atlanta, GA, November 8, 2024: Lights, Camera, Action! – Complete with a gorgeous cinematic backdrop, the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC) rolled out the red carpet for guests at the opening gala of the Atlanta Indian Film Festival (AIFF), hosted at Sankranti Restaurant on October 18, 2024. This three-day celebration of Indian cinema featured a dynamic lineup of workshops, film screenings, and cultural events, offering a unique platform for filmmakers and film enthusiasts alike to engage with the vibrant world of Indian storytelling. Consul General of India, Atlanta Hon. Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, presided as the guest of honor.
Jay Joshi, President of GIACC, noted that Georgia’s burgeoning film and production industry, along with its growing Indian population, opens several opportunities for collaboration between Indian cinema and the state of Georgia. “The mission of GIACC is to promote such collaborations between Georgia and India. So we invited all moviemakers, including independent filmmakers, to explore the facilities and incentives the state has to offer so they can consider creating stories here.”
India is one of the world’s leading film entertainment markets, with the Indian film industry grossing just under 200 billion Indian rupees in 2023, according to Statista. It is also the largest in the world in terms of films produced—between 1,500 to 2,000 films every year in more than 20 languages. Highlighting these statistics, Hon. Lakshmanan underlined the “potential for partnerships between Georgia, the ‘Hollywood of the South,’ and the Indian movie industry.”
Following four successful AIFFs in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023, along with a virtual event in 2021, AIFF 2024 featured three premier events, including the reception, workshops, and film showcases from October 18 to 20, 2024. The festivities kicked off with a reception and an exhibition film screening followed by a Q&A on October 18, 2024, to celebrate the wonderful world of Indian cinema and potential collaborations with Georgia. The reception included visiting film personalities from Hollywood and Bollywood, distinguished members of the Atlanta business community, and representatives from Georgia’s film and entertainment industry. October 19 and 20 were dedicated to workshops and showcasing Indian cinema to the Atlanta community. The festival concluded on a high note with an awards ceremony.
AIFF 2024 featured 15 film screenings (short films and feature films) and various workshops. The festival also introduced the Atlanta Indian Film Bazaar (AIFB) for the first time, where seven filmmakers pitched their scripts to a jury, including Dr. Reshma Shah (Marketing professor at Emory University), Scott Devine (Film and Television professor at SCAD), and Amit Saxena (Bollywood movie producer). Seven jury members, including Purna Ahuja, Prerna Saraf Chauhan, Bharat Tejasvi, Puneet Sibal, Kunal Srivastava, Dr. Pamila Dembla, and Priyanka Shetty, reviewed over sixty movies to shortlist 15 films. Many movie lovers attended the festival to support the actors and filmmakers.
Award winners included:
- Best Movie, Feature: Blue Sunshine (Neela Nira Sooriyan) – Directed by Samyuktha Vijayan
- Best Movie, Short: Chor, The Tale of a Thief – Directed by Ayush Anita Sharma
- Best Director, Feature: Strange Life of Dhrubo – Directed by Abhijit Chowdhury
- Best Director, Short: Yes Sir! – Directed by Mudit Singhal
- Best Cinematography, Feature: Butterfly – Directed by Meera Welankar
- Best Cinematography, Short: A Night After All – Directed by Anshul Agrawal
“We (GIACC) are a business chamber. We’ve been around for about 25 years, since 1999, and our main goal and mission is to promote business and opportunities between India and the state of Georgia,” Anita E.J. Ninan, BOD, GIACC, said in her introductory remarks. Tracing back the origins of the film festival, Ninan said that Nagesh Singh, the CGI, Atlanta, back in 2016, introduced her and the current film festival director Pamila Dembla to a few Bollywood studios, unveiling the potential for collaboration between Indian filmmakers, the Bollywood industry, regional film industries in India, and Georgia. While Georgia is thriving now in the field, it was still building its production capabilities and infrastructure back then.
The gala kicked off with a ribbon-cutting and opening ceremony with the traditional lighting of the lamp by CGI Atlanta, followed by a Bharatanatyam performance by Lassaya School of Performing Arts.
Panel members, including AIFF director Pamila Dembla, AIFF advisory team member Asad Farooqui, jury member Prerna Saraf Chauhan, and directors Samyukta Vijayan, Rishi Raj, Santosh Ram, and Anshul Agarwal, discussed the selection process, which involved a rigorous 10-point rubric evaluating various aspects of 64 films. Dembla highlighted Film Bazaar, an AIFF offering to bring together various stakeholders in cinema. The goal of the Bazaar, she said, “is to unite filmmakers, provide resources, and attract financiers.”
One panelist shared their journey from theater-going to filmmaking, highlighting training at Satyajit Ray Film and Acting School and moving to LA. Another emphasized the need for more dialogue between independent filmmakers and the industry, noting the challenges faced by small-budget productions. Joshi mentioned that a studio they had toured earlier had offered a soundstage for 10 weeks, free of charge, for participating directors of the festival. The discussion included high costs and logistical challenges of using studios and shooting on location in Atlanta.
The panel discussed film duration and engagement, reaching a consensus that short, impactful stories can be effective and that online platforms allow for extended storytelling, which can keep the audience engaged. They emphasized the importance of a well-written screenplay that captivates the audience. The panel also deliberated the role of short films in career advancement, noting how many associate directors and second-line directors use short films as a steppingstone to gain recognition from big producers. Short films, they concluded, can also help build mutual credibility between directors and audiences.
In her exclusive interview with NRI Pulse, “techie from CA” Samyukta Vijayan, actor, writer-director, and producer of the award-winning Blue Sunshine, talked about her feature debut. The film follows Aravind (Vijayan) as they make the bold decision to come into their own and transition from male to female in rural India. Loosely inspired by her own story, Blue Sunshine sheds light on transgender issues with honesty and grace. “I wanted to take some elements from my personal life but put them into an Indian context.” Vijayan explained that her transition was relatively smooth, supported by her parents, friends, and colleagues at Amazon. “My parents were most supportive, and so was the environment at Amazon in 2016 when I transitioned.” However, she acknowledged that not everyone’s experience is the same, and she wanted to depict this in an everyday context. Apart from being the winner at AIFF 2024, Blue Sunshine has also won the Best Feature Jury Award at Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (October 2023) and was an official selection at both the International Film Festival of India (November 2023) and Glasgow Film Festival (March 2024).
Writer-director Santosh Ram told NRI Pulse about his movie, Weave of Culture, inspired by his interactions with weavers in Kanchipuram. “The weavers there said they didn’t want to pass on their craft to the next generation, as they hoped their children would pursue higher-paying jobs.” Ram’s film centers on a software engineer reviving his father’s traditional handloom business to free his mother from bonded labor. The short film highlights the revival of traditional arts post-COVID and promotes the preservation of cultural heritage.
Since its humble beginning in 2018, AIFF has been making steady progress. “We had about 50 movies last year. Now, with 64, it continues to grow, and I think the quality of both the festival and the films has improved, and we’ve added components like workshops,” Farooqui said.
“This year, we focused on supporting young filmmakers and emerging stars instead of big celebrities. We provide cash awards, travel allowances, and free accommodations in Atlanta for them,” Dembla said, acknowledging the sponsors, supporters, and volunteers who made AIFF 2024 possible.
A seasoned panel of filmmakers selected movies, including feature films, short films, and web series solicited by AIFF for the festival. “Pamila did not make it easy for us,” jury member Chauhan said about selecting films. “As part of the jury, we reviewed, assessed, and selected the best films objectively through a rubric system, carefully evaluating them based on artistic merit, technical skill, and originality,” Bharat Tejasvi, another jury member, added.
Experienced filmmakers, casting directors, and movie investors conducted workshops on various topics, including casting director conversations and movie investment.
Movies showcased at the festival included:
Feature Films
- Blue Sunshine – Director: Samyukta Vijayan (Opening feature film)
- Bijoya Pore – Director: Abhijit SriDas
- The Strange Life of Dhrubo – Director: Abhijit Chowdhury
- Paper Flowers – Director: Mahesh Pailoor
- Yes Sir! – Director: Mudit Singhal
- Butterfly – Director: Meera Welankar (Closing feature film)
Short Films
- The Door – Director: Rahoul Daswani
- A Night After All – Director: Anshul Agrawal
- Weave of Culture – Director: Santosh Ram
- Kutti – The Young Indian Girl – Director: Anirban Saha
- Incredible Nature – Director: Ajay Govind
- An Ordinary, Inconvenient, Boring Life – Director: Utpal Kalal
- Chor, The Tale of a Thief – Director: Ayush Anita Sharma
- Umbilical Cord – Director: Rishi Raj
