IFFLA Industry Days fosters connections between South Asian film and TV creatives and industry leaders. Key executives from Neon, SAGIndie, Netflix, Temple Hill Entertainment, Orion Pictures, Film Independent, Jaya Entertainment, Gaumont Television, Macro, Color Creative, NBCUniversal, and more will participate in a series of IFFLA’s dynamic events, including the inaugural program titled IFFLA Connect, the Launchpad: Pitch Competition with a $10,000 award, panels and a masterclass.

“Following the tremendous success of last year’s inaugural Industry Day, the expanded Industry Days offers a vital, curated space for visionary creatives from South Asia and its diasporas to connect, engage with prominent industry leaders, forge and nurture meaningful relationships, and explore an eclectic slate of projects with universal appeal,” said Christina Marouda, Executive Director of IFFLA. “It’s a powerful reflection of how IFFLA has remained a cornerstone in Hollywood for over two decades, championing bold storytelling and emerging talent.”

A highlight of this year’s IFFLA Industry Days is the official launch of IFFLA Connect, a new initiative presented in collaboration with Cinévesture. This program will showcase a selection of South Asian film projects from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh under the banner CinéV-IFFLA, alongside a hand-picked slate of North American projects curated by IFFLA. Designed as a nexus for collaboration, IFFLA Connect links promising projects with prominent industry professionals, offering essential support in financing, production, casting, and beyond. The inaugural lineup of IFFLA Connect features both emerging voices and acclaimed filmmakers, including producer Vikramaditya Motwane alongside celebrated actress Radhika Apte, who makes her directorial debut with her project “Koyta,” director Nuhash Humayun’s “Moving Bangladesh,” Ravi Kapoor’s “Patel,” Deepak Rauniyar’s “Taste of my Dreams,” and many more.

“We’re delighted to introduce IFFLA Connect as part of this year’s Industry Days,” said Noopur Sinha, Festival Producer. “This initiative is about getting these 10 powerful, South Asian-led projects the access and backing they need from Hollywood industry partners to bring vital and diverse stories to the mainstream.”

The highly anticipated Launchpad: Pitch Competition returns. The competition will give five finalists a unique opportunity to present their projects in development to a diverse panel of industry executives and a live audience. The pre-selected projects will be presented by their creative teams and receive immediate feedback from the panelists, who will award one of the projects a $10,000 development grant.

IFFLA Industry Days features two timely panels – The Human Loop: Storytelling and Responsibility in the Age of AI and Global Vision: Specialty Studios and the Future of International Storytelling. The Human Loop will discuss the responsible use of technology in storytelling, featuring voices from the film and AI industries. Topics will include ethics, automation, and the invisible labor behind artificial intelligence. The Global Vision panel brings together influential professionals from the independent and specialty studio space to discuss how their companies are navigating the evolving challenges of today’s film industry. As the US market undergoes significant shifts, the conversation will explore the growing importance of international stories and voices in shaping the future of cinema.

As part of this panel slate, IFFLA will also spotlight the acclaimed stage adaptation of Life of Pi, now on its first U.S. tour. This panel explores the story’s journey from novel to Broadway, focusing on cultural impact, representation, and the artistry behind the production.

Additionally, a special masterclass titled “From Dhaka to Hollywood: The Genre-Bending World of Nuhash Humayun” will highlight one of the most exciting voices to emerge from South Asia’s new wave of filmmakers. In this masterclass, Nuhash Humayun (Moshari) will discuss the challenges of telling bold, local stories that resonate globally, the mechanics of working across industries and geographies, and what it means to make space for South Asian horror in the global film conversation.

Passes to access IFFLA Industry Days are now available. The general public can purchase

the Industry All-Access Pass ($220) for admission to all festival screenings, galas, and Industry Days programming. For those only interested in Industry Days programming, the Industry

Days Pass ($80) provides access to the masterclass, panels, pitch competition final, networking mixers, and any screenings attached to the panels or masterclass.

By Keerti Kadam

The post IFFLA announces the expansion of IFFLA Industry Days! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

Shriya’s dynamic career spans across mainstream and independent cinema , as well as digital series. After gaining accolades for performances in series like Mirzapur , Guilty Minds , Taaza Khabar and most recently , The Broken News 2 ,the beautiful actress consistently showcases her ability to bring complex characters to life with depth and authenticity. In addition to her success in Indian cinema, Shriya has also made her mark in international projects, including the British series Beecham House directed by Gurinder Chaddha and the French film Un plus Une by veteran filmmaker Claude Lelouch.

“I am honoured and thrilled to be invited as a jury member for the short film category at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles 2024. I look forward to attending the festival in LA and watching these stellar shorts by emerging South Asian filmmakers. The atmosphere at film festivals is always creatively energizing and deeply inspiring. I’m excited to meet and interact with diverse storytellers and performers, and to witness the incredible line-up of films at IFFLA,” said Shriya.

Shriya’s powerful repertoire positions her as a valuable addition to the IFFLA jury, where her insights will help spotlight emerging talent and innovative storytelling in short films. Her experience in producing and directing short films and documentaries, which have traveled to international film festivals, further enriches her perspective.

The festival shall be held between 27th June – 30th June 2024. This year, the intriguing submissions in the Shorts Program include ‘Hema’ featuring Rajshri Deshpande, ‘Last Days of Summer,’ ‘Lori,’ amongst others. Apart from this, the festival will close with Maharaja starring Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga and Karan Johar’s Kill starring Lakshya are some of the films from India at IFFLA 2024.

By Keerti Kadam

The post Shriya Pilgaonkar to join IFFLA as a jury! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

IFFLA will showcase twenty films, including seven narrative features, twelve shorts, and one docu-series with a diverse lineup of films from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and the United States, bringing together South Asian stories and perspectives from around the globe.

The festival will open with the Los Angeles premiere of Tarsem Singh’s forbidden romance Dear Jassi and close with Nithilan Saminathan’s Tamil film Maharaja, a twisted revenge saga starring phenomenal actor Vijay Sethupathi and maverick filmmaker Anurag Kashyap playing the villain. Features include the special presentation of stylized violence in Kill, written and directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and produced by Karan Johar and Guneet Monga; the coming-of-age story Sundance winner Girls Will Be Girls, written and directed by Shuchi Talati; the award-winning filmmaker Christo Tomy’s film Undercurrent, which explores the powerful themes of female solidarity; a tender love story Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts, written and directed by Shaun Seneviratne, and the touching tale A House Named Shahana, by Leesa Gazi and co-written by Aanon Siddiqui.

On June 28th the festival is launching IFFLA Industry Day, the first-of-its-kind, day-long forum for South Asian film and TV executives and creatives sharing their stories within this underrepresented community. Industry Day will spotlight exciting South Asian voices, while attendees will have educational opportunities to hear first-hand expert advice from industry professionals. The pinnacle event of Industry Day is Launch Pad: A Pitch Competition the winner of which will receive a $10,000 development grant. The full Industry Day lineup will be announced in early June.

IFFLA will kick off the festival with visionary director Tarsem Singh’s film Dear Jassi. This tragic love story inspired by true events, bookends with the Punjabi folklore verses. The film follows Jassi, a Canadian-born Indian girl who falls in love with Mithu, a rickshaw driver from a lower social class. Through their instant attraction, they must confront the reality of societal expectations imposed by Jassi’s family. The film stars Pavia Sidhu (The Flash, Vellai Pookal) and Yugam Sood in his acting feature debut.

This year’s closing night selection is one of India’s highly anticipated films, starring popular actor Vijay Sethupath in his milestone 50th outing, Maharaja. The Tamil film, written and directed by Nithilan Saminathan, is an action-packed thriller about a group of men seeking revenge with twisted turns along the way. Maharaja will have its LA premiere at IFFLA with the director, producers, and cast in attendance.

IFFLA is excited to collaborate with American Cinematheque and Beyond Fest with a screening of the martial arts thriller Kill at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood. The film, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival and won the Midnight Madness First Runner-Up Award, is directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and produced by Karan Johar and Guneet Monga. Kill will be released by Lionsgate Films and Roadside Attractions in U.S. theaters on July 4, and in India on July 5.

In its U.S. premiere, IFFLA will host a special screening of two episodes of the powerful documentary series Defiance: Fighting the Far Right, which shines a light on an extraordinary protest movement led by young British Asians in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s to oppose anti-immigrant rhetoric and assaults. Produced by the Academy Award-winning actor and producer Riz Ahmed and Rogan Productions, the series is directed by the Primetime Emmy Award-winner Satiyesh Manoharajah, with Rajesh Thind directing the 3rd episode.

IFFLA’s Artistic Director Anu Rangachar said, “The eclectic lineup covering most of the vast and diverse South Asian regions, including the diaspora, is directed by a majority of incredibly talented first-time filmmakers debuting with their works. The lineup organically reveals some of the themes such as solidarity and resilience, tender love, and familial violence, inherent to the South Asian communities around the globe.”

This year’s shorts competition includes a diverse range of female-centric stories, featuring the work of 6 talented female directors. The lineup presents an impressive selection of stories with diaspora and coming-of-age themes, told in ten different languages. It boasts two world premieres, including Hema directed by Ritvik Dhavale and starring Rajshri Deshpande(Angry Indian Goddesses, Sacred Games),about an Indian woman’s journey to rediscover her new purpose in life after moving to Los Angeles for her husband’s job, and debut director Shashwat Dwivedi’s comedic coming-of-age Bobby Beauty Parlour, directed by Shashwat Dwivedi and produced by Anurag Kashyap.

Additional notable short premieres include Wire & Cloth, written and directed byIFFLA alum Swetha Regunathan, about a mother and daughter struggling to connect. IFFLA alum Theja Rio returns to the festival with Ade (On A Sunday), the touching short that premiered at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam earlier this year. Also making her directorial debut in film, actress and theater director Yuki Ellias comes to IFFLA with the North American premiere of her subversive political comedy Lovely & Tip Top.

Other short premieres include the Cannes award-winning Nepali film Lori, written and directed by Abinash Bikram Shah; Last Days Of Summer, written and directed by Stenzin Tankong, and This is TMI, co-written and co-directed by Subarna Dash and Vidushi Gupta.

Opening and Closing Galas will take place at Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills (135 S Doheny Drive), and all other screenings will be at Landmark Theatres Sunset (8000 Sunset Blvd).

IFFLA is supported by NBCUniversal, Joy of Sharing Foundation, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs, among other sponsors.

The post Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) 2024, announces it’s line up! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.