Opening Night 2019, Kaifinama (Feature Film), Jalebi (Short Film)
Friday, Sept 20th, 2019
Short Film: Jalebi, 14 min, (Hindi/Urdu)
Feature: Kaifinama, 90 min, (Hindi/Urdu)
Post Screening Discussion with Actor Shabana Azmi and Director Sumantra Ghosal
Kaifinama looks at the life and art of the Urdu Progressive poet Kaifi Azmi. Kaifi Azmi was both a poet for social change as well as one of the foremost lyricists in the Hindi film industry. Not content to limit himself to fine writing, he worked ceaselessly throughout his life as a catalyst for change among the disenfranchised. The film looks at his small-town roots, his commitment to socialism, his wide-ranging body of work and the enormous changes he brought to the life of the village where he was born.
This extraordinary journey is documented through extensive interviews with him and his wife Shaukat Kaifi as well as insights from his children – Shabana and Baba Azmi – and reminiscences by his friends and colleagues. Kaifinama thus is both the definitive film biography of Kaifi Azmi and a history of the times he illuminated with his genius.
Post Screening Discussion with Actor Shabana Azmi and Director Sumantra Ghosh
Director: Sumantra Ghosal
Sumantra Ghosal spent the better part of his life making advertising films for his companies Cinematix and Equinox. Now, he makes documentaries.
Noteworthy among his several films on the arts are the two feature-length films: The Speaking Hand (on the tabla maestro Zakir Hussain) and The Unseen Sequence (on the Bharatanatyam dancer Malavika Sarukkai). In 2017, Sumantra completed The Space Between The Notes – a documentary on a concert by Zakir Hussain and Niladri Kumar. He also served as creative collaborator with Malavika Sarukkai and wrote the poems for the full-length dance project Thari – The Loom. His most recent work is Kaifinama – a full-length documentary film to commemorate the birth centenary of the Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi.
Language: Urdu/Hindi (English subtitles)
Genre: Biography
Country: India
About the Film
Enroute his pizza delivery rounds Pakistan’s Waqar knocks at the door of a young family from India. Waqar’s eyes fall on a cricket bat ; even as a pair of hoary eyes scrutinize Waqar from an armchair. Sizzled conundrum like sweet steeped in syrupy succulence, is what ? If ” Jalebi” is your answer, you hail from the Indian subcontinent. Eating these conundrum snacks is a fad, weaving them in your speech is finesse.
Screened at NYIFF 2019
Cast: Anand Rao, Nirvana Swahney, Anshomaann Sharma, Tirthankar Das
Director: Anshomaann Sharma
Anshomaann Sharma is a New Jersey based Actor/Singer/Editor and DIrector. This is his second short film, the previous short film “STATTION” was also screened in NYIFF and it has also won the best Short film award in short film festival in NYC. Anshomaann has acted in many short films, web series, feature films and also know for creating and singing mashup of bollywood songs. As a day job Anshomaann works as Vice President in Banking sector which is to the bill but his passion towards film world keeps him is what makes him happy, something for his dil.
Language: Hindi
Genre: Drama
Country: USA