SAIFF-logoAmit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout opens the 10th Annual South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) to be held till 8 Dec 2013 in the New York City.

Gyan Correa’s The Good Road is India’s official submission to the Oscars in the foreign-language category, will screen as the closing film at SAIFF.

Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar’s Good Morning Karachi is also set to be screened as the Centerpiece film. The film addresses the tension between religious extremism and modernity through the eyes of a young woman, Rafina, coming of age in Karachi city.

Hammad Khan’s Anima State, Rajat Kapoor’s Ankhon Dekhi, Richie Mehta’s Siddharth, Kamal K.M.’s I.D and Anup Singh’s Qissa will compete in Feature Film Competition.

Rahul Desai’s Khoon Ltd, Shiva Shankka’s Outpost, Rodd Rathjen’s Tau Seru, Anand Tiwari’s Neighbours and Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush are the short films in competition.

The Spectrum section of the festival will screen Joya Dass’ documentary First Sight and Q’s Tasher Desh.

The Grand Jury of the festival comprises Kelly Edwards, VP Talent Development, HBO; Seymour Wishman, President, First Run Features; Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, MoMA; Isil Bagdadi, Co-Founder/ President of Distribution, CAVU Pictures; Emily Russo, Co-President, Zeitgeist Films Ltd.; Deborah Matzner, Professor, South Asian Studies,Welleslley College.

SAIFF was founded in New York City due to the lack of support for many emerging filmmakers and the overall underrepresentation of Indian cinema in a capital that is recognized by the world as the birthplace of independent filmmaking! The Festival is committed to exhibiting films from South Asia (i.e India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal) and within the Indian Diaspora. With a focus on dynamic, visionary cinema, SAIFF annually creates unprecedented exposure for filmmakers and unparallel experiences for its attendees.