Indian Film Festival of Houston Celebrates 10 Years

HOUSTON: Audiences who attended the Indian Film Festival of Houston were treated to screenings, entertainment, food, and an opportunity to mingle with film directors and actors during the three-day event.  They saw cinema par excellence at the Asia Society on October 4 and 5.  A cocktail hour began the festivities with music by Moodafaruka and snacks provided by Nirvana.

Opening Night’s Chief Guest, Deputy Consul General of India Surendra Adhana, greeted everyone and congratulated Sutapa Ghosh for the milestone anniversary.  The popularity of Indian cinema now has a global reach, gaining new fans each year.  Director Kanwaljit Sethi presented his feature film entitled Once Again, then answered questions on the first night.  A short film, Sound Proof, and documentary, Shalom Bollywood, followed.  

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was the Chief Guest for the second night. He congratulated the Indian Film Festival of Houston for its 10th Anniversary and talked about his deep appreciation for the festival’s sharing wonderful Indian cinema and culture with the city’s residents.  He concluded his talk by presenting a proclamation to Festival Director Sutapa Ghosh, marking October 4, 2018, as Indian Film Festival of Houston Day.  Films the second night were the short, Shame, directed by Anusha Bose who answered questions about the unusual plot, followed by the feature film, The Music Teacher which was presented by Sartak Dasgupta who came with the lead actor, Amrita Bagchi.  The documentary, Purdah, ended the evening’s activities.  Each of the films during the two nights was unique and had universal appeal.  They were the best of the best selected from more than one hundred submissions.  

Sutapa Ghosh, Festival Founder and Executive Director, is known for her excellent taste, and it was on full display as guests arrived at the Hotel ZaZa in Memorial City. 

Mistress of Ceremonies, Deborah Duncan, greeted them after the cocktail hour had provided a chance to meet filmmakers and the other guests. The decor, food, as well as entertainment by “Rhythm India” and Moodafaruka, added to the enjoyment of the evening.

The highlight of the Gala was the presentation of awards.  Sutapa Ghosh gave remarks about how pleased she was that the Indian Film Festival of Houston was celebrating its 10th anniversary and remarked about plans for the future.  Loyal patron Dr. Carolyn Farb was unable to attend in person, so she sent a letter that was read by the previous nights’ Master of Ceremonies Jose Grinan.

Dr. Renu Khator, Chancellor and President of University of Houston, received the Award of Excellence.  She arrived in the city in 2008, just as the film festival began, and has been one of its strong supporters.  She spoke of the importance of the annual event as a way of sharing Indian culture with diverse audiences, and then told of plans for University of Houston to build a medical school as well as helping the neighboring community that surrounds the campus.

All of the films were superb.  Awards for the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Houston are:

Best Feature Film: Once Again, directed by Kanwaljit Sethi

Best Short Film: Shame, directed by Anusha Bose

Best Documentary Film: Shalom Bollywood, directed by Danny Ben-Moshe

Special Recognition: Amrita Bagchi

Judging by pictures and comments from those who attended the events, it was a huge success.  Watch for news of the 2019 Festival, because Sutapa Ghosh is not one to rest on her laurels.  Expect it to be bigger and better next year.