Annual Indian Film Festival of Houston
Aug 3, 2010 Bollywood, Film, Non-Profit, Social Hour
September is just around the corner and that means it is time to gear up for the Indian Film Festival of Houston. “This will be the second Indian Film Festival and all I can say is that it will be bigger and better,” says Sutapa Ghosh, Festival Director.
The Indian Film Festival of Houston (IFFH) is a nonprofit organization devoted to creating a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing quality films that honor entertainment industry performers and film makers while promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian Diaspora through an annual event.
“We have received 75 submissions of feature films, documentaries and shorts of which 15 will be chosen to be shown during the festival,” added Ms Ghosh.
The second Annual Indian Film Festival of Houston (IFFH) will take place from September 22nd to 26th, 2010 at Studio Movie Grill, 805 Town & Country Lane, Houston TX 77024.
IFFH showcases a combination of features, shorts films and documentaries. The Festival provides programming and activities that no other film festival in Houston offers and serves a community of Indian and international filmmakers that has the potential of reaching a crossover audience. IFFH offers the Houston community a unique opportunity to learn about India’s multi-faceted culture and long history of filmmaking. During the weekdays there will be four showings and during weekends there will be eight.
The Award’s Night will be held on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at the Royal Oaks Country Club, located at 2910 Royal Oaks Club Dr, Houston, TX 77082.
Lights Camera Action will be there to capture all the details from the Opening Night Cocktail till the closing Night Gala.
For more information please call 713-260-9630 or visit www.iffhinc.org.
Tags: iffh
Indian Film Festival of Houston 2009
Nov 11, 2009 Bollywood, Film, Gala, Non-Profit, Social Hour
Event: Indian Film Festival of Houston Closing Night Gala
Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Houston, Texas
Date: September 26, 2009
Highlights from the first Indian Film Festival of Houston. Interviews with Deepti Naval, Manisha Koirala, Iqbal Khan, and Sonu Nigam.
Celebrating Indian Film Festival of Houston
Sep 29, 2009 Bollywood, Celebration, Film, Fund Raiser, Gala, Non-Profit, Social Hour
Event: Indian Film Festival of Houston Closing Night Gala
Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Houston, Texas
Date: September 26, 2009
Report: Ruchi Mukherjee
Photography: Ajay Sarpeshkar
Houston finally concluded a week long celebration of Indian cinema with a celebrity gala held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Houston,
Ruchi M with Actress Manisha Koirala
Texas on September 26, 2009. After ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ made a mark at the Oscars, Houston based film maker Sutapa Gosh felt that the time was right to give Houstonians a taste of Indian cinema. The film festival kicked-off with a reception party at Hotel Sorella Citycenter and showcased a few selected Indian films at Studio Movie Grill from September 21-25, 2009.
The Indian Film Festival of Houston is a non-profit organization devoted to creating a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by show casing quality films. The First Annual Indian Film Festival of Houston brought the best films made in different regional languages. A feast including ten feature-length movies, short films and documentaries. Screenings included Smile Pinki, an award-winning documentary about an impoverished girl whose life is changed by free surgery, bengali film ‘Janala’, Deepti Naval’s ‘Do paise ki dhoop Chaar aane ki baarish’ and Student Academy Awards Winner ‘Kavi’ by Gregg Helvey.
Gregg Helvey winner of the film Kavi
The festival was enjoyed by an international audience that featured question and answer sessions with directors, cast and the audience.
Friday evening saw the biggest crowds as Deepti Naval, Manisha Koirala and others showed up at Studio Movie Grill. The week wrapped with a star studded red carpet high profile celebrity gala which had 400 plus in attendance. The main highlight of the evening were the fashion statements of the guests at the gala.
Dr. Carolyn Farb’s mauve attire ‘lehenga’ (an Indian outfit) was quite a show stopper. Joanne King Herring who as usual never failed to impress with her warm personality and exotic costume. Dressed in gold, Joanne not only turned many heads but honored the theme of the celebrity gala. However, the very beautiful bollywood actress Manisha Koirala who charmed the guests with her personality did little with her outfit and looks. “It seems like she just rolled out of bed” says an onlooker. Deepti did maintain her directorial personality with a classy Indian saree.
Pretty in Mauve Carolyn Farb
Others present at the gala were Pop singer and India’s best playback singer Sonu Nigam, and model/television actor Mohammed Iqbal Khan.
Proceeds from the festival and gala will benefit the Indian Film Festival of Houston and MediSend International, that supports under resourced hospitals in developing countries with a multi-dimentional approach to improving community health.
Local Rice Students in the final three for the Oscars
Seniors Faheem Ahmed and camera man Anish Patel of Rice University, are on their way to Los Angeles for the Oscars later this week after making the final three in the 2009 mtvU Oscars® Correspondent MTV online competition. You can watch the other finalists and vote for your favorite until 2 p.m. Central time Feb. 20 at http://www.mtvu.com/on-campus/contests-sweepstakes/2009-oscars-student-correspondent/.
Tags: MTV, Oscars, Rice University
World Challenge 08 Documentary ‘Plan Bee’
Nov 21, 2008 Film, Non-Profit
Event: Presentation of World Challenge 08 Documentary ‘Plan Bee’
Venue: Rice University, Houston, Texas
Date: November 19, 2008
The Consulate of Pakistan Houston with other philanthropists had a presentation of the BBC World News World Challenge 08 Documentary “Plan Bee”. The documentary is featuring Hashoo Foundation’s Women Empowerment through honeybee farming projects.
Present at the gathering was guest speaker for the evening Andrew Cote, Executive Director of Bees Without Borders and Cristal Montanez Baylor, Executive Director of the Hashoo Foundation, USA.
Cristal is a former Miss Venezuela and runway model, today she is a philanthropist.
The Women’s Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Project earns Hashoo Foundation a finalist selection in the BBC World and Newsweek World Challenge 2008, announces the organization, demonstrating it is enterprising and innovative at a grass root level while preserving the Earth in the Northern Areas and Chitral in Pakistan.
The evening was quite engaging with some information about bee keeping by Andrew and the documentary “Plan Bee” was definetely inspiring as commented by the audience.
The audience was also encouraged to “Vote” for Hashoo Foundation on the World Challenge 08. The voting ends on November 21, 2008 so those interested can visit here.
Tags: Plan Bee
Asia Society Screening of ‘Owl and the Sparrow’
Nov 5, 2008 Film, Non-Profit
Event: Film Screening By Asia Society Texas Center
Venue: Angelika Film Center
Date: October 30, 2008
This was the second in the Vietnamese American Experience Series. Feature film and dialogue with the director Stephane Gauger from ‘Owl and the Sparrow’ was organized by the Asia Society Texas Center at the Angelika Film Center on Thusday October 30, 2008.
Gauger’s Vietnamese film with English subtitles was an enchanting story of a ten year old Thuy, who runs away to the bustling modern-day city of Saigon to escape her bullying uncle. Orphaned and with only her dolls for friends, she starts to sell flowers on the streets, where eight million people are trying to survive. When she meets Lan, a beautiful lonely flight attendant, and Hai, a zoo keeper who turns to his elephant for comfort after his fiancée has left him, the young runaway tries to play matchmaker to her two new friends in the hopes of forming a surrogate family. Only two things stand in her way -- the city authorities who want her in an orphanage and the overbearing uncle who comes to the city to track her down.
Creative Voices, Creative Minds is a program series developed by Asia Society Texas Center to celebrate the cultural and artistic contributions of Vietnamese Americans.
Tags: Asia Society
