It’s the Best of African and African-American filmmakers and stories at the 2017 New York Film Festival 55 — September 28 to October 15

Seven films with black star power will make their impact on the 2017 New York Film Festival — running from September 28 to October 15, 2017. And that includes an evening with director Ava DuVernay (October 6th) who will choose an artist to join her for a special onstage conversation, which will include wide-ranging discussion about the state of the cinematic arts.  

The overall festival is built around a thoroughly vetted main slate culled from films seen in top global festivals (and meant for theatrical runs) but, this year, has many drawn from the streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon. ell.

This year, the 55th edition of the New York Film Festival will also feature the Convergence section (which runs from September 29 – October 1). In its sixth edition, the highly anticipated annual program delves into the world of immersive storytelling via interactive experiences, and features virtual reality, augmented reality, live labs and demos, and more.  From October 6th-9th, the Projections section screens eight features and eight shorts programs which present an international selection of film and video work that expands upon our notions of what the moving image can do and be

Among the 18 days of the fest, check out these picks of the must-see films at the 2017 NYFF:

“Mudbound" by writer/director Dee Rees

This is a historical epic about a failing economy of Mississippi during the World War II era. Two families, one white (the landlords) and one black (the sharecroppers) work the same miserable piece of farmland. A Netflix release.

“Félicité” directed by Alan Gomis 

A feature made by a French director of Guinea-Bissauan and Senegalese descent. This story is set the Congo where a woman named Félicité (Véro Tshanda Beya Mputu) scrapes together a living as a singer in a makeshift bar (her accompanists are played by members of the Kasai Allstars band).  

“Boom For Real - The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat” directed by Sara Driver 

A look at Jean-Michel Basquiat's life pre-fame, and how New York City, the times, the people and the movements around him formed the artist he became.

“The Rape of Recy Taylor” directed by Nancy Buirksi 

From the Spotlight on Doc section comes this film about Recy Taylor, a 24-year-old black mother, and sharecropper, who was gang-raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama — something that happened far too often in the Jim Crow South. Recy Taylor bravely identified her rapists.                                               

“Tonsler Park,” directed by Kevin Jerome Everson

On Election Day, 2016 Everson’s 16mm camera quietly observed a community of mostly African-American voters and volunteers at a local polling precinct in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“The Mike Henderson program” (Projections)  

A singular cinematic figure, San Francisco's Mike Henderson became one of the first independent African-American artists to make inroads into experimental filmmaking in the 1960s.

“Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?” by director-screenwriter-producer-editor Travis Wilkerson  

Another Spotlight on Doc film, this unique production tries to answer how is it that some people escape the racism and misogyny in which they are raised, and some cling to it as if it were their reason for existence? This film/theater hybrid investigates the creator’s great-grandfather's killing of a black man in 1946.

“Piazza Vittorio” directed by Abel Ferrara

Also in the Spotlight on Doc program, this film illuminates the African musicians and restaurant workers, and others who call Rome’s biggest public square, Piazza Vittorio, (built in the 19th century) home. 

Tribeca TV Festival to bring Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar and Oprah Winfrey new OWN series to Cinepolis NYC, Sep 22-24

Clear the deck television loving New Yorkers because the week of September 22 and the city-that-never-sleeps will unveil the first annual Tribeca TV Festival (9.22 through 9.24) at the Cinepolis theater. Attending is the who’s-who of television and it’s a very, very, very big deal. 

That includes the screening highlights from Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar and exclusive “first-look-content” from Oprah Winfrey will premiere her new OWN series Released, and more.  

Let’s face it —everything about the entertainment space is changing which means Hollywood is changing. To wit Network television is in serious competition with new streaming video platforms like Hulu, Amazon and Netflix because most people prefer to take their entertainment “on the go” which has forced everyone in the television world to stop-drop-and-rethink how their business model. 

Netflix's enormous spending on original content has led the streaming video platform to accrue $20.54 billion "in long term debt and obligations," according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Stepping in to tap into the zeitgeist is the Tribeca TV Festival presented by AT&T which willfocus on bringing driving conversations from some of the entertainment world’s best and brightest.  The festival—scheduled to run Sept. 22 through 24 at Cinepolis in New York City—will feature numerous premieres and panel Q&As.  The TV festival will serve as a supplement to it’s acclaimed annual film festival that takes place every year in April.  

”Ten years ago we wouldn’t have needed a TV festival. Now, with the change in the TV landscape, both the quality and quantity of shows, it makes sense,” Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro said in a statement. “As the Tribeca Film Festival has done, the Tribeca TV Festival will act as a curator in bringing people together for this emerging experience.”

This tremendous three-day event will bring people together to discover new television series, see new episodes of returning shows and hear interesting things from interesting people like the aforementioned Emmy Award winner Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar which is scheduled to debut it’s mid-season premiere on Sunday September 24th right at the festival.

Following the episode, the cast of the series, Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, and Kofi Siriboe will discuss their acclaimed performances and rich characters, working with an all-female directing team, and maybe providing a few clues as to how season 2 will end!

In addition to Queen Sugar, Oprah Winfrey will premiere her new OWN series Released, which chronicles formerly-incarcerated men and women who are restarting their lives.  If you are in NYC, this is definitely an event that you do not want to miss out on!

One example of how film and television blur is Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13th” which was commissioned by Netflix and that premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2017, had a limited theatrical run to qualify for the Oscars and ultimately received a nomination. On the television side the commissioned documentary won three awards at the Creative Arts Emmy with a total of eight noms this year with DuVernay picking up the award for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Special.

On the path of good, DuVernay used the opportunity on stage at the Emmys to draw attention to the plight of families affected by the prevalence of incarceration in the U.S.  “I want to thank, and think about tonight the hundreds of thousands of families who are waiting for their loved ones to come home,” she said. “Mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, who don’t know where their loved one is. Unsung heroes of a struggle that has not a lot to do with them, but has a lot to do with how they live each day.”

Also taking an Emmy home this evening for the “13th” was Oscar® winner Common, who won the trophy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the song” Letter To The Free.” The musician/actor and DuVernay previously collaborated on “Selma.” Common and John Legend wrote the film’s song “Glory” which won an Academy Award.

The Tribeca TV Festival tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at http://www.tribecafilm.com/tvfestival.

AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LADY BIRD AND THE CURRENT WAR AS OPENING NIGHT AND CENTERPIECE PROGRAMMING FOR ITS 24TH ANNIVERSARY

The Austin Film Festival (Oct. 26-Nov. 2) (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writers’ and filmmakers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, announced today its Opening Night and Centerpiece Programming for its 24th anniversary, taking placeOctober 26-November 2. A24’s Lady Bird will play as Opening Night selection and The Weinstein Company’s The Current War will serve as AFF’s Centerpiece Film.

The directorial debut by actress Greta Gerwig (Frances HaMistress America), Lady Bird stars Saoirse Ronan (BrooklynThe Grand Budapest Hotel) as Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a young woman who fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job.

The Current War, the latest film by director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), chronicles the race for marketable electricity in the United States between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. The film also stars Tom Holland, Nicholas Hoult, and Katherine Waterston. Gomez-Rejon will present the film during the Festival.

Lady Bird and The Current War will join already announced titles An Ordinary Man, starring Ben Kingsley, 24 Hours to Live, starring Ethan Hawke, Please Stand By, starring Dakota Fanning and Toni Collette, and the premiere of the season finale of HBO’s new dramatic series The Deuce, with creators David Simon and George Pelecanos in attendance.

ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL:

Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established writers and filmmakers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships.  AFF is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts. All attendees and events are based on permitting schedules and are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice.

ACADEMY REVEALS 2017 STUDENT ACADEMY AWARD® WINNERS

The Academy has voted 17 students as winners of the 44th Student Academy Awards®competition.  This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received a total of 1,587 entries from 267 domestic and 89 international colleges and universities – which were voted by a record number of Academy members.  The 2017 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award winners as Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Cary Fukunaga, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

Uploaded by Oscars on 2017-09-13.

The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title):

Alternative (Domestic Film Schools)
"Opera of Cruelty," Max R. A. Fedore, New York University

Animation (Domestic Film Schools)
"Cradle," Devon Manney, University of Southern California
"E-delivery," Young Gul Cho, School of Visual Arts
"In a Heartbeat," Beth David and Esteban Bravo, Ringling College of Art and Design

Documentary (Domestic Film Schools)
"Hale," Brad Bailey, University of California, Berkeley
"On Pointe," Priscilla Thompson and Joy Jihyun Jeong, Columbia University
"One Way Home," Qingzi Fan, New York University

Narrative (Domestic Film Schools)
"Mammoth," Ariel Heller, University of Southern California
"My Newphew Emmett," Kevin Wilson, Jr., New York University
"Who’s Who in Mycology," Marie Dvorakova, New York University

Narrative (International Film Schools) 
"Facing Mecca," Jan-Eric Mack, Zurich University of the Arts (Switzerland)
"Watu Wote/All of Us," Katja Benrath, Hamburg Media School (Germany)
"When Grey is a Colour," Marit Weerheijm, Netherlands Film Academy (Netherlands)

Animation (International Film Schools)
"Life Smartphone," Chenglin Xie, China Central Academy of Fine Arts (China)

Documentary (International Film Schools)
"Galamsey," Johannes Preuss, Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany)

First-time honors go to China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for 2017 Oscars® in the Animated Short Film or Live Action Short Film category and 2018 Oscars in the Documentary Short Subject category.  Past winners have gone on to receive 57 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 11 awards.  This year one 2016 Student Academy Award winner received an Oscar nomination in the Documentary Short Subject category: Daphne Matziaraki, a Gold Medal winner in the Documentary category for "4.1 Miles."

Students will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Thursday, October 12, at 7:30 p.m., at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in the seven award categories will be announced at the ceremony.

New this year, the competition was expanded to allow two options for students at international film schools to submit their films. In addition to CILECT-member schools submitting one student film per international film school category, international students may now enter films that qualify through film festivals recognized by the Student Academy Awards Executive Committee. 

The 44th Student Academy Awards ceremony on October 12 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required.  Tickets may be obtained online at oscars.org starting today.  Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event.  The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.

 

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 8,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is under construction in Los Angeles.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
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www.youtube.com/Oscars
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Seinfeld, Hart, Apatow, take the stage at JFL 2017, + "Stand Up On The Spot"

Yesterday, the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal heated up with performances from some of the world's top comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart and Mike Birbiglia. It was a big day for the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, now with its 35th annual event in full swing. 

Jerry Seinfeld made his return to the festival since his performance in the 1980s, bringing him face-to-face with his French doppelgänger, Gad Elmelah, on stage for the first time in a shared co-headlined event. Elmelah, an emerging comedic superstar around the world, is often referred to as the "Jerry Seinfeld of France" and the two comedians have even joked that their similarities go way beyond similar comedy styles as it's been said that they also share similar physical appearances. 

Kevin Hart, who is attending the festival this week to announce the winners of "Eat My Shorts”, a talent search competition for his LOL Network, gave a surprise midnight performance to excited festival goers, bringing him back to his stand-up roots at the very same festival that gave him his start when he was named a “New Face” in 2001. Hart's set touched on his life experiences as a parent, including his excitement (and anxiety) over his forthcoming third child.

Stand Up on the Spot (Photo Credit. Just for Laughs-Joseph Fuda)

Check out this photo from the "Stand Up On The Spot" show. One the best parts of this festival is that it shows the comedian camaraderie. It’s “comedian summer camp” where they all want to hang out with each other, and do pop up sets at each other's shows. From left to right: David Kau, Tom Segura, Jeffrey Ross, Judd Apatow, Russell Peters, Chris D'Elia and Wayne Federman. Credit: Just For Laughs/ Joseph Fuda

The day also featured galas hosted by David Spade, as well as SNL's Michael Che and Colin Jost, showcasing a range of talent from today's top comedians, including Jeff Ross, The Lucas Bros., Katherine Ryan, K. Trevor Wilson, Godfrey, Arj Barker, Jim Norton, Lil Rey Howery, Sarah Millican, Steve Byrne, Ivan Decker, Phil Hanley, and David Baddiel. 

Audiences were also treated to stand-up sets from Mike Birbiglia and Tom Segura.

Finally, always a highly-anticipated annual event, Just for Laugh's "New Faces" showcase introduced 2017's top emerging names in comedy to watch out for. The event previously introduced some of today's comedic heavy hitters, including Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer,Hannibal Buressand Demetri Martin. Hosted by Montreal's very own, Sugar Sammy, this year's talent showcase included Jared Freid, Taylor Tomlinson, Martin Urbano, Preacher Lawson, Blair Socci, Yedoye Travis, Charles Gould, Danny Jolles, Rae Sanni, and JR De Guzman. 

BEST OF BOLLYWOOD IN NYC, w/ A STAR STUDDED IIFA AWARDS SHOW! #IIFA2017

THE IIFA AWARDS BROUGHT THE BEST OF BOLLYWOOD WITH A STAR STUDDED AWARDS SHOW!

 The IIFA Awards to broadcast on COLORS today SundayJuly 16th with the Green Carpet at 6pm followed by the Awards at 7pm

New York, July 16th 2017: The celebrated IIFA Awards took over the city of New York with a dazzling awards show bringing together the biggest names of Bollywood in celebration of Indian Cinema. Giving Indian cinema a global platform, the Awards was held at the iconic MetLife Stadium at New York, USA.

This year the IIFA Awards stage saw Bollywood’s most dynamic duo- the talented stars Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan - host India’s most awaited awards ceremony. The pair amazed the crowd present with their quick wit and zingers as leaving them in splits with their amusing one-liners and on-stage chemistry.

The IIFA Awards, the finale of the IIFA Weekend saw a host of stellar performances and acts. The show kicked off with Alia Bhatt performing on the Awards stage for the very first time since her debut in Bollywood five years ago. The night featured spellbindingperformances by Bollywood superstars- Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, to name a few.

Bollywood’s Youth Icon, Varun Dhawan performed on the IIFA Awards stage with a stunning performance celebrating his father’s legacy in Bollywood. This year, IIFA presented the Woman of the Year Award to actress Taapsee Pannu and The Myntra Style Icon to Alia Bhatt. The award night included legendary actor Anil Kapoor and Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO - Viacom18 honoring A.R. Rahman for his illustrious career and work as they celebrated his 25 years in the industry.

The NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by VIVO to broadcast on COLORS today, SundayJuly 16th with the Green Carpet at 6pm followed by the Awards at 7pm 

The NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by VIVO aired LIVE exclusively on Saturday, July 15, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT in North America and the Caribbean on cablesatellite and digital Pay Per View via in Demand, Vubiquity, DISH and DIRECTV in the USA, Bell, Rogers, SHAW, SaskTel and Telus in Canada, along with the Flipps App and web site www.IIFAAwardsppv.com in both the USA and Canada.  The suggested retail price is $39.95. The live telecast is distributed exclusively via Integrated Sports Media.

Lycamobile – Presenting Sponsor, McDonalds - Associate Sponsor, NYC (Mayors office) - Host Destination, NewYorkBannerStands & Print Early – Printing Partner, Pierre Précieuse – Gifting Partner and Arya Dance Academy – Dance Company Partner.

The NEXA IIFA Awards will broadcast on COLORS – the Broadcast Partner, with the Title Sponsor NEXA, Weekend Title Sponsor – EROS NOW, Powered by VIVO, Cause Partner- WOOSH Washing Expert,   Styled by Myntra, Official Airline Partner – AIR INDIA, Thought Leadership Partner – VEDANTA, Brand Partner – Closeup, Carnival and Ease My Trip and Franchise India, Jewelry Partner – Nakshatraworld.com, Outdoor partners – Bright Outdoor Media and JR Creations, Multiplex Partner –PVR

Adding to the excitement of the Awards night, International Indian Film Academy Awards launched its brand new line of Official IIFA Merchandise partnered with New York based Easy Partners, a boutique licensing and merchandising company. The eye-catching IIFA Merchandise featuring a diverse range of T-Shirts, Caps, Key Rings, Hooded Sweatshirts, Tote Bags, Magnet, Ticket Holders stylized with IIFA’s logo and Mugs showcasing IIFA 2017 in New York were available at the famous MetLife Stadium during the show and alsoexclusively on the IIFA website on https://www.jsrdirect.com/webstores/iifa

The IIFA Awards Winners:

·         Best Picture- Neerja

·         Best Story- Ayesha Devitre Dhillon, Shakun Batra (Kapoor & Sons)

·         Best Performance in a comic role- Varun Dhawan (Dishoom)

·         Best Direction- Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury (Pink)

·         Best Actor in a leading role Female- Alia Bhatt (Udta Punjab)

·         Best Actor in a leading role Male- Shahid Kapoor (Udta Punjab)

·         Best Lyricist- Amitabh Bhattacharya (Channa Mereya)

·         Best Music Director-Pritam (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)

·         Best Negative Role- Jim Sarbh (Neerja)

·         Best Playback Singer Female- Kanika Kapoor (Udta Punjab- Da Da Dasse) and Tulsi Kumar (Airlift- Soch Na Sake)

·         Best Playback singer Male- Amit Mishra(Ae Dil Hai Mushkil- Bulleya)

·         Supporting ActorFemale- Shabana Azmi (Neerja)

·         Supporting Actor Male  Anupam Kher (M.S. Dhoni)

·         Myntra Style Icon Award-Alia Bhatt

·         Woman of the Year- Taapsee Pannu

·         Best Debut Male- Diljit Dosanjh (Udta Punjab)

·         Best Debut Female- Disha Patani(M.S. Dhoni)

IIFA continues on its journey with strength to grow every year in the world of entertainment and building the outreach as a major event globally to bring positive results and impact. This year is set to be one of the biggest, most extravagant and amazing IIFA Weekends to date. Keep up to date with all the latest news and details on IIFA by logging on to www.iifa.com or checking out the social media handles:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IIFA/
Twitter https://twitter.com/IIFA
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/iifa/

About IIFA (International Indian Film Academy)

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy and a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain to India but an equally important objective of this prestigious brand is to create similar outcomes in its host country.  The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments and film co-productions.

Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd promotes the IIFA Weekend & Awards globally each year and travel to new, exciting and beautiful destinations, taking the film fraternity with it to unite and celebrate the best of Indian film and culture, thereby taking Indian Cinema and India to a wider audience. www.iifa.com.

ABOUT WIZCRAFT INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PVT. LTD.

Wizcraft International Entertainment, India’s leading media and Entertainment Company is dedicated to showcasing its expertise on the world stage.  Having conceptualized some of the grandest events globally including the 50 Years of Indian Independence, the 30 Years of Mauritian Independence, the 10 years of the South African Freedom Struggle, the Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing ceremonies in Delhi as well as the Handover ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, & the prestigious International

Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards & Weekend for 15 years in over 12 countries, Wizcraft has contributed towards brand building for India across the world.  It has pioneered and developed India’s biggest entertainment brand IIFA which has taken Indian Cinema and culture to the world. The growth story of the company reflects the evolution of the Indian event management & entertainment industry itself. Driven by its vision “Believe in the power of your dreams” the company is committed to quality and innovation, while setting its sights on greater peaks of achievement.

 ABOUT METLIFE STADIUM

MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Football Giants, is the number one stadium in the world. This 82,500 seat stadium, one of the largest in the National Football League, sets the standard for venue excellence with state-of-the-art technology, comfort and amenities. The only active venue to serve as the home stadium for two NFL teams, MetLife Stadium hosts 20 NFL games per season, more than any other Stadium.

MetLife Stadium hosts the World’s Biggest Events, on the World’s Biggest Stage. Major events hosted at the stadium include Super Bowl XLVIII, WrestleMania 29, Copa America Centenario, CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Paul McCartney, U2, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift

MetLife Stadium tops the industry charts annually since opening. The Stadium has ranked as the No. 1 Highest Grossing Stadium in the world for the last 5 years (2012 – 2016) by Billboard magazine. In 2011 MetLife Stadium was ranked No. 1 for safety by Security magazine’s “Security 500” in the Arenas/Stadiums/Leagues/Entertainment division.

For more information, visit:
www.metlifestadium.com
www.wizcraftworld.com

The Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal July 31

The 35th edition of the Just for Laughs comedy festival, in Montreal, kicks off today with some of the biggest names in comedy sharing the stage with rising up and comers. Highlights from the 2017 lineup include Jerry Seinfeld in his first appearance at the festival since 1989. 

In the comedy world this is a big deal. It’s like the Olympics of Laugher and the launching pad for comedians like Kevin Hart, Judd Apatow, and Dave Chappelle, to name a few.

JFL’s tradition continues with The Ethnic Show, returning for its 9th Edition presented as part of the Jack Astor’s Club Series. This cultural melting pot for comedy features today’s buzz worthy comics, hosted by outspoken comedian Iranian-American Maz Jobrani. Maz is best known for numerous appearances on the late night talk show circuit, many movies and television appearances. Joining Maz, sharing the humorous side of their diverse backgrounds, Jewish-American Jessica Kirson returning after highly praised performances in 2016; international comedian and one of the most sought-after performers, Korean Irish-American Steve Byrne; their return to the Festival, audience favourite Italian-Canadians The Doo Wops, comprised of John Catucci and David Mesiano; rising star Portuguese-Canadian Mike Rita; and staple of the New York comedy scene Dominican-American Vlad Caamaño. We’re tearing down barriers to speak forthright while laughing at our differences and similarities

Here is what some of the funniest folks on the planet performing as part of the The Ethnic Show had to say about humor in 2017.

The Doo Wops (they’re a duo)

David Mesiano

What's funny to me?  

Self-deprecating humour, as long as I'm the one telling the story. 

Where do I see ethnic humour going? 

I see it evolving at an even pace with the respective ethnic group. There are certain stereotypes that are timeless; there are those that are outdated. But as a culture grows, I believe so do the opportunities to be made fun of!  

John Catucci

What's funny to me?  

Awkward silences

Where do I see ethnic humour going? 

Mike Rita

What’s funny to me? 

The unspoken truths of the world, the stuff that people say inside their brains while the world happens around them and i love when crazy people scare really soft humans. I always thought it was funny when a person who lives in a little bubble has it burst by someone whipping out their penis. 

Where do I think ethnic comedy is going? 

I think it’s going main stream more than ever but i can't tell if it’s for the correct reasons like pure talent. I feel at times people love to cash in on markets that haven't been tapped and thou ethnic comedy has always existed, it’s now marketable so it’s about to blow up.

Maz Jobrani

What’s funny to you?

Most anything that comes out of the mouth of my 6 year old daughter.

Where do you see ethnic comedy going? (with diverse ethnic groups being more outspoken)

I think that what we are seeing are comedians who just happen to be from different ethnicities. It takes immigrant cultures some time to get past the basic lawyer, doctor, engineer careers and get into the actor, comedian, rock star careers. But it’s been a few generations where Indians, Iranians, Arabs and others have been coming to the West and we’re seeing more and more comedians from diverse backgrounds talking about their experiences. It will be similar to what happened for Jews, blacks and Hispanics in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Comedy, will hopefully help these other ethnic communities break into the mainstream. It is a positive thing for diversity.

Jessica Kirson

What’s funny to you?

I laugh at real, vulnerable comedians. I love when someone is very dry in their delivery and really owns it. That makes me laugh out loud. I laugh at anything silly. I laugh when people fall (and don't get hurt). I love physical humor.

Where do you see ethnic comedy going? (with diverse ethnic groups being more outspoken)

I think we will see more and more ethnic humor. The world is so diverse and it's important to see all of it. Every group has their own culture, habits, funny things to make fun of. It's great to see how different we all are through humor.

Social Media:

Facebook: @justforlaughs
Twitter: @justforlaughs
Instagram: @justforlaughs
#JFLMTL#JFL35

NYC GEARS UP FOR THE IIFA WEEKEND & AWARDS. Metlife stadium to get Bollywoodized! #IIFA2017

NEW YORK CITY GEARS UP FOR THE 18TH EDITION OF THE IIFA WEEKEND AND AWARDS!

·         The 18th Edition Of Lycamobile Presents IIFA Festival New York in Association with McDonalds to be held from 13th – 15th July 2017 in the host city of New York

·         The 72 hours extravaganza, Eros Now IIFA Weekendco-presented by NEXA powered by VIVO will feature string of events and unique associations: Myntra presents IIFA Stomp, Shuruaat Gala Dinner IIFA Societal Innovation Summitin association with tGELF, The FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum 2017, the spectacularEROS NOW IIFA Rocks and the one and only- The NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by VIVO

New York, 13th July 2017: The International Indian Film Academy have commenced today in the city of New York! The anticipation is building as IIFA travels to the United States for the second time. Known to be the center of entertainment, business, fashion and culture, the premiere edition of IIFA in New York is all set to be star studded event filled with splendor and revelry!

The 18th Edition of the IIFA Weekend and Awards began with an Official Press Conference held at the Metropolitan Ballroom at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel. The conference was attended by leading notable figures and members from the media, eminent Bollywood stars Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Sushant Singh Rajput, Kriti Sanon, Varun Dhawan among others were in attendance as they welcomed the Biggest IFA ever in New York.

Commenting on the occasion, Andre Timmins, Director- Wizcraft International, the producers and creator of the IIFA movement says“The 18th Edition of IIFA Weekend And Awards is going to be one of our biggest ever IIFA Festival to date.  We are bringing together the very best in music, fashion, dance extravaganza and celebration of Indian Film and we can’t wait for IIFA to take over the City of New York and America.  The multi-faceted nature of IIFA also presents a great opportunity through FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum, with which we aim to create a business networking platform to further trade & policy relations between India and America.”

Varun Dhawan shared saying, “I am absolutely excited to be a part of IIFA Awards in New York this year. I’m looking forward to join everyone and see fans at the amazing MetLife Stadium. This year is truly going to be a grand celebration and I can’t wait to be there!”

Commenting on the occasion, Salman Khan says, “It always feels great to be a part of the IIFA Movement and I look forward to the IIFA Festival in New York.”

Expressing his excitement, Shahid Kapoor says, “IIFA is all about creating memories and experiences. I had a great time last year hosting the show. This time around I will be performing at the IIFA Festival New York. I am hoping to give the audiences a power packed performance in the City That Never Sleeps.”

Speaking about her debut at IIFA, Alia Bhatt shares, “I am very excited to be a part of IIFA 2017, as this is going to be my debut at the IIFA Festival after 5 years in the industry. I am super excited that IIFA is being held in the beautiful city of New York. IIFA is all about togetherness and the celebration of the Indian cinema globally and I eagerly look forward to this celebration”.

Katrina Kaif says, “I’m really excited and looking forward to performing at the IIFA Awards this year. It is such a great platform that not only showcases the celebration of cinema globally, but also it’s a great opportunity for us to reach out to our fans worldwide. I am excited that this year, it is happening in one of my favorite cities – New York!”

Sharing his experience with IIFA, Sushant Singh Rajput says, “I have always been excited for IIFA since my college days, because that’s when my association with IIFA began. From being a back-ground dancer to performing for the audiences as an actor, IIFA has always been very memorable to me. I am very grateful to IIFA for giving me a chance to perform. I doubt I will be performing on my songs, because the films I have done, don’t really have peppy numbers. However I look forward to my performance at the IIFA Festival New York 2017.”

Commenting on her excitement for IIFA, Kriti Sanon says, “IIFA is a great platform where everyone from the industry travels globally and celebrates the glory of Indian Cinema. The IIFA Awards has always been held in the most beautiful destinations and this time it’s being held in New York. I am enthusiastically looking forward to my very first performance at the IIFA Festival and my first visit to the City.”

Lycamobile – Presenting Sponsor, McDonalds - Associate Sponsor, NYC (Mayors office) - Host Destination, NewYorkBannerStands & Print Early – Printing Partner, Pierre Précieuse – Gifting Partner and Arya Dance Academy – Dance Company Partner.

The NEXA IIFA Awards will broadcast on COLORS – the Broadcast Partner, with the Title Sponsor NEXA, Weekend Title Sponsor – EROS NOW, Powered by VIVO, Cause Partner- WOOSH Washing Expert,   Styled by Myntra, Official Airline Partner – AIR INDIA, Thought Leadership Partner – VEDANTA, Brand Partner – Closeup, Carnival and Ease My Trip and Franchise India, Jewelry Partner – Nakshatraworld.com, Outdoor partners – Bright Outdoor Media and JR Creations, Multiplex Partner –PVR

Commenting on the occasion, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO - Viacom18, "Historically, Indian cinema has been the biggest ambassador of our culture, and IIFA has been instrumental in a big way to take our cinema to the Indian diaspora. IIFA is the biggest celebration of Bollywood, and it has been a very rewarding partnership between COLORS Viacom18 and Wizcraft to take this entertainment extravaganza a notch higher every year. The increasing appeal of Indian movies across geographies have established the international appeal of the local Indian content. This focus on content driven cinema is a cause that is very dear to our Studio, Viacom18 Motion Pictures. In the coming days we will strive towards making our stories, our cinema find increasing global audiences and spread the essence of Bollywood across cultures."

Sharing on the same, Raj Nayak, COO – Viacom18, said “After months of preparations, we are in New York today to celebrate the world’s biggest Bollywood awards. Three days of celebration that started with ringing the bell at Nasdaq, having a dance & fashion show at Times Square, celebrating 25 years of A R Rahman with IIFA Rocks and finally the IIFA awards, it's just been amazing. 40,000 people will watch the event LIVE at the MetLife stadium in New York and viewers across the globe will get to watch the extravaganza on COLORS."

Speaking of the association, Mr. R. S Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki said“We are delighted to associate with NEXA IIFA Awards 2017 for the third consecutive year. NEXA and IIFA are symbolic of breaking the status-quo and creating experiences which are new and exciting. NEXA is synonymous with offering premium experiences matched with spectacular segment defining products like S-Cross, Baleno, Ignis and Ciaz. NEXA creates moments which consumers experience just like IIFA which builds lifetime experiences and felicitates excellence in Indian cinema at a global stage”

Commenting on the association, Rishika Lulla Singh CEO - Eros Digital said, “We strive to offer the best of Bollywood content to our viewers and it gives us immense pleasure to associate with Wizcraft and come on board as Title Sponsor for IIFA Weekend, one of the most celebrated and recognized Indian film award ceremonies across the globe. Eros Now will stream the awards reaching out to our subscribers across the world to give them the opportunity to witness these grand celebrations before its telecast on any other digital platform. With two leading players from the entertainment space coming together for the awards gala, the teams promise to magnify its scope and amplify our vision to reach out to Indian cinema lovers across the world’.

Delighted at the association, Vivek Zhang, CMO, Vivo India, said, We are thrilled to have partnered with the most coveted platform representing Indian cinema globally. As a global smartphone brand, we constantly try to connect closely with our target audience in different parts of the country. We believe that the popularity of India International Film Awards (IIFA) is a splendid opportunity for Vivo to strengthen connect with the right audience and create a strong brand recall. Our latest offering in the Indian market is a step ahead in our endeavor to revolutionize the selfie phenomenon.”

Speaking of the association, Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Resources Plc said; “IIFA has been a platform that showcases India’s art & cultural excellence to the world, just as we believe Vedanta champions India’s natural resources globally. I am pleased that IIFA is supporting our flagship CSR programme; Nand Ghar as a social cause which will benefit 8.5 crore children and 2 crore women across India. This is aligned to our Honorable Prime Minister’s social development vision for our country.”

Sharing on the association, Mr. Allirajah Subaskaran Group Chairman and founder, Lycamobile Group of Companies said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring this year’s International Indian Film Academy Festival, an event showcasing the best of Bollywood, with nominations from some of the industry’s biggest stars, including Anushka Sharma, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahid Kapoor. Our sponsorship of the Festival demonstrates Lyca Group’s ongoing commitment to excellence in Indian cinema, an area we are dedicated to supporting as we continue our expansion into film through our entertainment business Lyca Productions”

I join Mayor de Blasio in extending a warm welcome to IIFA for its annual celebration of Indian Cinema,” said Film and Entertainment Commissioner, Julie Menin. “As both a film production capital and the proud home to so many Indian Americans, New York is the perfect host city for this wonderful celebration.  We also welcome the many Bollywood film lovers, fans and tourists who will visit our city for these prestigious awards.”  

Drawing a close parallel between the two mega brands, Air India’s Commercial Director, Mr. Pankaj Srivastava said that “As has IIFA been growing to be a global phenomenon over the years, so has Air India been expanding its wings internationally, especially in American, European and Australian markets. Both Air India and IIFA are dream merchants and true ambassadors of Indian goodwill abroad.”

Commenting on the occasion, Ananth Narayanan, CEO, Myntra-Jabong says, “The strong bond between Bollywood and fashion needs no foreword! An association between the nations’s leading destination for fashion online and the most awaited screen award ceremony in the country makes for an excellent combination that symbolically connects these brands with consumers. IIFA represents glamour and fashion and we are looking forward to a long-standing relationship with them as their fashion partners.”

Talking about the collaboration with IIFA, Mr. Yogesh Jain, Managing Director and Chairman ‘Woosh Washing Expert’ says, “It gives us immense pleasure to have associated with IIFA. As cause partners, we will be happy to promote Woosh’s ‘Soft Soft Hands’ at the event and empower women, in our own little way. This is our first association with IIFA and we look forward to continuing our journey with it, going forward”.

Commenting on this, Shashwat Sharma, Category Head, Oral Care India, said, “Closeup as a brand celebrates two individuals coming close by shedding all inhibitions that they face. Our signature tune “Paas Aao” has been an iconic jingle building our brand philosophy. We are excited to bring to you a fresh and edgy take of the much-loved melody. What started out as a romantic number has now evolved into a bold and catchy track which resonates with the pulse of today’s youth. We want to inspire the youth to break all barriers and overcome their hesitation. This thought has been brilliantly brought alive by Ahmed Khan and his vision for the song and the charm of Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon. We are confident this new exciting avatar of “Paas Aao” will be loved by all.” Tune in to Colors, at 10 am and catch Kriti and Sushant share their ‘PaasAao’ moment with their electrifying performance on stage!

Commenting on the association, Mr. Nishant Pitti, CEO & Co-Founder, EaseMyTrip.com shared, “Joining IIFA 2017 as support partner will bring EaseMyTrip more close to Bollywood as we always welcome our association with entertainment world.”

IIFA inaugurated its festivities by ringing in the Nasdaq stock exchange bell at Times Square, thus marking the globalization of Indian cinema. International Indian Film Academy especially rang the bell to announce its support for the Nand Ghar Project, a unique Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), led by Vedanta Resources, which is listed on the NYSE stock exchange, along with the Government of India to transform Early Childhood Care and Education Centers. Designed in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a view to eradicating malnutrition, providing education and skill Development, Vedanta has adopted 4,000 villages in India. Taking the benefits of development of healthcare, children's education and skill development for women, Project Nand Ghar is a meeting point of the social initiatives by the government such as Swaach Bharat, Startup India, Skill India, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Digital India campaigns all under one roof. With a strong focus on health, safety and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities,Vedanta founders have pledged 75% of their wealth for social development.

Fans of Indian Cinema can look forward to a host of events kicking off with the music and fashion welcome party- Myntra presents IIFA Stomp at Times Square on 13th July. Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan will be showcasing his DJ skills at IIFA Stomp alongside DJ Amann Nagpal, Electronica icon B.R.E.E.D, DJ Nasha, as they raise the excitement with their unique music. Another facet to IIFA Stomp is a glamorous Fashion Show right in the heart of the city! Myntra shall present its collection with show-stoppers Bollywood actresses’ Dia Mirza and Taapsee Pannu. Leading ladies Shilpa Shetty & Neha Dhupia shall be show-stoppers for Shane and Falguni Peacock collection presented by NEXA and a Jewelry collection will be presented by Gitanjali by designer Sonaakshi Raaj withHuma Qureshi as the showstopper. In addition, Myntra shall announce the MOGO much logo launch featuring a 10 minute performance by the talented multi-instrumentalist Karsh Kale.

Day 1 of the 18th edition of the IIFA Weekend and Awards also introduces the first-of-its-kind“Shuruaat Gala” Dinner IIFA Societal Innovation Summit, a charity fundraiser organized by IIFA in association with The Global Education and Leadership Foundation (tGELF) at The Pierre in New York. As star studded evening, Shuruaat Gala Dinner at IIFA shall bring together the biggest celebrities from Bollywood and leaders from business, philanthropy, media, education and Arts. 

As part of the IIFA Weekend and Awards in New York, IIFA and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and industry announced the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum to be held on July 14th, 2017 at the Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue. An initiative, supported by Consulate General of India- New York, Asia Society and US-India Business Council (USIBC), the Business Forum began in 2005 and has grown into a global platform which has hosted international leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Prince Charles, Prime Minister Tony Blair of UK, President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka and a number of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum, the annual one-day event has been a major highlight of the IIFA Weekend And Awards, solidifying the business ties between India and its significant trade and investment partners. This year, the Global Business Forum 2017 will focus on the theme “India and United States: Partners in Progress”withdiscussions on India- US commercial relations, with panel sessions focusing on key aspects of the relationship:  The future of India-US Economic Partnership, Defense and SecurityManufacturing,Innovation and EntrepreneurshipMedia & Entertainment.

Additionally, the iconic MetLife stadium shall transform into an unforgettable musical experience atEROS NOW IIFA Rocks on July 14th with the Multi-talented Bollywood star Diljit Dosanjh kick-starting the performances. A never-seen-before medley and energetic performances from Hariharan, Kailash Kher, Mika Singh, Mohit Chauhan, Jonita Gandhi, Neeti Mohan, Javed Ali, Haricharan Seshadri and Kamaal Khan among others will be seen with the legendary artist A.R. Rahman at IIFA Rocks. Bollywood’s Riteish Deshmukh and Manish Paul will host the sensational global event.

The final and most awaited event of the weekend is the NEXA IIFA Awards Co-presented by Eros Now Powered by VIVO, a spectacular and glamorous night which honors and celebrates excellence and deserving work in Indian cinema will be held at MetLife Stadium on July 15thfeaturing Saif Ali Khan and Karan Johar hosting the star studded night with dazzling performances by Bollywood megastars Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, to name a few.

The NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by VIVO to broadcast on COLORS on SundayJuly 16th with the Green Carpet at 6pm followed by the Awards at 7pm.

Lycamobile Presents IIFA Festival New York in Association with McDonalds will air LIVE exclusively onSaturday, July 15, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT in North America and the Caribbean oncablesatellite and digital Pay Per View via in Demand, Vubiquity, DISH and DIRECTV in the USA, Bell, Rogers, SHAW, SaskTel and Telus in Canada, along with the Flipps App and web sitewww.IIFAAwardsppv.com in both the USA and Canada. The suggested retail price is $39.95. The live telecast is distributed exclusively via Integrated Sports Media.

With the excitement growing across the world, the Official IIFA merchandise is a perfect treat for‘IIFAn’s’ globally. The Official IIFA Merchandise includes an interesting range of T-Shirts, Caps, Key Rings, Hooded Sweatshirts, Tote Bags, Magnet and Ticket Holders among others that are stylized with the Iconic IIFA’s logo. The Merchandise is exclusively available on e-storehttps://www.jsrdirect.com/webstores/iifa and at MetLife Stadium from 14th – 15th July 2017 during the 72 hour IIFA Weekend and Awards.

As fans from all across the world await for the biggest celebration of Indian cinema worldwide, International Indian Film Academy is pleased to announce its diverse range of official IIFA merchandise. New York based Easy Partners, a boutique licensing and merchandising company ties up with IIFA as the official merchandise partner to produce, market and sell the merchandise.

IIFA continues on its journey with strength to grow every year in the world of entertainment and building the outreach as a major event globally to bring positive results and impact. This year is set to be one of the biggest, most extravagant and amazing IIFA Weekends to date. Keep up to date with all the latest news and details on IIFA by logging on to www.iifa.com or checking out the social media handles.

#IIFA2017

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IIFA/

Twitter https://twitter.com/IIFA

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/iifa/

About IIFA (International Indian Film Academy)

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy and a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain to India but an equally important objective of this prestigious brand is to create similar outcomes in its host country.  The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments and film co-productions.

Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd promotes the IIFA Weekend & Awards globally each year and travel to new, exciting and beautiful destinations, taking the film fraternity with it to unite and celebrate the best of Indian film and culture, thereby taking Indian Cinema and India to a wider audience. www.iifa.com.

ABOUT WIZCRAFT INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PVT. LTD.

Wizcraft International Entertainment, India’s leading media and Entertainment Company is dedicated to showcasing its expertise on the world stage.  Having conceptualized some of the grandest events globally including the 50 Years of Indian Independence, the 30 Years of Mauritian Independence, the 10 years of the South African Freedom Struggle, the Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing ceremonies in Delhi as well as the Handover ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, & the prestigious International

Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards & Weekend for 15 years in over 12 countries, Wizcraft has contributed towards brand building for India across the world.  It has pioneered and developed India’s biggest entertainment brand IIFA which has taken Indian Cinema and culture to the world. The growth story of the company reflects the evolution of the Indian event management & entertainment industry itself. Driven by its vision “Believe in the power of your dreams” the company is committed to quality and innovation, while setting its sights on greater peaks of achievement.

ABOUT METLIFE STADIUM

MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Football Giants, is the number one stadium in the world. This 82,500 seat stadium, one of the largest in the National Football League, sets the standard for venue excellence with state-of-the-art technology, comfort and amenities. The only active venue to serve as the home stadium for two NFL teams, MetLife Stadium hosts 20 NFL games per season, more than any other Stadium.

MetLife Stadium hosts the World’s Biggest Events, on the World’s Biggest Stage. Major events hosted at the stadium include Super Bowl XLVIII, WrestleMania 29, Copa America Centenario, CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Paul McCartney, U2, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift

MetLife Stadium tops the industry charts annually since opening. The Stadium has ranked as the No. 1 Highest Grossing Stadium in the world for the last 5 years (2012 – 2016) by Billboard magazine. In 2011 MetLife Stadium was ranked No. 1 for safety by Security magazine’s “Security 500” in the Arenas/Stadiums/Leagues/Entertainment division.

For more information, visit:

www.metlifestadium.com

www.wizcraftworld.com

IIFA RINGS IN THE NASDAQ BELL WITH SONAKSHI SINHA & IIFA STOMP to take over Times Square tomorrow!

THE 18TH EDITION OF IIFA WEEKEND AND AWARDS RINGS IN THE NASDAQ STOCK EXCHANGE BELL WITH BOLLYWOOD DIVA SONAKSHI SINHA

New York, 12th July 2017: As the highly anticipated 18TH edition of IIFA, to be held from 13th – 15th July 2017

 descends on the captivating city of New York, the International Indian Film Academy commences its festivities by ringing in the Nasdaq stock exchange bell at Times Square, thus marking the globalization of Indian cinema.

Seen at the prestigious event were members of Nasdaq along with IIFA’s founders Mr. Andre Timmins and Mr. Sabbas Joseph, Directors of Wizcraft International, the producers and creators of the IIFA movement, along with Bollywood diva Sonakshi Sinha.

International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) especially rang the bell to announce its support for the Nand Ghar Project, a unique Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), led by Vedanta Resources,which is listed on the NYSE stock exchange, along with the Government of India to transform Early Childhood Care and Education Centers.

Designed in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a view to eradicating malnutrition, providing education and skill Development, Vedanta has adopted 4,000 villages in India. Taking the benefits of development of healthcare, children's education and skill development for women, Project Nand Ghar is a meeting point of the social initiatives by the government such as Swaach Bharat, Startup India, Skill India, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Digital India campaigns all under one roof. With a strong focus on health, safety and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities, Vedanta founders have pledged 75% of their wealth for social development.

Commenting on the occasion, Sabbas Joseph, Director- Wizcraft International, the producers and creators of the IIFA movement says, “Given IIFA’s multi-faceted nature, we are pleased to ring in the 18th Edition of IIFA Weekend And Awards at the Nasdaq Stock Market Bell ringing ceremony. We are thrilled to bring in India’s biggest and most spectacular global celebration of cinema and we can’t wait for IIFA to take over the City of New York and America.”

IIFA rings Nasdaq bell w/ Sonakshi Sinha @ Time Square NYC

The 18th Edition of the IIFA Festival New York is presented by Lycamobile in association with McDonalds. The highlight of the Eros Now IIFA Weekend is the NEXA IIFA AWARDS powered by VIVO.

The 18th Edition of IIFA Awards and Weekend is set to be one of the biggest, most extravagant 72 hours extravaganza with a myriad of events and unique associations in its premiere edition in New York: Myntra presents IIFA Stomp, “Shuruaat” Gala Dinner in association with tGELF, The FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum 2017, the spectacular EROS NOW IIFA Rocks and the one and only- NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by VIVO.

IIFA is the most coveted and highly anticipated award celebrations that honors the very best of Indian Cinema, a brand that is not only recognized as a major international event but also an institution in its own right. Synonymous With Indian Cinema, IIFA is dedicated to building bridges across cinemas, businesses, communities and nations as it welcomes its first ever IIFA in the City of New York.

Lycamobile – Presenting Sponsor, McDonalds - Associate Sponsor, NYC (Mayors office) - Host Destination, NewYorkBannerStands & Print Early – Printing Partner, Pierre Précieuse – Gifting Partner and Arya Dance Academy – Dance Company Partner.

The NEXA IIFA Awards will broadcast on COLORS – the Broadcast Partner, with the Title Sponsor NEXA, Powered by VIVO, Weekend Title Sponsor – EROS NOW, Cause Partner- WOOSH Washing Expert,   Styled by Myntra, Official Airline Partner – AIR INDIA, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP PARTNER – VEDANTA, Brand Partner – Closeup, Carnival and Ease My Trip, Jewelry Partner - GITANJALI, Outdoor partners – Bright Outdoor Media and JR Creations, Multiplex Partner -PVR, Radio Partner- Red FM, Print Media Partner- Rajasthan Patrika, Support Sponsor- VEDANTA for Shuruaat Gala- IIFA Societal Innovation Summit.

#IIFA 2017
Facebook
 – https://www.facebook.com/IIFA/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/IIFA
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/iifa/  

About IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) 

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy and a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain to India but an equally important objective of this prestigious brand is to create similar outcomes in its host country.  The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments and film co-productions.

Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd promotes the IIFA Weekend & Awards globally each year and travel to new, exciting and beautiful destinations, taking the film fraternity with it to unite and celebrate the best of Indian film and culture, thereby taking Indian Cinema and India to a wider audience. www.iifa.com

ABOUT WIZCRAFT INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PVT. LTD.

Wizcraft International Entertainment, India’s leading media and Entertainment Company is dedicated to showcasing its expertise on the world stage.  Having conceptualized some of the grandest events globally including the 50 Years of Indian Independence, the 30 Years of Mauritian Independence, the 10 years of the South African Freedom Struggle, the Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing ceremonies in Delhi as well as the Handover ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, & the prestigious International

Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards & Weekend for 15 years in over 12 countries, Wizcraft has contributed towards brand building for India across the world.  It has pioneered and developed India’s biggest entertainment brand IIFA which has taken Indian Cinema and culture to the world. The growth story of the company reflects the evolution of the Indian event management & entertainment industry itself. Driven by its vision “Believe in the power of your dreams” the company is committed to quality and innovation, while setting its sights on greater peaks of achievement.

 

Just For Laughs Awards Honor Jim Carrey, Trevor Noah, Ali Wong and More!

Just For Laughs Announces the Honourees of the 2017 Just For Laughs Awards presented by SiriusXM

This years honourees include:

Trevor Noah: Comedy Person of the Year
Jim Carrey: Generation Award

Mike Birbiglia: Stand-Up Comedian of the Year

Ali Wong: Breakout Comedy Star of the Year

Craig Ferguson: Alumni Tribute

Kenya Barris: Comedy Writer of the Year

http://comedypro.hahaha.com/

Montreal (July 10, 2017) — Just For Laughs celebrates the leading talent in the comedy industry at the 2017 Just For Laughs Awards Show presented by SiriusXM. This year’s honourees include:Trevor Noah (Comedy Person of the Year), Jim Carrey (Generation Award), Mike Birbiglia(Stand-Up Comedian of the Year), Ali Wong (Breakout Comedy Star of the Year), Craig Ferguson (Alumni Tribute), and Kenya Barris (Comedy Writer of the Year). All six will be present to receive their awards at the awards show on Friday, July 28 at 3:00 pm, Grand Salon Opera, Hyatt Regency Montreal.

Trevor Noah is a South African-born comedian best known for his role as host of The Daily Showon Comedy Central. He is the subject of an award-winning documentary, You Laugh But It’s True, which tells the story of his remarkable career in post-apartheid South Africa. He also authored the book, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, an instant New York Times bestseller and top-selling Audible title. Earlier this year, Noah debuted his ninth comedy special, Afraid of the Dark (Netflix). This follows on Trevor Noah: Lost in Translation (Comedy Central) and Trevor Noah: African American (Showtime). Noah was the winner of the “Personality of the Year” at the 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards, and “Best Host” at the 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards. He is currently on tour across North America, stopping at Just For Laughs for two sold-out concert performances on July 28 and a sold-out “In Conversation” on July 29th.

Jim Carrey is an award-winning actor who has been honored for both his dramatic and comedic work. He won a Golden Globe Award, for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, for the title role in Peter Weir's The Truman Show. Jim won his second Golden Globe, for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, for his portrayal of comedian Andy Kaufman in Milos Forman's Man on the Moon.  Over the course of his career, Carrey has also been recognized numerous times by the MTV Movie Awards, People's Choice Awards, and Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Carrey is executive producing the Showtime comedy series I'm Dying Up Here set in the 1970's stand-up comedy scene. Carrey can also be seen alongside Suki Waterhouse, Jason Momoa and Keanu Reeves as “The Hermit" in the film The Bad Batch, a cannibal love story that takes place in a post-apocalyptic Texas wasteland. Carrey also stars in the upcoming crime-drama True Crimes, based on the New Yorker article about a homicide investigation of a slain businessman and the novelist eventually convicted of the murder. Some of Carrey's previous films include Dumb and Dumber To,I Love You Phillip Morris, Yes Man, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Bruce Almighty, Liar, Liar, The Cable Guy, Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, & Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Mike Birbiglia is a comedian and storyteller who has performed in front of audiences worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall. His most recent shows, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriendand Thank God for Jokes, were both filmed for Netflix. Mike has released four albums for Comedy Central Records, including My Secret Public Journal Live, which was named one of the “Best Comedy Albums of the Decade” by The Onion AV Club. In addition to performing live, Birbiglia is an author and filmmaker who wrote, directed and starred in the acclaimed films Sleepwalk with Meand Don’t Think Twice. His book, Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True Stories, was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Thurber Prize For American Humor. As an actor, Birbiglia has appeared on Orange is the New BlackInside Amy Schumer, and Girls as well as in the films TrainwreckThe Fault in Our Stars, and Popstar. Birbiglia is currently on a nationwide tour with his latest show, The New One, approaching an entirely new subject in a new way with the same heart and humor we’ve come to expect. He brings this show to Just For Laughs for 5 shows at the Le Gesù Theatre between July 25-29.

Ali Wong is a stand-up comedian from San Francisco, now living in Los Angeles. Her Netflix stand-up special, Baby Cobra, filmed when she was seven months pregnant, skyrocketed her to stardom and drew praise from across the comedy industry. Wong is a writer for the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, and has made television appearances in American HousewifeAre You There, Chelsea?Inside Amy Schumer, and Black Box. Ali Wong headlines her own Just For Laughs show, July 27 at Maison Symphonique, Place des Arts.

Craig Ferguson entered the world of late night comedy following a diverse and eclectic career encompassing film, television and the stage. In December 2014, Ferguson concluded his 10 year run as the host of CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, setting an all-time viewer record and earning him a Primetime Emmy nomination and the 2009 Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. As the host of Celebrity Name Game, Ferguson was awarded the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host two years in a row. This year he was nominated for a third Daytime Emmy Award. In February 2017, Craig launched his new SiriusXM program,The Craig Ferguson Show, which is broadcast live on Comedy Greats every evening. Ferguson launched his North American career at Just For Laughs in 1987. Thirty years later, he returns for two shows at Monument National on July 29 that will be taped for his first Netflix special.

As a writer, Kenya Barris is known for his quick wit and unabashed sense of humour. He has worked on several TV shows, including CBS’s Listen Up, The CW’s The Game and Girlfriends, and Fox’s I Hate My Teenage Daughter. Barris has sold a number of pilots, including America’s Next Top Model (which he co-created), BET’s The Start Up, and We Got Next, Hulu’s first half-hour comedy series. He is the Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner on black-ish (ABC) as well as the Co-Creator and Executive Producer of an upcoming hour-long series, Unit Zero, starring Toni Collette, and a half-hour series, Libby & Malcolm, starring Felicity Huffman and Courtney B Vance. Kenya Barris is currently developing several projects for 20th Century Fox, including White Men Can’t JumpCheaper by the Dozen, and Stir Crazy.

The Just For Laughs Festival runs from July 12 to July 31, 2017 in Montreal, Canada. Just For Laughs ComedyPRO, the leading industry event of the comedy business, runs from July 26-29, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency Montreal.

About the Just For Laughs Group:

Founded in 1983, the Just For Laughs Group’s growth is concentrated on four major focal points: Festivals (in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney); television production (most notably Gags, seen in 135 countries and on 95 airlines); stand-up specials and live shows (Canadian tour dates for Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, North American dates for Family Guy Live!); Its inaugural Montreal Festival is over 30 years old and is now the world’s largest and most prestigious comedy event, welcoming on average 1.7 million visitors to Montreal each summer and generating approximately $80 million for the city’s economy. The Group has offices in Montreal, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto, and London.

THE JUST FOR LAUGHS FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY VIDEOTRON
IN ASSOCIATION WITH LOTO-QUÉBEC
For tickets by phone, online or in person:
The Just For Laughs Box Office, 514-845-2322hahaha.com 
presented by Videotron

The Just For Laughs Festival would like to thank its public partners: Government of Canada, Destination Canada, Gouvernement du Québec, City of Montréal and Tourisme Montréal for their support.

Find us on social #JFLMTL#JFL35
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NETFLIX at EssenceFestival2017 - Spike Lee, Marlon Wayans, Dascha Polanco and more!

The casts of Orange is The New Black, She’s Gotta Have It and Dear White People join Jessica Williams at the premiere of her Netflix original film The Incredible Jessica James

Didn't make it to NOLA for ESSENCE Festival? For the first time ever, Netflix was at the famed festival premiering two new films and brought along a deep roster of incredible talent.

Below find some of the top moments from Netflix original films and series this weekend, including news and photos from Orange is the New Black, Naked, The Incredible Jessica James, Dear White People, Mudbound and Spike Lee’s upcoming series She’s Gotta Have It.

#6 - ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK AND DEAR WHITE PEOPLE CAST CHARMED FANS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER ON CENTER STAGE AND DURING A FAN MEET AND GREET

Date: Friday June 30 and Saturday July 1
Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center | Essence’s Fan Zone and Center Stage
Attendees: Dascha Polanco, Selenis Leyva and Adrienne Moore joined on center stage by Naked’s Marlon Wayans and The Incredible Jessica James’ Jessica Williams.

#5 - JESSICA WILLIAMS AND WRITER/DIRECTOR JIM STROUSE DELIGHTED THE NEW ORLEANS AUDIENCE AT THE PREMIERE OF THE INCREDIBLE JESSICA JAMES. THE FILM HITS NETFLIX JULY 28!

Date: Saturday July 1
Location: Civic Theatre New Orleans
Attendees: Jessica Williams and Jim Strouse representing The Incredible Jessica James.  Casts from additional Netflix films and series attendees including She’s Gotta Have It’s Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Ramos, Lyriq Bent, Cleo Anthony, Orange Is the New Black’s Dascha Polanco, Selenis Leyva and Adrienne Moore; Dear White People’s Marque Richardson, Ashley Blaine Featherson, Logan Browning, Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton and Brandon P. Bell.

#4 - MARLON WAYANS TURNS UP THE HEAT DURING THE WORLD PREMIERE OF HIS NEW MOVIE NAKED WHICH COMES TO NETFLIXAUGUST 11!

Date: Friday June 30
Location: Civic Theatre New Orleans
Attendees: Director Mike Tiddes and Naked stars Regina Hall, Dennis Haysbert, Jonathan Todd Jackson, and Loretta Devine were joined by additional cast from Netflix series including Orange Is the New Black’s Dascha Polanco, Selenis Leyva and Adrienne Moore; Dear White People’s Marque Richardson, Ashley Blaine Featherson, Logan Browning, Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton and Brandon P. Bell.

#3 - MARY J BLIGE AND DIRECTOR AND CO-WRITER DEE REES DISCUSS THEIR UPCOMING NETFLIX FILM MUDBOUND AND SHOW A CLIP AT THE ESSENCE EMPOWERMENT EXPERIENCE

Date: Friday June 30
Location: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center | ESSENCE Empowerment Experience
Attendees: Mary J. Blige, Dee Rees, Queen Latifah, Niecy Nash, Jada Pinkett Smith and moderated by Tamron Hall

#2 - SPIKE LEE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER TONYA LEWIS LEE AND CAST DROP A SNEAK PEEK FOR HIS NEW NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT AT THE SUPERDOME

Date: Saturday July 1
Location: Superdome | Essence Saturday Night Concert
Attendees: Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Ramos, Cleo Anthony and Lyriq Bent

#1 - THE CAST OF DEAR WHITE PEOPLE ANNOUNCED THEY ARE RETURNING FOR SEASON 2

Date: Friday, June 30
Location: Civic Theatre New Orleans | Essence Center Stage
Attendees: Marque Richardson, Ashley Blaine Featherson, Logan Browning, Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton, Brandon P. Bell and moderator Cori Murray, ESSENCE editor,

KARAN JOHAR & SAIF ALI KHAN w/ Varun Dhawan, TO HOST THE 18TH EDITION OF #IIFA FESTIVAL NEW YORK

SAIF ALI KHAN AND KARAN JOHAR TO HOST THE 18TH EDITION OF IIFA FESTIVAL NEW YORK

VARUN DHAWAN TO DEBUT A POWER-PACKED PERFORMANCE AND CO- HOST A SEGMENT OF THE STAR-STUDDED AWARDS NIGHT

Mumbai, 14th June 2017: As the countdown to the biggest celebration of Indian Cinema worldwide draws near! The charismatic duo of Indian Cinema, Saif Ali Khan and Karan Johar to host theupcoming NEXA IIFA Awards Powered By VIVO at the iconic MetLife Stadium on 15th July 2017.

Bollywood's Youth Icon, Varun Dhawan is all set to make a debut at IIFA Awards with a stunning performance and will be also be seen co- hosting a segment of the star-studded awards night.

The NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by VIVO is among the most coveted and highly anticipated award celebration that honors the very best of Indian Cinema with the highest level of achievement seen through the glamorous IIFA statuette.

The 18th Edition of IIFA Awards 2017 to witness power-packed performances by Bollywood superstars, Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, to name a few.

The NEXA IIFA Awards will air exclusively LIVE on COLORS – the Broadcast Partner, with the Title Sponsor NEXA, Powered by VIOV, Styled by Myntra, Official Airline Partner – AIR INDIA.

Commenting on the occasion, Karan Johar said, “IIFA is the most awaited international award function of the Indian film fraternity. I am excited and look forward to hosting the 18th Edition of the IIFA Weekend And Awards. New York will be spellbound with the magic of IIFA!”

Saif Ali Khan added saying"I am happy to be back to the IIFA stage this year as I join my close friend Karan Johar to host the IIFA Awards in New York. The excitement for IIFA has been steadily growing worldwide. This year it's going to be super fun and glamorous in every way as Karan and I are going to have lots of surprises in store for our fans internationally!”

Varun Dhawan shared saying, "I am absolutely excited to be a part of IIFA Awards in New York this year. I'm looking forward to join everyone and see fans at the amazing MetLife stadium. This year is truly going to be a grand celebration and I can't wait to be there!”

Commenting on the occasion, Andre Timmins, Director- Wizcraft International, the producers and creator of the IIFA movement says, “With the 18th Edition of IIFA weekend and awards, we look forward to bring the world of Indian cinema to life in its premier edition in New York for existing and new audiences at the NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by VIVO. I am excited to announce two of the biggest talented stars in Bollywood, Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan as the hosts of the awards night. We are thrilled to have Varun Dhawan make his debut at the IIFA stage and co-host a special segment at the awards this year. Get ready to witness the magic of IIFA as Bollywood descends in America to celebrate Indian cinema like never before.”

Speaking of the association, Mr. R. S Kalsi, Executive director, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki said“We are delighted to associate with NEXA IIFA Awards 2017 for the third consecutive year. NEXA and IIFA are symbolic of breaking the status-quo and creating experiences which are new and exciting. NEXA is synonymous with offering premium experiences matched with spectacular segment defining products like S-Cross, Baleno, Ignis and Ciaz. NEXA creates moments which consumers experience just like IIFA which builds lifetime experiences and felicitates excellence in Indian cinema at a global stage”

Delighted at the association, Vivek Zhang, CMO, Vivo India, said, “We are thrilled to have partnered with the most coveted platform representing Indian cinema globally. As a global smartphone brand, we constantly try to connect closely with our target audience in different parts of the country. We believe that the popularity of India International Film Awards (IIFA) is a splendid opportunity for Vivo to strengthen connect with the right audience and create a strong brand recall. Our latest offering in the Indian market is a step ahead in our endeavor to revolutionize the selfie phenomenon.”

Commenting on its partnership, Mr. Pankaj Srivastava, Air India’s Commercial Director stated,“Both IIFA and Air India are true ambassadors of India’s rich cultural heritage and are in the business of connecting people and regions around the globe, creating bridges to enhance tourism and business opportunities at either end.”

Commenting on the occasion, Ananth Narayanan, CEO, Myntra-Jabong says, "The strong bond between Bollywood and fashion needs no foreword! An association between the nations’s leading destination for fashion online and the most awaited screen award ceremony in the country makes for an excellent combination that symbolically connects these brands with consumers. IIFA represents glamour and fashion and we are looking forward to a long-standing relationship with them as their fashion partners."

With the excitement growing across the world, people can now get that hot seat for the spectacular 2017 IIFA Weekend & Awards at New York events to be hosted at MetLife Stadium as tickets are LIVE to the general public available online only at ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000 or by simply clicking the ‘Buy Tickets Tab’ on the official IIFA website http://www.iifa.com/. Fans can also purchase the tickets at MetLife Stadium Box Office (Box Office hours:  M – F, 11am – 5pm). For VIP Club Experiences, e-mail us at vipclub@iifa.com. IIFA has a special treat for its fans, “The Double Dhamaka Offer”. Get two shows for the price of one. Buy any IIFA Awards premium seating tickets for Ground Level and Level 100 seats and get free tickets to IIFA Rocks.

The popular category nominations are available for the global audience to participate in the voting process. The IIFA Global Voting went LIVE on 20th May 2017 and will be open till 18th June 2017.  The final winners of the IIFA Awards are revealed on the night of the Awards ceremony. The results are surrounded by secrecy and the credibility of the voting process is one of the key parameters of this prestigious award.

As IIFA continues to bring together the biggest stars of Bollywood and Hollywood on one stage, the IIFA Weekend And Awards will play host to some of the most celebrated stars and musicians of the Indian film industry, notable guests, and dignitaries from India and the region, world media and Indian cinema fans from across the globe.

#IIFA 2017

·         Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IIFA/

·         Twitter- https://twitter.com/IIFA

·         Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/iifa/

About IIFA (International Indian Film Academy)

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy and a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain to India but an equally important objective of this prestigious brand is to create similar outcomes in its host country.  The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments and film co-productions.

Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd promotes the IIFA Weekend & Awards globally each year and travel to new, exciting and beautiful destinations, taking the film fraternity with it to unite and celebrate the best of Indian film and culture, thereby taking Indian Cinema and India to a wider audience. www.iifa.com

 

ABOUT WIZCRAFT INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PVT. LTD.

Wizcraft International Entertainment, India’s leading media and Entertainment Company is dedicated to showcasing its expertise on the world stage.  Having conceptualized some of the grandest events globally including the 50 Years of Indian Independence, the 30 Years of Mauritian Independence, the 10 years of the South African Freedom Struggle, the Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing ceremonies in Delhi as well as the Handover ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, & the prestigious International

Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards & Weekend for 15 years in over 12 countries, Wizcraft has contributed towards brand building for India across the world.  It has pioneered and developed India’s biggest entertainment brand IIFA which has taken Indian Cinema and culture to the world. The growth story of the company reflects the evolution of the Indian event management & entertainment industry itself. Driven by its vision “Believe in the power of your dreams” the company is committed to quality and innovation, while setting its sights on greater peaks of achievement.

 ABOUT METLIFE STADIUM

MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Football Giants, is the number one stadium in the world. This 82,500 seat stadium, one of the largest in the National Football League, sets the standard for venue excellence with state-of-the-art technology, comfort and amenities. The only active venue to serve as the home stadium for two NFL teams, MetLife Stadium hosts 20 NFL games per season, more than any other Stadium.

MetLife Stadium hosts the World’s Biggest Events, on the World’s Biggest Stage. Major events hosted at the stadium include Super Bowl XLVIII, WrestleMania 29, Copa America Centenario, CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Paul McCartney, U2, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift

MetLife Stadium tops the industry charts annually since opening. The Stadium has ranked as the No. 1 Highest Grossing Stadium in the world for the last 5 years (2012 – 2016) by Billboard magazine. In 2011 MetLife Stadium was ranked No. 1 for safety by Security magazine’s “Security 500” in the Arenas/Stadiums/Leagues/Entertainment division.

For more information, visit:

www.metlifestadium.com

www.wizcraftworld.com

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL (June 30 – July 16)

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER and SUBWAY CINEMA Announce Full Lineup for THE 16th NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
(June 30 – July 16, 2017)

Opening Gala is the International Premiere of Thai high school thriller Bad Genius, Centerpiece Gala is the North American Premiere of slow-burning Filipino thriller Birdshot, and Closing Gala is the U.S. Premiere of Jung Byung-gil’s revenge thriller The Villainess

Just shy of 60 films, the festival features a 20th Anniversary Hong Kong Panorama with an eye on emerging talent, a focus on LGBTQ films, Nikkatsu’sRoman Porno Reboot Project, and spotlights on the cinemas of mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia

Plus the brand new NYAFF Main Competition featuring seven diverse films by first- and second-time directors receiving their North American Premiere

Festival honorees include Star Asia Lifetime Achievement awardee Tony Leung Ka-fai (Hong Kong), Star Asia Award recipient Gang Dong-won (South Korea), and Screen International Rising Star Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying (Thailand)

Other prominent guests will include director Lawrence Lau and actress Carrie Ng (Hong Kong), Korean actress Han Ye-ri, Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu, and more

 The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema announced today the complete lineup for the 16th New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which will take place from June 30 to July 13 at the Film Society and July 14 to 16 at the SVA Theatre. North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema will showcase 57 feature films, including 3 International Premieres, 21 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, and 15 films making their New York City debuts. The festival will feature in-person appearances by more than 20 international filmmakers and celebrity guests from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

This year, all three of NYAFF’s Gala screenings are brilliant reinventions of the thriller genre. The Opening Gala will be the International Premiere of Nattawut Poonpiriya’s Bad Genius, the first Southeast Asian film to open the festival, with the director and stars in attendance. In this exhilarating high-school thriller, straight-A students Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) and Bank (Chanon Santinatornkul) stage a heist that will undermine the U.S. university entrance system after they lose their own scholarships.The Centerpiece Gala of the festivalwill be the North American Premiere of Mikhail Red’s Birdshot, a continuation of the festival programmers’ efforts to champion films from Southeast Asia, and the Philippines in particular. The Closing Gala is the U.S. Premiere of Jung Byung-gil's The Villainess, fresh from its Midnight screening in Cannes. The adrenaline-soaked action film stars Kim Ok-vin as a ruthless female assassin trained in China who starts a new life with South Korea’s Intelligence Agency.

New to NYAFF in 2017 is the Main Competition section, featuring seven diverse works by first or second-time directors that are all having their North American premieres at the festival. Competing are Bad Genius (Thailand), Birdshot (Philippines), A Double Life (Japan), The Gangster’s Daughter (Taiwan), Kfc (Vietnam), Jane (South Korea), and With Prisoners (Hong Kong). The competition jury will be announced at a later date, with winners revealed on the festival’s final night at Film Society of Lincoln Center on July 13.

“We were seeking a range of original films from young, first-time directors, films that represent the diversity of filmmaking from Asia, stories that say something both very local and specific to their countries of origin and something very universal: we hope we achieved at least some of this with our inaugural competition selection, which includes films from seven countries/cities in the region in a broad variety of genres,” NYAFF executive director Samuel Jamier said. “It’s important for us to champion new filmmaking from Asia, and the diversity of film made there at a time when other festivals in North America seem to be reducing the size of their Asian lineups.”

The New York Asian Film Festival 2017: Sweet 16th Edition June 30-July 16, 2016 at Film Society of Lincoln Center (June 30-July 13) and SVA Theatre (July 14-July 16) 57 films from Asia http://subwaycinema.com http://filmlinc.org

More now than ever, Hong Kong cinema is at the core of the festival’s programming: faithful to its Chinatown origins, this year’s edition celebrates the best filmmaking from the Special Administrative Region with a central Hong Kong Panorama section, commemorating the 20th anniversary of its establishment, with major support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York. Over the past two decades, Hong Kong cinema has continuously influenced and inspired many filmmakers in Asia and in the world. This year’s lineup proves the originality and excellence of its production is intact: from a powerful condemnation of life inside the territory’s juvenile detention centers (With Prisoners),  to a tale of corruption and redemption set in the underbelly of 1960s Hong Kong (Dealer/Healer), the films bear testimony to the city’s rich cinema history.

The core of the panorama will be a special (and first of its kind) focus on the exciting new generation of directors, titled Young Blood Hong Kong. As part of the 20th anniversary, the festival is looking to the future of Hong Kong cinema, rather than its past: these recent Hong Kong directors are working in various genres, tackling a range of social issues, and paying homage to the film traditions they grew up with, from tenement dramas to vampire comedies. Meanwhile, NYAFF continues to bring established, major filmmakers from the region: Lawrence Lau, who, along with Ann Hui, is one of Hong Kong’s best neorealist directors, will be introducing his star-studded crime action drama Dealer/Healer; the Panorama will spotlight the new generation from the region with guest filmmaker Wong Chun and screenwriter Florence Chan with Mad World, Derek Hui with This Is Not What I Expected, and Alan Lo with Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight. Other films by first-time Hong Kong directors in this year’s lineup are Derek Tsang’s Soul Mate, Yan Pak-wing and Chiu Sin-hang’s Vampire Cleanup Department, and Andrew Wong’s With Prisoners.

The 2017 lineup also includes five LGBTQ-themed films: two dramas with transsexual protagonists, Naoko Ogigami’s Close-Knit from Japan, and Cho Hyun-hoon’s drama Jane from South Korea; two coming-of-age high-school youth dramas, Ahn Jung-min’s Fantasy of the Girlsfrom South Korea, andLeste Chen’s 2006 Eternal Summer from Taiwan, which merits a second look a decade on; and Lee Sang-il’s wild and violent mystery thriller Rage, featuring Go Ayano (NYAFF 2016 Rising Star Asia awardee) as a homeless stranger invited into the home of a semi-closeted salaryman (Satoshi Tsumabuki) as his live-in-lover.

Another highlight of this year’s festival are three films that celebrate Japan's unique "Roman Porno" genre, each having their North American premieres: Aroused by GymnopediesDawn of the Felines, and Wet Woman in the Wind. Nikkatsu, Japan’s oldest film studio, is celebrating 45 years since they birthed the softcore Roman Porno genre (roman derives from the French word for novel). Invented to save a dying industry, they gave carte blanche to directors with minimal rules: keep it under 80 minutes with a sex scene every ten. This allowed for wild stream of consciousness works of both the highest and lowest caliber. Now, Nikkatsu has enlisted top contemporary talent for the Roman Porno Reboot Project, taking the provocative, envelope-pushing format to a whole new level.

In addition to the festival’s screenings, the NYAFF awards a number of honorees each year, including this year’s recipients:
 

·       The 2017 NYAFF Lifetime Achievement Award goes to veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-fai, who will attend a three-film tribute, including Johnnie To’s Election, Longman Leung & Sunny Luk’s Cold War 2 and Tsui’s Hark’s The Taking of Tiger Mountain 3D. In a career spanning 35 years, Leung has worked with the iconic directors Li Han-hsiang, Wong Kar-wai, Stanley Kwan, and Jean-Jacques Annaud, and starred opposite the screen legends Jackie Chan, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Jet Li, and Fan Bingbing. Leung was arguably the first Hong Kong star to become an international heartthrob, in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Lover.

·       Our Star Asia Award recipient is Korean movie star Gang Dong-won, whose charisma and emotional investment in his performances gives his films a unique edge. His most iconic films include Lee Myung-se’s Duelist, Park Jin-pyo’s Voice of a Murderer, and Jang Hoon’s Secret Reunion. Last year, NYAFF presented two of his films, The Priests and A Violent Prosecutor, and in 2017, the festival will be joined by Gang to present a special screening of the magical fable Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned.

·       The Screen International Rising Star Asia Award will be given to Thailand’s Chutimon “Aokbab” Chuengcharoensukying. The 21-year-old model, who is still a student at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, found fame last year in Thank You for Sharing, an eight-minute, viral short about cyber-bullying. The NYAFF is opening with her feature debut, Bad Genius, in which she stars as a high-school student who masterminds an ambitious heist of the American university entrance exam system. It's a demanding role, in which her quick-witted character must navigate a complex moral universe where parents and teachers don’t always know best.

Tickets go on sale June 15, with Film Society and Subway Cinema members receiving an early access period beginning June 13. Tickets are $14; $11 for students and seniors (62+); and $9 for Film Society members. See more and save with a 3+ film discount package and All Access Pass. Learn more at filmlinc.org.

Credits:

Curated by executive director Samuel Jamier, deputy director Stephen Cremin, and programmers Claire Marty and David Wilentz.

The New York Asian Film Festival is co-presented by Subway Cinema and the Film Society of Lincoln Center and takes place from June 30 to July 13 at Film Society’s Walter Reade Theater (165 West 65th St), and July 14 to 16 at SVA Theatre (333 West 23 St).

Keep up to date with information at www.filmlinc.org and www.subwaycinema.com. Subway Cinema can be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nyaff and Twitter at www.twitter.com/subwaycinema.

FULL LINEUP :

Titles in bold are included in the Main Competition

CHINA:
Co-presented with Confucius Institute Headquarters and China Institute

Battle of Memories (Leste Chen, 2017)

Blood of Youth (Yang Shupeng, 2016)

Duckweed (Han Han, 2017)

Extraordinary Mission (Alan Mak & Anthony Pun, 2017)

Someone to Talk to (Liu Yulin, 2016)

Soul on a String (Zhang Yang, 2016)


HONG KONG PANORAMA :
Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York

Cold War 2 (Longman Leung, Sunny Luk, 2016)

Dealer/Healer (Lawrence Lau, 2017)

Election (Johnnie To, 2005)

Mad World (Wong Chun, 2016)

Soul Mate (Derek Tsang, 2016)

The Taking of Tiger Mountain (Tsui Hark, 2014)

This Is Not What I Expected (Derek Hui, 2017)

Vampire Cleanup Department (Yan Pak-wing, Chiu Sin-hang, 2017)

With Prisoners(Andrew Wong, 2017)

Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight (Alan Lo, 2017)
 

JAPAN:

Aroused by Gymnopedies (Isao Yukisada, 2016)

Close-Knit (Naoko Ogigami, 2017)

Dawn of the Felines (Kazuya Shiraishi, 2016)

Destruction Babies (Tetsuya Mariko, 2016)

A Double Life (Yoshiyuki Kishi, 2016)

Happiness (Sabu, 2016)

Japanese Girls Never Die (Daigo Matsui, 2016)

The Long Excuse (Miwa Nishikawa, 2016)

Love and Other Cults (Eiji Uchida, 2017) 

The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio (Takashi Miike, 2016) 

Rage (Lee Sang-il, 2016)

Suffering of Ninko (Norihiro Niwatsukino, 2016)  

Survival Family (Shinobu Yaguchi, 2017)

Traces of Sin (Kei Ishikawa, 2016) 

Wet Woman in the Wind (Akihiro Shiota, 2016)


SOUTH KOREA:

Presented with the support of Korean Cultural Center New York

Fabricated City (Park Kwang-hyun, 2017)

Fantasy of the Girls (Ahn Jung-min, 2016)

Jane (Cho Hyun-hoon, 2016)

Ordinary Person (Kim Bong-han, 2017)

A Quiet Dream (Zhang Lu, 2016)

A Single Rider (Lee Joo-young, 2017)

Split (Choi Kook-hee, 2016)

The Tooth and the Nail (Jung Sik, Kim Whee, 2017)

The Truth Beneath (Lee Kyoung-mi, 2016)

Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (Uhm Tae-hwa, 2016)

The Villainess (Jung Byung-gil, 2017)

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Bad Genius(Nattawut Poonpiriya, Thailand, 2017)

Birdshot (Mikhail Red, Philippines, 2016)

Kfc (Le Binh Giang, Vietnam, 2017)

Mrs. K (Ho Yuhang, Malaysia, 2016)

Saving Sally (Avid Liongoren, Philippines, 2016)

Town in a Lake (Jet Leyco, Philippines, 2015)

TAIWAN
Presented with the support of the Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York

Eternal Summer (Leste Chen, 2006)

The Gangster’s Daughter (Chen Mei-juin, 2017)

Godspeed (Chung Mong-hong, 2016)

Mon Mon Mon Monsters (Giddens, 2017)

The Road to Mandalay (Midi Z, 2016)

The Village of No Return (Chen Yu-hsun, 2017)

 

DOCUMENTARIES

Bamseom Pirates Seoul Inferno (Jung Yoon-suk, 2017)

Mrs. B., A North Korean Woman (Jero Yun, 2016)
 

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL (NYAFF)

Now in its 16th year, the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema, which The Village Voice has called “the best film festival in New York,” and The New York Times has called “one of the city’s most valuable events.” Launched in 2002 by Subway Cinema, the festival selects only the best, strangest, and most entertaining movies to screen for New York audiences, ranging from mainstream blockbusters and art-house eccentricities to genre and cult classics. It was the first North American film festival to champion the works of Johnnie To, Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike, and other auteurs of contemporary Asian cinema. Since 2010, it has been produced in collaboration with the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

 

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
The Film Society of Lincoln Center is devoted to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema. The only branch of the world-renowned arts complex Lincoln Center to shine a light on the everlasting yet evolving importance of the moving image, this nonprofit organization was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international film. Via year-round programming and discussions; its annual New York Film Festival; and its publications, including Film Comment, the U.S.’s premier magazine about films and film culture, the Film Society endeavors to make the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broader audience, as well as to ensure that it will remain an essential art form for years to come.

The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from The New York Times, Shutterstock, Variety, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on Twitter.

 

ABOUT SUBWAY CINEMA

Subway Cinema is America’s leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the exhibition and appreciation of Asian popular film culture in all forms, building bridges between Asia and the West. With year-round festivals and programs, the organization aims to bring wide audience and critical attention to contemporary and classic Asian cinema in the U.S. In 2002, Subway Cinema launched its flagship event, the annual New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which is North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema. Subway cinema’s other events and initiatives include Old School Kung Fu Fest (OSKFF).

For more information, visit www.subwaycinema.com, www.facebook.com/NYAFF, and follow @subwaycinema on Twitter (#nyaff16).

Subway Cinema receives generous, year-round support from the Kenneth A. Cowin Foundation and sponsorships from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York, Korean Cultural Center New York, Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York, China Institute, Manhattan Portage, Tsingtao Beer, Japan Foundation New York, Maven Wine, Bruce R. Watts, and thanks their media partners: Screen International, Asian Crush, China Film Insider, Chopsticks NY.

Thor Klein to tell tale of Stan Ulam, with "Adventures of a Mathematician"

Adventures of a Mathematician by Thor Klein is true story of Polish immigrant and mathematician Stan Ulam, who moved to the U.S. in the 1930s. Stan deals with the difficult losses of family and friends all while helping to create both the hydrogen bomb and the first computer. Thor Klein is one of the few talented filmmakers who are fortunate to be picked by TFI (Tribeca Film Institute), and being partially funded by TFI-Sloan partnership.

We had an opportunity to talk to Thor. Here are the excerpts:

How did you find out about TFI? And how has your experience been?

My producer Lena Vurma found out about the Sloan Foundation and their collaboration with Tribeca Film Institute. So she decided to apply for it. It was a perfect fit, since my research started in NYC two years ago, when I met Stan Ulam`s nephew Alex for the first time, who lives very close to Tribeca. We`re all really happy to have the full support from the Sloan Foundation and the Tribeca Film Institute. They treated us wonderfully and we immediately felt part of the family. 

What inspired you to make the film on this particular subject, and at this time?

For me, it started when I was 13 years old. Back then I read a book about the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. A place where the U.S. invited the greatest scientists in the world to to basically one thing: Think. I was very surprised that these guys were not at all how I imagined scientists to be. They were throwing parties, driving fast cars and wearing funny hats. They were very colourful characters. I was always into science and kept thinking about them over the years and when I got older I realized that while they were in Princeton, they had to deal with a lot of drama and tragedy in their lives. A lot of them lost their families in Europe. I kept reading and I realized that the world back then was pretty similar to the circumstances we`re facing today. There was the same financial crisis, huge refugee waves and rightwing forces in power. A few years ago I came accross Stan`s autobiography, Adventures of a Mathematician that had exactly the tone that I was interested in. It is a very humorous and anecdotal journey through 20th century science. It`s a life full of great friendships and fascinating encounters, but it also has this underlying drama. In its core it`s a story of immigrants. Essentially a European film that takes place in the US.

How has been the process of researching and working on this film? Any surprising information that you discovered during that process?

A lot. I followed Stan`s tracks and started in his hometown Lvov, which is today called Lviv and is located in the Ukraine. A very cosmopolitan place back then with a lot of different minorities and languages. Stan moved to Cambridge in Massachusetts, then to Los Alamos, Los Angeles and back to Santa Fe, which he loved most. I`m constantly surprised how young he and his friends were back then, while they were doing all this groundbreaking scientific work. Most of them were in their 20s and early 30s. There always was this youthcamp amtosphere among them. 

What's your message to other up & coming filmmakers and storytellers?

It depends very much from which angle you approach filmmaking. I come from writing. It usually takes a long time until something that I wrote really convinces me. But while writing I learned one essential thing. Don`t try to convince yourself that something is good, if your inner voice tells you it isn`t. And always follow your intution. That`s what Stan Ulam and his colleagues did as well and it lead them to fascinating mathematical achievements that made the digital world possible.

 

NYC'S IFC CENTER UNVEILS ADDITIONAL LINEUP FOR INAUGURAL SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL

NYC'S IFC CENTER UNVEILS ADDITIONAL LINEUP FOR INAUGURAL SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL 

Week-Long Event, Programmed And Moderated By Critic/Author Matt Zoller Seitz,

To Present First Legacy Award to Actress/Director/Trailblazer Lee Grant, Monday, June 5th

Additional Panels Showcasing Acclaimed, Highly Anticipated Scripted Content Include: Premiere of USA Network’s ‘The Sinner’; Special Screening of ‘The Sopranos’ Pine Barrens Episode With Creator David Chase, Recipient of The Festival’s Vanguard Award; An In-Depth Look at Margo Martindale’s Many Roles Including Amazon’s ‘Sneaky Pete’; An Exploration of Web Series; A Deep-Dive into the End of ‘Hannibal’;

A Discussion About the Art & Craft of Amazon’s ‘The Man In The High Castle’;

Plus A Look at the Art of TV Criticism Featuring Seitz and TV’s Most Prominent Critical Voices

Festival To Take Place from June 2-8; Tickets Now on Sale at SplitScreensFestival.com

[New York, May 22, 2017] – IFC Center today announced the remaining events scheduled during the inauguralSplit Screens Festival (www.splitscreensfestival.com) taking place Friday, June 2 through Thursday, June 8, 2017, at the IFC Center in New York City.  

 

Details announced last week, including a premiere of HBO's period drama, "The Deuce,"  plus panels for “Difficult People” (Hulu), “The Get Down (Netflix), “Orphan Black” (BBC AMERICA), “Search Party (TBS); “The Girlfriend Experience”(STARZ), “Underground” (WGN America); “Billions" (Showtime), “Brockmire”(IFC), “Mr. Robot” (USA Network),  and “Better Call Saul” (AMC), laid the groundwork for what is expected to be New York's premiere television festival event this summer.

 

As previously announced, the festival will be anchored by four signature categories: PREMIERES, an opportunity for audiences to be  among the first to screen an anticipated new series; CLOSE-UP, focused primarily on the work of one or two celebrated actors in a series; SHOWCASE, which will take a deeper look at a series through the lens of its creators, producers and stars;  and REWIND, revisiting an iconic episode of television via a screening and conversation with the creatives who have brought their vision to life.

 

IFC Center along with Split Screens’ curator/moderator Matt Zoller Seitz said that the Festival will feature several signature events and presentations including the first-ever Legacy Award, sponsored by AMC Networks, an annual honor presented to a television leader who has broken new ground and reshaped the landscape and the industry over the course of a significant career.  On Monday, June 5 at 6:30 PM, the 2017 Legacy Award will be presented to actress/director and trailblazer, Lee Grant followed by a thoughtful exchange between Grant and Seitz about Grant's body of work over the past seven decades.  Most recently, Grant created a short piece for YouTube entitled “Battered: The Assault on Hillary Clinton,” a montage of what Grant saw Clinton endure during the presidential campaign.  

 

New festival highlights announced today include: PREMIERE of USA’s “The Sinner”; CLOSE-UP conversation featuring Margo Martindale of “Sneaky Pete” (Amazon); a REWIND panel on “Hannibal” (NBC); SHOWCASE event on “The Man in the High Castle” (Amazon); and lastly two SPECIAL EVENT panels: “The Evolution of Television Criticism” featuring some of the country's most well-respected critical voices as they dissect the latest and (sometimes not so) greatest moments in TV and “New Platforms, New Voices” exploring the creation of web series.

 

In addition to the Legacy Award, Split Screens will present the Festival’s Vanguard Award to “The Sopranos” visionary David Chase, a creative master whose work has demonstrably shifted the direction of the television industry. The June 5th event, scheduled for 8:30 PM, includes a special screening of the classic Pine Barrens episode directed by Steve Buscemi, who will be in attendance, and will present the award along with co-writer and co-executive producer Terence Winter.

 

Most festival screenings and panel discussions will be hosted and moderated by Split Screens artistic director Matt Zoller Seitz. As Editor-in-Chief of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism, and the author of TV (The Book) and studies on Wes Anderson, Oliver Stone and Mad Men, Seitz, the ultimate TV fan, knows that audiences can't get enough of good television content.

 

“We spent hours considering those talented individuals whose work and ethic stood out amongst a long list of brilliant creatives,” noted Matt Zoller Seitz.  “In the end, we chose to honor two individuals who we believe have changed the face of the entertainment industry --Lee Grant, a woman whose long record of excellence both in front of and behind the camera speaks for itself, and David Chase whose masterful work was on the leading edge of what we now call Peak TV.  It’s an honor and a privilege to have them with us during the week of the festival and we look forward to getting their take on the world of television today.”

 

Split Screens Festival is made possible by Major Sponsors SHOWTIME®, AMC Networks; Supporting Sponsor BBC AMERICA; Event Sponsors USA Network, FX Networks. Additional support from Friends of the Festival include WGN America, Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Wheelhouse Creative.

 

Social Media Handles:

Facebook:           https://www.facebook.com/SplitScreensTV

Twitter:                @SplitScreensTV

Instagram:          @SplitScreensTV

 

Ticket Information:

  • Tickets for the opening night premiere of “The Deuce” are $30 ($25 IFC Center members)
  • Tickets for individual events are $12-$19 ($10-$16 IFC Center members)
  • A festival pass, providing admission to all festival programs, is available for $125 ($95 IFC Center members)

 

Tickets, festival passes and additional program information are available online at SplitScreensFestival.com, or in person at the IFC Center box office at 323 Sixth Ave. (at West 3rd St.), open daily 10:30am-10:00pm

 

Press Contacts:

FerenComm for Split Screens Festival

SplitScreensPR@ferencomm.com

212-983-9898

For sponsorship information, please contact sponsorship@splitscreensfestival.com

To download Split Screens Festival logo click HERE

 

SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

 

FRIDAY, JUNE 2  

7:00PM - “THE DEUCE” (HBO) PREMIERE

In person: Series producer and co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal, pilot director Michelle MacLaren and series co-creator George Pelecanos

 

To download image click HERE

 

Split Screens premieres the pilot episode of HBO’s eagerly anticipated New York period drama from executive producers David Simon and George Pelecanos (The Wire), about the rise of the porn industry in and around Times Square in the 1970s. The cast includes Maggie Gyllenhaal as an entrepreneurial sex worker and James Franco as twin brothers who serve as fronts for the Mafia. True to form for a producing team that shepherdedThe Wire and Treme into existence, The Deuce is a beating-heart-of-the-city drama that explores the interconnectedness of characters from different social classes and ethnicities, some of whom find themselves at odds over money, honor and the obligation to uphold the law.

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 3  

1:00 PM - THE EVOLUTION OF TELEVISION CRITICISM  SPECIAL EVENT

In person: Sonia Saraiya, Variety; Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker; Angelica Jade Bastien, contributor to Vulture and The Atlantic; and Matt Zoller Seitz

 

Much of early television was, to quote Edward R. Murrow’s exhausted call for substance in TV journalism, little more than lights and wires in a box. And TV criticism was a similarly disreputable arm of print journalism, the job you took if no other discipline would tolerate you.  It consisted largely of rote descriptions of what aired last night and teasers for whatever was coming up tomorrow, plus listings, and, if the readers were lucky, the writer was funny and would throw in a not-terrible joke.

 

The medium evolved through the years, though, and critics evolved with it, treating Murrow’s idiot box as a window into and mirror of the world at large. Reflecting the diversity of its subject, TV criticism has exploded into dozens of different subgenres, from sociopolitical “hot takes” to deep-dish formal analysis to recaps of individual episodes and even video essays that use bits and pieces of the shows themselves in order to analyze, praise or decry them. A panel of distinguished columnists with experience that spans three decades will take us through the changes and talk about where both TV and TV criticism might be headed.

 

2:45 PM - BUILDING THE WORLD OF “THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE” (AMAZON) SHOWCASE

In person: Production designer Drew Boughton and costume designer J.R. Hawbaker

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

Based on Philip K. Dick's Hugo Award-winning 1962 novel, Amazon's The Man in the High Castle visualizes an alternate reality in which the Axis powers won World War Il. The continental United States has been divvied up into three zones: the East Coast, run by Germany; the West coast, run by imperial Japan, and the middle part of the country, a no-man's land that suggests an industrialized version of the mythic Wild West of yore. This lavishly produced nightmare adventure is one of the most thoroughly imagined worlds ever built for television, mixing an array of cultural, architectural and historical influences to suggest how competing world views express themselves in daily life. This special panel will reveal how the High Castle team works to convince the audience that this is all actually happening, using everything from green-screen composited digital skyscrapers to cleverly fabricated documents, cigarette packages, high heeled shoes and "vintage" revolvers, none of which ever existed in our world.

 

4:30 PM – “MR. ROBOT” (USA Network) CLOSE-UP with Rami Malek

In person: Actor Rami Malek

 

To download image click HERE

 

It’s tricky enough to be the lead actor on a TV drama, more so when you’re in almost every scene, and trickier still when your character narrates the show. USA Network’s Golden Globe® award winner Mr. Robot tasks its star, Rami Malek, with all these responsibilities, then adds more: It’s one of the most relentlessly interior shows, inviting you into the headspace of its lead character—computer expert and secret vigilante hacker Elliot Alderson—and showing you the world as he sees it.

Through clips and discussion, the event takes a deep dive with Malek into his performance as the show’s title character. Playing an introvert turned underground revolutionary, Malek shapes his role through research and prep work, posture and gestures, and even the way he modulates his voice between Elliot’s dialogue with different characters and his voiceover narration directly to the audience. Co-presented By USA Network.

7:00 PM - “THE SINNER” (USA NETWORK) PREMIERE

In person: Series creator and showrunner Derek Simonds and executive producer and director Antonio Campos.

 

To download image click HERE

 

In this remarkable new psychological thriller, Jessica Biel stars as Cora Tannetti, a young mother who is suddenly and mysteriously subsumed by rage and commits a shocking act of violence in plain view of others. Bill Pullman costars as Detective Harry Ambrose, who tries to understand why she did it, a question that no one, Cora included, can answer.  Created by screenwriter Derek Simonds and featuring a pilot directed by independent filmmaker Antonio Campos (Simon KillerChristine), it’s a rare potboiler that’s more concerned with the psychology of disturbed people than with the procedural details that too often bog down these kinds of stories. Everyone knows what happened and who did it; the big question is why. Co-presented by USA Network. 

 

9:00 PM – “SEARCH PARTY” (TBS) SHOWCASE

In person: Series creators, co-directors and executive producers Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, and executive producer Lilly Burns

 

To download image click HERE

 

It’s rare to encounter a TV series that could accurately be described as a satire, much less an unsparing one, butSearch Party absolutely qualifies. It’s a mystery about people trying to get to the bottom of a young woman’s disappearance, but that’s just what’s happening on the surface. The detective story is the gimmick that draws you in so that this exceptional and surprising show — credited to a rogue’s gallery of executive producers, including Michael Showalter, Sarah-Violet Bliss, and Charles Rogers — can work its dark magic. The vanishing is a device that the show uses to explore Dory’s (Alia Shawkat) world and make uncomfortable observations about modern life, in particular the tendency to confuse the ego-stroking virtual busywork of the text- and social media-driven era for actual, meaningful action. There’s an even deeper level to this series, something on the order of an existential quest, a long journey into the heroine’s emotional interior. The condition of believing oneself sensitive while feeling very little has rarely been examined with such exactness.

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

12:30 PM - “SNEAKY PETE” (Amazon) CLOSE-UP with Margo Martindale

In person: Actress Margo Martindale  

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Texas, Margo Martindale was a reliable character actor on stage and in films and television series for decades before she suddenly and delightfully became a star on FX Networks’ crime saga Justified, playing Mags Bennett, a Ma Barker-styled Kentucky crime boss who dispatches her foes with poisoned moonshine. A string of very different, equally eye-catching roles followed, in such series as The Americans (playing Claudia, a devious KGB handler) and the Netflix animated series Bojack Horseman (playing a version of herself, appropriately referred to by other characters as “Esteemed Actress Margo Martindale”).

 

Her most recent role might be her most all-encompassing: on Amazon’s Sneaky Pete, Martindale plays the grandmother of Giovanni Ribisi’s con man hero, a small town bail bondswoman who is determined to keep her family together even as it threatens to buckle under the pressure of repaying a debt to a gangster (series co-creator Bryan Cranston). Mixing Mags’ ferocious family loyalty, Claudia’s barbed wire ruthlessness and the eccentric warmth she brought to the short-lived CBS sitcom The Millers (which Martindale still recalls fondly), it’s a milestone role in a career that continues to surprise and delight.

 

2:30 PM - “THE GET DOWN” (NETFLIX) SHOWCASE

In person: co-creator and executive producer Stephen Adly Guirgis, supervising producer Nelson George

 

To download image click HERE

 

“Unfold your own myth,” blares a graffiti tag on the skin of a subway car in The Get Down. Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis’s 1970s musical melodrama about the birth of hip-hop and the fall of dirty-glorious Gotham is forever characterizing itself this way: like a rapper nimbly reframing a story as he tells it. It’s a multimedia work—television, cinema, a novel, a scrapbook; collage, decoupage, a montage barrage. The sheer, shameless entertainment value of The Get Down camouflages how formally inventive it is. The gleeful way that the image texture (1970s TV news video, 16mm, what looks like enhanced YouTube footage) changes from shot to shot suggests the filmmakers are glorying in a crazy-quilt aesthetic instead of knocking themselves out trying to make every piece seem like part of a seamless whole. The show is sampling pop culture history, New York City history and music history to create its own sound.

 

4:30 PM – “DIFFICULT PEOPLE” (HULU) SHOWCASE

In person: Series creator, co-executive producer and costar Julie Klausner

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

Julie Klausner’s series about brilliant, acerbic, self-defeating best buds on the fringes of stardom is tailor-made for the YouTube era, when artists and entertainers act as their own agents, publicists and managers and watch their colleagues’ successes and failures unfold in real time, with envy or glee, depending.

 

Julie (Klausner) and Billy (Billy Eichner) keep hatching schemes like a couple of Lucy Ricardos, even though their quest is motivated less by a burning urge to express themselves than a lust for fame and comfort. They pop others’ delusions and preserve their own, but even at their pettiest, there are moments when they speak the truth, and some of their most penetrating insights have to do with the show you’re watching and the medium that spawned it. One of Difficult People’s fiercest convictions is that a sitcom’s first obligation is to be funny and engaging, a surprisingly contrarian point of view now that every form of scripted entertainment is striving to subvert rather than embrace proven formulas. “When did comedies become 30-minute dramas?” Billy asks, with an aghast tone that suggests Difficult People is not interested in becoming one.

 

6:15 PM – “BETTER CALL SAUL” (AMC) CLOSE-UP with Michael McKean as Chuck McGill

In person: Actor Michael McKean and series co-creator and co-executive producer Peter Gould

 

 

To download image click HERE

Better Call Saul, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s improbably just-as-good prequel to Breaking Bad, is a showcase for ace character actors, none as sneakily great as Michael McKean, who costars as the slippery hero’s straight-arrow older brother, Chuck McGill. Chuck is a feared trial lawyer at a top Albuquerque, New Mexico law firm who claims to be hypersensitive to electricity, and is equally allergic to laziness and ethical short cuts. In lesser hands, he could have been an amusing if one-note foil. But McKean, a wizardly comic actor with the soul of a Method chameleon, imbues him with so many layers of personality, all operating simultaneously, that you can’t help feeling for him and understanding Chuck even when the character grates on you. This Close-Up panel will explore McKean’s collaboration with the character’s creator, writer-producer Peter Gould, and delve into McKean’s long and rich career as a dramatic and comedic actor and improvisational comic.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 5

6:30 PM SPECIAL EVENT

FIRST ANNUAL LEGACY AWARD: HONORING ACTRESS/DIRECTOR LEE GRANT

In person: Lee Grant

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

Split Screens is proud to announce the inaugural Legacy Award, presented by AMC Networks, honoring an individual whose career has had a lasting impact on television, to actress, director, author and activist Lee Grant. Born in Manhattan to Russian Jewish immigrants, Grant scored her first Oscar® nomination playing opposite Kirk Douglas in 1951’s Detective Story. But her budding career was temporarily derailed the following year, when the House Un-American Activities Committee, angered by her criticism of their methods, demanded she testify against her husband, playwright Arnold Manoff. Her refusal led to her being blacklisted.

 

When the political climate cooled, she returned to stardom in an Emmy-winning role on the first successful nighttime soap opera, Peyton Place, a series controversial for its frank, often sexual themes. She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar® for her role as Warren Beatty’s lover in 1975’s Shampoo, then channeled her political awareness into a career as a director of socially aware fiction and nonfiction films, tackling such hot-button subjects as workplace discrimination (A Matter of Sex), transgender identity (What Sex Am I?), poverty and Reaganomics (the Oscar®-winning documentary Down and Out in America), and sexism in medical treatment (the TV movie Nobody’s Child, for which Grant became the first woman to win a Director’s Guild of America award). She is also the author of the acclaimed 2014 memoir I Said Yes to Everything. Grant will touch on these highlights and more in a one-on-one interview about her extraordinary life and career.

 

8:30 PM- VANGUARD AWARD: HONORING DAVID CHASE followed by a special screening of “THE SOPRANOS” (HBO) Season Three: “Pine Barrens” SPECIAL EVENT

In person: Creator and executive producer David Chase; co-executive producer and co-writer Terence Winter; director and actor Steve Buscemi.

 

To download image click HERE

 

David Chase’s gangster series shattered the industry’s preconceptions and showed what TV drama could be. Part crime thriller, part domestic drama, and part social satire, The Sopranos was also innovative in its structure. It split the difference between serialized, long-form storytelling, in which an entire season was united by ongoing plot strands, and more traditional TV narrative, where characters and conflicts were introduced at the start of an episode and resolved neatly at the end.

 

These qualities and more are exemplified by Season Three’s “Pine Barrens,” in which Paulie Walnuts and Christopher Moltisanti ineptly try to kill a Russian gangster in a snowy stretch of New Jersey forest, with an ending that is classic Sopranos, offering a conclusion at once inevitable and surprising—and also prankishly frustrating, denying both characters and viewers the closure they crave. In that respect, it feels like a harbinger of the show’s notorious 2007 cut-to-black ending, which Sopranos fans argue about to this day. The episode’s screenwriter Terence Winter and director Steve Buscemi will present Chase with Split Screens’ first-ever Vanguard Award, then take us behind the scenes of one of the greatest of all Sopranos episodes.

 

TUESDAY, JUNE 6

6:30 PM – “ORPHAN BLACK” (BBC AMERICA) SHOWCASE

In person: Actors Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kristian Bruun, Kevin Hanchard, Evelyne Brochu and Ari Millen, and executive producers Graeme Manson and John Fawcett

 

To download image click HERE

 

BBC AMERICA’s clone conspiracy thriller stars Emmy® award winner Tatiana Maslany as multiple genetically identical women. But this is not merely a series about clones; it’s a continuous study in nature versus nurture that routinely puts Maslany in conversations with iterations of herself, and each iteration feels like a distinct human being rather than a sketch-comedy caricature. Graeme Manson and John Fawcett create a maze-like world where the reflections can not only talk, but have their own opinions. The result is sorcery, and Maslany is at the center, playing as many as four personalities at once while a constellation of gifted supporting players, including, Jordan Gavaris, Kristian Bruun, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kevin Hanchard, Evelyn Brochu, and others swirl around her. The show’s bottomless inventiveness and persistent sense of fun are infectious. In addition to the suspense generated by the story itself, there’s a secondary thrill from watching the cast and crew struggle to top themselves in sheer outrageousness. Co-presented by BBC AMERICA.

 

8:45 PM - “BILLIONS” (SHOWTIME) CLOSE-UP with Asia Kate Dillon

In person: Actor Asia Kate Dillon and creators David Levien and Brian Koppelman

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

In its second season, Showtime’s hit drama series Billions made history by introducing TV’s first gender non-binary major character, Taylor Mason (played by Asia Kate Dillon), an intern at Axe Capital who unexpectedly becomes a favorite of macho hedge funder Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). Dillon, who uses the singular they pronoun, auditioned for the role shortly after playing the racist skinhead Brandy on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. Sharing the stage with series creators and executive producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, our three guests will discuss the second season of Billions and the joys and challenges of playing a trailblazing character in a medium where starkly defined gender roles still rule the perceptions of casting directors and viewers alike.

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

7:00 PM - “BROCKMIRE” (IFC) CLOSE-UP with Hank Azaria and Amanda Peet

In person: Series executive producer and star Hank Azaria and star Amanda Peet

 

To download image click HERE

 

Although he’s perhaps best known as one of the versatile repertory actors on The Simpsons, Hank Azaria is also a formidable live-action performer who can adjust his body to suit the needs of a role as deftly as he can his voice. Jim Brockmire, a minor-league sportscaster struggling with alcoholism and his own monstrous ego, gives the actor a rare opportunity to hold the spotlight for the entire running time of a series, as a character he’s been developing for years. The results are dazzling.

He’s matched by Amanda Peet, who brings a no-nonsense toughness to the role of Jules James, the owner of both the team and a local bar. Peet is equally comfortable as a romantic leading lady, a kitchen-sink drama actress and a pratfaller, and she gets to combine all three of those talents here. This detailed one-on-one discussion will delve into Peet and Azaria’s varied careers, their chemistry on the show, and the fine points of bringing these two eccentric characters to life.

7:30PM - NEW PLATFORMS, NEW VOICES  SPECIAL EVENT

In person: “Bravest Warriors” executive producer Fred Seibert; “Eat Your Feelings” creators and writers Emma Jane Gonzalez and Sasha Winters; “The Outs” writer and director Adam Goldman; “Gunner Jackson” creator and star Christian Strevy.

 

Series on the web, which originally served as an alternative ecosystem for storytellers who couldn't get their work onto larger platforms, now serves as an unofficial farm team for those same platforms, birthing such recent web-to-cable successes as “Insecure,” “High Maintenance” and “Broad City.” But the format is equally fascinating as an incubator for new voices and storytelling forms that might not be possible in traditional venues.  

Split Screens' inaugural web series panel spotlights four titles, each with a distinct style and point-of-view: “Bravest Warriors,” from “Adventure Time” mastermind Pendleton Ward, follows four teenaged heroes-for-hire as they warp through the universe to save adorable aliens and their worlds using the power of their emotions; “Eat Your Feelings,” a combination sitcom and cooking show that follows two Brooklyn 20-somethings cooking and eating their way through life's challenges; “The Outs,” which tells the story of broken-up couple, Jack and Mitchell, in non-linear scenes, and “Gunner Jackson,” in which a 26-year-old inventor tries to prove he's being surveilled by the U.S. Government.

8:45 PM – “THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE” (STARZ) REWIND with “Separation”

In person: Co-executive producers Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz

 

To download image click HERE

 

The most narratively complex single episode of an ongoing series since the hero of Louie went to China, this alternately unnerving, baffling and hilarious half-hour of The Girlfriend Experience works as a psychological X-ray of the show’s heroine, escort Christine (Riley Keough); a play within a play; and a meditation on voyeurism, exhibitionism, sex, and acting. Co-written by series creators Amy Seimetz and Lodge Kerrigan, and directed by Kerrigan, the episode doesn’t just avoid the traditional sorts of closure that TV viewers tend to crave; it throws the totality of the show’s first season into question, making us question the intent and substance of everything we’ve seen. As such, it owes less to current trends in scripted TV, even the most rarified kinds, than to 1960s European art cinema classics like Blow-UpLast Year at Marienbad and The Exterminating Angel.

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

7:00 PM –“UNDERGROUND” (WGN America) REWIND Season Two: “Minty” episode

In person: Actor Aisha Hinds and executive producer/director Anthony Hemingway

 

To download image click HERE

 

WGN America’s groundbreaking series “Underground” made television history with the extended episode “Minty” that originally aired April 12.  During her hour-long solo, and career-defining, performance, Aisha Hinds brought Harriet Tubman back to life when she delivered a monumental and definitive speech in character as the Underground Railroad's most famous conductor.  Set in 1858 against the backdrop of a nation deeply divided by race, class and gender, Tubman makes a passionate plea to abolitionists to shift their thinking as she challenges them to take swift action against those who are determined to oppress others.  “Minty,” was written by series co-creators Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, and directed by Emmy and Golden Globe Award® winner Anthony Hemingway. Co-presented by WGN America.

 

9:00 PM –”HANNIBAL” (NBC) REWIND Season Three: “The Wrath of the Lamb”

In person: Leila Taylor, Creative Director at the Brooklyn Public Library; novelist Rob Hart (New YorkedThe Woman from Prague); composer Matt Marks of Alarm Will Sound; illustrator and author Janice Poon, food stylist for Hannibal and author of Feeding Hannibal.(Via Skype) Hannibal creator and executive producer Bryan Fuller.

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

A special theatrical screening of the finale of NBC’s “Hannibal,” a nightmare fantasy from Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) that reinterpreted Thomas Harris' novels through the eyes of an expressionist, polymorphous sensualist. Reworking much of the plot of Harris’ Red Dragon, but in a more hallucinatory way than in earlier film versions, the finale builds to an orgiastic release of pent-up intellectual and sexual energy so intense that viewers may need a cigarette and a towel afterward.  Fuller will join the audience via Skype to discuss the finale, the legacy of his cult classic, his new Starz series American Gods, and what a hypothetical fourth season of “Hannibal” would look like. A panel of New York-based Fannibals will discuss the legacy of the show, including its impact on popular art.

 

ABOUT SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL

Split Screens Festival (www.splitscreensfestival.com) is produced and presented by IFC Center, one of New York’s leading independent cinemas, and is organized by the core team of its successful DOC NYC documentary film festival, including Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen, Partnerships Director Deborah Rudolph and Operations Director Dana Krieger. Collaborating with broadcasters, cable networks and streaming services, the annual festival will highlight acclaimed and anticipated content from a range of platforms to bring together the creative talent behind TV’s most acclaimed shows and sophisticated New York audiences.

 

ABOUT IFC CENTER

IFC Center is a five-screen, state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village that opened in June 2005 following an extensive renovation of the historic Waverly Theater. Headed by Senior VP and General Manager John Vanco, IFC Center presents the very best in new foreign-language, American independent and documentary features to audiences and is also known for its innovative repertory series and festivals, showing short films before its regular features in the ongoing “Short Attention Span Cinema” program, and special events such as the guest-programmed “Movie Nights” and frequent in-person appearances by filmmakers. In 2010, IFC Center launched the acclaimed DOC NYC festival, a high-profile showcase that celebrates nonfiction filmmaking and is now the largest documentary festival in the US. For additional theater information, current and upcoming program details and more, visit ifccenter.com.

2017 IIFA AWARDS NOMINATIONS REVEALED!

THE NOMINATIONS FOR THE 18TH EDITION OF NEXA 2017 IIFA AWARDS POWERED BY VIVO ARE REVEALED!

~ Garnering the highest number of nominations in 8 categories at the 2017 IIFA Awards, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil leads the race followed by M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story with Nominations in 7 categories~

The 18th Edition of the 2017 NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by Vivo is among the most coveted and highly anticipated awards celebrations that honor the very best of Indian Cinema with the highest level of achievement seen through the glamorous IIFA statuette. Set to be held at the iconic MetLife Stadium on the 14th & 15th of July, this year the NEXA IIFA Awards will witness the felicitation of powerhouse performances and films at the highly anticipated Awards night. The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards announced the list of nominations in the popular category today as IIFA Global Voting goes LIVE on 20th May 2017 till 18th June 2017.

The Nexa IIFA Awards will air exclusively on Broadcast PartnersColors TV with the Title SponsorNEXAand Powered by VIVO.

Tickets are LIVE to the general public available online only at ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000 or by simply clicking the ‘Buy Tickets Tab’ on the official IIFA website http://www.iifa.com/. Fans can also purchase the tickets at MetLife Stadium Box Office (Box Office hours:  M – F, 11am – 5pm). For VIP Club Experiences, e-mail us at vipclub@iifa.com.

Indian Cinema has had an incredible year with a diverse number of truly unique films that not only took the box office by storm but were also critically acclaimed. Leading the race with a whopping8 nominations in the popular categories along with Best Picture is Ae DIl Hai Mushkil followed by the biopic of the Former Indian Cricket Team Captain – M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story bagging 7 nominations in popular categories including the Best Picture nominations. Top Contenders for Best Picture category are Neerja, Pink, Sultan and Udta Punjab.

The nominees for Best Actor in Leading Role Male are Shahid Kapoor for Udta Punjab, Ranbir Kapoor for Ae Dil Hai MushkilShah Rukh Khan for Fan, Sushant Singh Rajput for M.S. DhoniAmitabh Bachchan for Pink and Salman Khan for Sultan. The nominees for Leading Role Female are Anushka Sharma for Ae Dil Hai MushkilAlia Bhatt for Dear Zindagi & Udta PunjabSonam Kapoor for Neerjaand Tapsee Pannu for Pink. The Best Director nominations feature Karan Johar (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil),Neeraj Pandey (M.S. Dhoni), Ram Madhvani (Neerja), Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary (Pink), Ali Abbas Zafar (Sultan) and Abhishek Chaubey (Udta Punjab).

As IIFA continues to bring together the biggest stars of Bollywood and Hollywood on one stage, the 2017 IIFA Festival New York will play host to some of the most celebrated stars and musicians of the Indian film industry, notable guests, and dignitaries from India and the region, world media and Indian cinema fans from across the globe.

Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd, known for pioneering many extravagant and mesmerizing events in India and across the world, conceptualized IIFA 17 years ago, by the creative genius of the trio of masterminds - Andre Timmins, Viraf Sarkari and Sabbas Joseph. The vision was to celebrate Indian cinema outside India; and IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) the flagship brand is the accomplishment of that dream. IIFA is dedicated to building bridges across cinema, businesses, communities and nations, creating everyone’s dream: “One People. One World”. The journey over these past 17 years has seen the brand evolve from a one night affair to a weekend, which celebrates and hosts various events and activities related to cinema, business, culture, music and fashion. Hosting a variety of events during the weekend IIFA helps bring together a global community of people from all walks of life.

Speaking of the association, Mr. R. S Kalsi, Executive director, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki said “We are delighted to associate with NEXA IIFA Awards 2017 for the third consecutive year. This year we will showcase how NEXA is at the forefront of bringing innovation & delivering outstanding experiences. NEXA is not just an automotive brand but also a lifestyle brand. NEXA is all about newer and premium experiences, just like IIFA which builds lifetime experiences and felicitates excellence in Indian cinema at a global stage”

Delighted at the association, Vivek Zhang, CMO, Vivo India, said, “We are thrilled to have partnered with the most coveted platform representing Indian cinema globally. As a global smartphone brand, we constantly try to connect closely with our target audience in different parts of the country. We believe that the popularity of India International Film Awards (IIFA) is a splendid opportunity for Vivo to strengthen connect with the right audience and create a strong brand recall. Our latest offering in the Indian market is a step ahead in our endeavor to revolutionize the selfie phenomenon.”

Speaking on the occasion, Raj Nayak, Chief Operations Officer Viacom18 said"IIFA Festival is the world's biggest platform showcasing the magic of Bollywood and India. Colors, India's leading Hindi Premium entertainment channel, is delighted to bring the magic that’s being created in New York City to our viewers across the globe. As always the IIFA Weekend & Awards extravaganza will be telecast to our viewers in over 140 counties with ancillary programming on other Viacom18 channels including MTV & Colors Infinity.”

Andre Timmins, Director- Wizcraft International, the producers and creators of the IIFA movementsays, “It is amazing to see the progress that the IIFA Festival New York has seen in the past few months as we prepare for our biggest IIFA Awards ever.  Featuring a mega star line up for IIFA Rocks & IIFA Awards we will be creating entertainment like never seen before.  We are thankful for so many of the industry that turned out to vote for the nominated films and people involved.  It now remains for the global online voting to begin for the popular category awards to be determined.  The 2017 IIFA Awards is going to be a night not to be missed and exciting times to see who finally wins those highly coveted IIFA Awards.  The demand for tickets has been tremendous and I would simply advise IIFA fans to grab the hotly sought-after tickets while you still can oniifa.com or ticketmaster.com. “

IIFA continues on its journey with strength to grow every year in the world of entertainment and building the outreach as a major event globally to bring positive results and impact. This year is set to be one of the biggest, most extravagant and amazing IIFA Weekends to date. Keep up to date with all the latest news and details on IIFA by logging on to www.iifa.com or checking out the social media handles:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/IIFA/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/IIFA
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iifa/

IIFA Festival is ready to take centre stage in New York City. Don’t miss it for the world! 

About IIFA (International Indian Film Academy)

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy and a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain to India but an equally important objective of this prestigious brand is to create similar outcomes in its host country.  The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments and film co-productions.

Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd promotes the IIFA Weekend & Awards globally each year and travel to new, exciting and beautiful destinations, taking the film fraternity with it to unite and celebrate the best of Indian film and culture, thereby taking Indian Cinema and India to a wider audience. www.iifa.com

ABOUT WIZCRAFT INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PVT. LTD.

Wizcraft International Entertainment, India’s leading media and Entertainment Company is dedicated to showcasing its expertise on the world stage.  Having conceptualized some of the grandest events globally including the 50 Years of Indian Independence, the 30 Years of Mauritian Independence, the 10 years of the South African Freedom Struggle, the Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing ceremonies in Delhi as well as the Handover ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, & the prestigious International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards & Weekend for 15 years in over 12 countries, Wizcraft has contributed towards brand building for India across the world.  It has pioneered and developed India’s biggest entertainment brand IIFA which has taken Indian Cinema and culture to the world. The growth story of the company reflects the evolution of the Indian event management & entertainment industry itself. Driven by its vision “Believe in the power of your dreams” the company is committed to quality and innovation, while setting its sights on greater peaks of achievement.

ABOUT METLIFE STADIUM

MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Football Giants, is the number one stadium in the world. This 82,500 seat stadium, one of the largest in the National Football League, sets the standard for venue excellence with state-of-the-art technology, comfort and amenities. The only active venue to serve as the home stadium for two NFL teams, MetLife Stadium hosts 20 NFL games per season, more than any other Stadium.

MetLife Stadium hosts the World’s Biggest Events, on the World’s Biggest Stage. Major events hosted at the stadium include Super Bowl XLVIII, WrestleMania 29, Copa America Centenario, CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Paul McCartney, U2, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift

MetLife Stadium tops the industry charts annually since opening. The Stadium has ranked as the No. 1 Highest Grossing Stadium in the world for the last 5 years (2012 – 2016) by Billboard magazine. In 2011 MetLife Stadium was ranked No. 1 for safety by Security magazine’s “Security 500” in the Arenas/Stadiums/Leagues/Entertainment division.

For more information, visit :
www.metlifestadium.com
www.wizcraftworld.com

'THE SUITCASE' director Abi Damaris Corbin - "Just tell the story authentically, diversity naturally occurs"

Tribeca Film Festival 2017 had some wonderful short films this year. It's a clear example of how the quality of short films is better than ever, and content just keeps getting more interesting, intriguing and exciting. One of those examples was the film THE SUITCASE. The film inspired by true events, tells the story of a Boston bred baggage handler, whose ordinary life is turned upside down when he steals a suitcase that contains terrorist plans of 9/11. 

We talked to Abi Damaris Corbin, the director, writer, and co-producer of THE SUITCASE. Here are the excerpts.

Art Shrian: Congratulations on your wonderful film. It's very well produced, and well made. So, what inspired you to make a movie about 9/11, specially at this time?

Abi Corbin: I do not necessarily consider this a 9/11 story. It's people's story. I'm from Boston, and I particularly remember the news of Boston Marathon bombing. It shook me up. I remember 9/11 myself. Innocence was snatched from Americans on 9/11 and in many ways we’re a generation living in the shadow of that day. Since then America has become inundated with attacks — marathon, subway, school, club; the list is long — and when writing this I was overwhelmed by the desire to affect change. In a world where nothing I did seemed to make a difference, I idealistically wanted to matter. When I came across this story it clicked for me that change makers — real heroes — shaped the world by their integrity in tough everyday moments and actions.

AS: What was the most difficult part of making this film?

AC: We knew jumping into the project the TARMAC LOCATIONS would be our biggest challenge — and it certainly was.  It came to the wire — we were 4 weeks out and not satisfied with airport options. Committed to authentic story telling and high production value, we kept at the search and finally uncovered San Bernardino Airport. Thankfully my editors wife is an excellent cook and her banana bread accompanied by the persuasive powers of myself, the producers and the kindness of the incredible SB staff secured us the tarmac location. We then married San Bernardino’s tarmac with a warehouse and a Boston splinter unit and voila we were had our “Boston Logan Airport.”

AS: What you did there is something all new filmmakers need to learn. Congratulations to you and your producers for making it happen. How was your experience screening your film at Tribeca?

AC: The film’s not complete until you share it with an audience — so WOW — it was gratifying and fulfilling to see an audience take heart from our story. 

Ben Thompson and Sharon Badal, our Tribeca champions, positioned our premiere across from the 9/11 memorial at the Regal Cinema. When we pulled up to screen — seeing the Freedom Tower and the names of victims etched into the memorial gave me spine shivers. It was one of the distinct honors of my life to share this story in NYC.

AS: What's next after this project? Do you plan to evolve this project into something larger or moving to something else?

AC: I’m in the midst of writing a feature film called SWATTED. It’s a cousin to SUITCASE in that it’s about a down on his luck Boston guy who longs to matter – but this story is set against the backdrop of the eSports world. Getting "swatted" is a phenomena in gaming world. And this guy's life changes in a moment, when he gets swatted. It's the story of how far he's willing to go. And what happens from there.

AS: Sounds very interesting. I really look forward to it. Talk to us little bit about being a woman storyteller in the industry. Diversity & Inclusion have become big words in Hollywood. What's your experience been and what's your message to other storytellers?

AC: First and foremost, I'm born a storyteller and born a woman. So I have stories to tell, that are inherently about where I'm from, and who I am. It's not an obstacle. You just embrace, that you are going to tell the stories that I'm born to tell. And you move forward. There may not be tons of diversity behind the camera right now, but there's lot of initiatives going on to improve that. I myself have been part of some of them in several programs, and panels etc. They are striving to make sure that all voices are represented. But more so, just tell your story. That's the most important thing for me. Tell the story authentically and honestly, find the best people that are able to tell that story, and diversity naturally occurs.

AS: Very well said. I cannot agree more. Last, but not the least. What's your most favorite and least favorite thing about NYC?

AC: F. Scott Fitzgerald has this phrase in GATSBY that captures NYC — “The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.”

For me NYC’s promise isn’t just seen from the bridge — it’s etched all over the city — in the imposing power of the financial district buildings, snapshots of fierce hope at the 9/11 museum, art at the Met, New Yorkers doing life on the Highline in Chelsea… I could go on about NYC haunts all day – but it’s the spirit of promise that makes me want to design my own I love NYC tee.

Least favorite... The train commute between Tribeca and Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. I lived all the Buzzfeed jokes — the pole hugger, the napper, squeezer — we’re all friends now. Also I’m fairly sure there’s a dude in Brooklyn who owes me a pair of sunglasses – if you’re reading this I want them back!

AS: Well. Someone somewhere is rocking your sunglasses, and probably thanking you right now! Thank you so much for talking to us and many congratulations and All the best. We look forward to hearing more of you. CHEERS!

More about THE SUITCASE:

https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/suitcase-2017

  • Director: Abi Damaris Corbin

  • Screenwriter: Abi Damaris Corbin

  • Cinematographer: Jon Keng

  • Editor: Chris Witt

  • Composer: Nathan Matthew David

  • Production Designer: Lauren Meyer

  • Executive Producer: Elena Bawiec, Jean de Meuron, Erik Weaver

  • Producer: Abi Damaris Corbin, Drew Diamond, Daniela Ruiz

  • Associate Producer: Chris Witt

  • Supervising Sound Editor/ Re-recording Sound Mixer: Peter Bawiec

  • Casting Director: Selina Ringel

  • Costume Designer: Christine Bald

  • Visual Effects Supervisor: Gregory Jones

  • Cast: Mojean Aria, Joseph D. Reitman, Charley Rossman

CineKink Announces Kick-Off Gala Redux

The annual kick-off gala for CineKink NYC, “the kinky film festival,” will take place Tuesday, May 23rd, 8:00 PM to midnight, at M1-5 Lounge (52 Walker St., bet. Church & Broadway, NYC).

Rescheduled from its original March date, when a blizzard shut down the city, CineKink Kick-Off Gala Redux will be a “pansexual celebration of epic proportions.” In addition to burlesque performances, the event will feature “sexy sensation” stations for samplings by the kink-curious, a raffle of sex goodies, and some favorite CineKink film shorts.

While the gala is normally the kick-off to CineKink’s annual film festival, organizers are looking at it as a launch to a fundraising campaign that will help it recover from this season’s weather-related losses, and put the festival in a strong position for its 15th anniversary appearance next spring.

“We’re excited at the chance to toast what we’ve accomplished over the past decade and a half,” said Lisa Vandever, CineKink co-founder and director. “And, with the help of the CineKink community, we look forward to really building on that in the year ahead.”

Entertainer and activist Witti Repartee will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies for the gala, with Clara Coquette, Mary Cyn and Anja Keister scheduled to perform.

Meanwhile, several “sensation stations” will allow revelers to sample a range of kinky activities, with experts including Lolita Wolf (rope bondage), Veronica Vera (feminization and transformation), N1 (spanking and impact play), and Infinity Rising with Martyn Fire (electrical play).

Sponsors for the event, several of whom have also donated raffle items, include Bowery Bliss and njoy, along with Purple Passion, plus Leather Archives & Museum, National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and Pleasure Salon.

Suggested admission for the gala is $20 door/$15 advance; 21 and over only.

For more information on the event, visit
http://cinekink.com/programs-and-events/nyc/cinekink-nyc-2017/kick-off-gala-redux/

To purchase advance tickets or to make a donation to CineKink, visit https://cinekink2017kickoff.eventbrite.com

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ABOUT CINEKINK NYC
Billing itself as “the kinky film festival,” CineKink NYC returned for its 14th annual appearance March 14-19, 2017, and will be followed by a national showcase tour. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, works featured at CineKink range from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit – and everything in between.

New York Indian Film Festival 2017, closes with "You Are My Sunday"

The 17th New York Indian Film Festival closed last night, with the screening of Milind Dhaimade's directorial debut, YOU ARE MY SUNDAY (Tu Hai Mera Sunday). The slate of films this year was exceptional with over 85 wonderful films, with several of them having their New York premiere.

Uploaded by MyNewYorkEye on 2017-05-02.

The quality of Indian cinema is better than ever, on par with not just American & European cinema, and this festival brought several examples of that in narrative, documentary shorts and all categories. Films like SHAB by Onir, POORNA by Rahul Bose, A DEATH IN THE GUNJ by Konkona Sen Sharma (who won the best actress award & best director award at the festival this year), TRAPPED by Vikramditya Motwani, KASAAV by Sunil Sukthankar, AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN by Khushboo and Vinay Shukla, are just some of the examples of the exceptional quality of films that are being produced by Indian diaspora.

Uploaded by MyNewYorkEye on 2017-05-06.

The festival also had various other events for filmmakers and audiences. The highlight was the 2 day workshop for "SHOOT A SHORT", by three time National Award winning Indian filmmaker Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni. The workshop primarily aimed at guiding film enthusiasts and beginners to make short films. It focused on the process of translating an idea to a complete short film. Umesh gave some very practical and valuable advice about how to plan the production, how to write and shoot your film, and how to make it into an exceptional piece of art, by putting every piece together beautifully.

Another big event was the meeting and panel discussion with David Tagioff from CAA. This was an opportunity for filmmakers and story tellers to understand the business from an agency's side. David and his associate Jason gave a deep insight into value of Indian cinema and content in the international arena. CAA has been ahead of the curve, when it comes to International programming. David and his team has been leading that effort, and his commitment and passion to great storytelling was quite inspiring to all.

The closing night film YOU ARE MY SUNDAY, is the feature directorial debut of ex ad man Milind Dhaimade, who quit at the height of his career to pursue his dream of making movies. His first feature film, definitely does not disappoint. It's a joyful tale of group of friends (Cast - Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami, Avinash Tiwary, Rasika Duggal, Vishal Malhotra) who are just looking for a place to play football every Sunday, in Mumbai. But there personal lives, there own journeys, and their own fights become a metaphor of how urban lives have become so convoluted for simplicity of life. People are not able to enjoy simple things in life, due to the hustle & bustle of there career, wishes, goals, or lack of those.

"You Are My Sunday/Tu Hai Mera Sunday", panel (Director - Milind Dhaimade, cast Shahana Goswami, Rasika Duggal, Producer - Vishal Malhotra), talk at New York Indian Film Festival (#NYIFF2017)

The film is beautifully shot between Mumbai and Goa. The entire cast is wonderful, and does a great job. It's breakout performance by Barun and Shahana Goswami. Shahana breaks the mould she has been cast in, and gives a joyful performance as Kavi, a MBA working in marketing, trying to care for her father, and figure out her life. Without being overtly feminist or preachy, the film does a good job of portraying some honest stories. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Milind, Shahana and Rasika.

The night and the festival, ended with a fun after-party at Gramercy Theater. Delicious Indian food, live music by Punjabi band - Rhythm Tolee, beer by BIRA (they do make good white beer) and wine by Mirza Ghalib.  

The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. Please visit: www.iaac.us/NYIFF2017/index.htm

Montclair Film Festival 2017, closes with BAND AID, by Zoe Lister-Jones

The 6th Montclair Film Festival that ran from April 28th to May 7th, had its closing night celebrations. The closing night film was Zoe Lister-Jones's directorial debut BAND AID. A house-full screening at the iconic Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, and a live discussion with Zoe herself, was followed by A filmmakers party at MFF's new & beautiful headquarters at Cinema505. the party was joined by several filmmakers and film lovers from New Jersey, New York and nationwide, enjoying delicious food by Events by Joni and drinks by New Jersey Beer Co. The Filmmaker Party was the perfect ending to ten days of great cinema, conversations, and community!

Closing night film BAND AID came to MFF on the heels of Sundance, where the film had its world premiere. It well deservedly got great response there, and got picked by IFC & Sony Pictures Worldwide for theatrical release on June 2, 2017.

The film is a beautiful tale of a couple (played by Zoe and Adam Pally) who love and hate each other. Maybe more fighting than loving. But that hate and fighting inspires them to write hate songs. And they love that. They end up forming a band, with their weird sexaholic neighbor and drummer, Dave (played wonderfully by Fred Armisen). The film is very musical and very funny, thanks to the wonderful cast and good writing. The film also gets quite emotional and the right moments, making it a good mix of drama and comedy.

The film does tend to be very feminist, for some people's taste, but it does not really get offensive. For many people, its close to truth (Ben dealing with his pain through video games!). Zoe mentioned that it was entire women crew that made the film. And the diversity/inclusion in her casting is quite evident. Zoe does a great job of making an impactful first film.

The screening was followed by a discussion with Zoe. You can watch it here

Zoe Lister-Jones at Montclair Film Festival 2017. Her directorial debut BAND AID, was the closing night film.