New Zealand, where almost 5 per cent of its population is of Indian origin, will finally get its own Indian film festival. Spread across 3 days and 3 cities, the Indian Film Festival of New Zealand promises 30 film screenings, industry panels, Q&A post-screenings, networking events, and an awards evening. The first edition will showcase 10 features, 16 shorts, and 4 special screenings. With 11 languages, including Gujarati, Bengali, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, French, Japanese, Hindi, English, Nepali, Kashmiri, Punjabi, and Kumaoni, and even a silent film, the festival is celebrating languages and storytelling from across India.
Waheeda Rehman to attend inaugural Indian Film Festival of New Zealand; Teesri Kasam to open, Pakeezah to close the fest
The highlight for the year is celebrating films that have been restored by Film Heritage Foundation and NFAI-NFDC. The opening film is Teesri Kasam, which was recently restored by NFAI-NFDC and has legendary actress Waheeda Rehman and Raj Kapoor in lead roles. The first edition will have legendary actress Waheeda Rehman attend the opening night screening on Oct 22, as the festival honors her contribution to Indian cinema.
Waheeda Rehman QUOTE, “Cinema has always had the power to bring people and cultures closer. I am delighted to see TIFFNZ celebrating the richness and diversity of Indian cinema in New Zealand. Teesri Kasam is a film very close to my heart, and I am especially pleased that it will open the festival, allowing a new generation of audiences to discover its timeless story and poetry.”
Festival director Petrina D’Rozario said, “Fo
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