10/23 6:30PM
GUASTAVINO’S located at 409 East 59th Street at First Avenue.

The South Asian International Film Festival, which celebrates its ninth year in 2012, is proud to announce its first-ever South Asian Rising Star Film Awards Gala Dinner, to be hosted by Sunny Leone and Jay Chandrasekhar. The event, to take place at New York City’s stunning GUASTAVINO’S (under the 59th Street Bridge) on the Upper East Side, will celebrate the extraordinary achievements of rising and/or emerging South Asian and Indian Diaspora talent in film over the past year. A special Star Honors ‘Foundation’ Award will be bestowed upon a soon-to-be-announced established talent, recognizing his or her lifetime achievements from Bollywood to Hollywood.

The event’s inaugural award categories include Best Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Composer, Director, and Feature Film.

Co-host Sunny Leone rose to prominence in America’s adult film industry before breaking into Bollywood cinema with 2011’s erotic thriller Jism 2. Long-courted by top Indian film talent, she is now set to star in the sequel to Ragini MMS, one of last year’s most trailblazing horror films. Joining her as host is Jay Chandrasekhar, a familiar talent to Western audiences, having co-founded the comedy troupe Broken Lizard and directed such comedy hits as Super Troopers, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Beerfest.

The South Asian Rising Star Film Awards Gala Dinner is deeply honored to have a deeply-multifaceted awards jury, comprised of Indian film critic/TV host Rajeev Masand, author/film critic/TV host Anupama Chopra, musician Siddhartha Khosla (Goldspot), actress/musician Janina Gavankar (HBO’s True Blood), and actor Maulik Pancholy (NBC’s 30 Rock).

The Ninth (9) Annual South Asian International Film Festival is to kick-off on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 and end on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 in New York City.

for tickets: http://mycity.sulekha.com