The 13th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) announced the lineup for their “100 Years of Indian Cinema” series presented by Incredible India! Ever since pioneer filmmaker D.G Phalke released his first feature film RAJA HARISHCHANDRA on May 3, 1913, India has continued to be the most prolific and diverse film industry in the world. To mark the global celebration of 100 years of Indian Cinema, NYIFF is featuring an exceptionally compelling array of films preceding Cannes. The lineup includes three rarely seen masterpieces from different time periods, as well as two world-premiere documentaries that explore different facets of Indian filmmaking.

These classic films will celebrate recent efforts at film restoration, which are bringing some of India’s greatest cinematic treasures to an international audience. According to Film Festival Director Aseem Chhabra, “In the recent years, many scholars, film programmers and archivists have expressed deep concerns about the state of old Indian films.” However, he notes that recently, “There have been some valiant people who have stepped forward to restore some of the films. M.S. Sathyu’s GARAM HAWA underwent a restoration and was recently screened at the International Film Festival in Goa. In its time it was hailed as a landmark must-see film and credited with being at the forefront of a new wave of art cinema. Uday Shanker’s fantasy ballet KALPANA was unveiled at Cannes last year after being restored by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation. Kundan Shah’s JAANE BHI DO YAARO, a cult classic comedy, was restored by the National Film Development Corporation and enjoyed a theatrical release in many of India’s leading cities. NYIFF has the honor of presenting the first US screenings of all three films since their majestic new restoration in this incredible series that is fittingly sponsored by Incredible India!”

Incredible India! is of the belief that the subcontinent’s remarkable diversity is what makes it such a rewarding destination to visit. Regional Director, Sujata Thakur states, “As a home to Indian Cinema, we are happy to present and celebrate 100 years of Indian Cinema atNYIFF 2013.”

The documentaries offer a modern retrospective on the Indian filmmaking industry. Jaideep Varma’s BAAVRA MANN follows the life and career of Sudhir Misra, a remarkable Hindi independent filmmaker whose influence can be seen in a generation of independent filmmakers today. Rudradeep Bhattacharjee’s THE HUMAN FACTOR draws from rare archival footage to explore how music composers and other musicians have crafted the sound behind some of Hindi film’s most iconic songs.

In celebrating a century of Indian film, Festival Founder Aroon Shivdasani says, “We will screen critically acclaimed, award winning, recently restored masterpieces from the history of Indian cinema, juxtaposed with today’s young, emerging, globally aware, socially conscious films. I do believe it will be fascinating to compare the two sensibilities in filmmaking, subject matter, performance styles and all the other nuances of traditional films versus those pushing boundaries.”

Festival Director Aseem Chhabra adds, “Together these five films will give New York audience a taste of Indian films and what makes our cinema so unique.”

NYIFF runs from April 30 – May 4 at prestigious venues across New York City. NYIFF’s “100 Years” series will screen exclusively at Tribeca Cinemas. The following are the films featured in the 2013 New York Indian Film Festival “100 Years” series.

For more: http://www.iaac.us/nyiff2013/press.htm