Presented By:
Ary

Director :
Vishal Bhandari

Cast :
Om Puri
Gulshan Grover
Shreyas Talpade
Tom Altar
Smita Jayakar
Nazneen

Synopsis:
The Hangman is a story about one man’s quest to attain redemption. Om Puri, who gives a compelling performance as the aged and tired executioner Shiva, has been forced into his forefather’s profession. Shiva’s overwhelmingly desire is to create a better life for his son Ganesh (Shreyas Talpade). Shiva seeks help from his friend, the prison jailor, played by Gulshan Grover. Ganesh is taken to the city under the jailor’s guardianship where he pursues his father’s ultimate dream of becoming a police officer. But a series of ill-fated events result in a startling tragedy.

Based in a culture full of ancient customs and traditions, this bittersweet tale follows Shiva as he struggles between the mandates of his profession and his desire to achieve salvation and happiness.

Presented By:
Jivamukti Yoga

Director :
Paula Fouce

Cast :
N/A

Synopsis:
NAKED IN ASHES chronicles the Yogis of India, including 14-year-old Santosh Giri, who follows his teacher, Shiv Raj Giri in probing the deepest mysteries of life on a 6,000-year-old path. The Yogis leave all worldly things to quest for the Divine, and travel barefoot in the snow on pilgrimage from the high Himalayas to the holiest festival, to wash themselves in the waters of immortality. Along with Santosh Giri and Shiv Raj is Raman Giri (STANDING BABA) who remains standing for twelve years. Others pull trucks with parts of their bodies – or hold one arm in the air for 12 years – on a quest to understand ultimate truth.

SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY (DOUBLE BILL) AT SAIFF

(2 films - 1 price)
Presented By: Sholay

PREMIERE : SUNSET BOLLYWOOD (2005) INDIA/HONG KONG

Director :
Komal Tolani

Cast :
Rahul Roy
Jumar Gaurav
Pooja Bhatt
Bhagyashree

Duration :
60 MINS

Synopsis:
What happens when you become an overnight sensation in Bollywood and then cannot maintain your star status? SUNSET BOLLYWOOD examines the meteoric rise, fall, and continuous struggle of three performers who fell from grace. In their own words, they recount their meteoric rise to stardom the circumstances that caused their spotlights to dim and repeated attempts to launch a comeback. A complete crowd-pleaser.

PREMIERE : TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (2004) INDIA

Director :
Kenneth Eng

Cast :
N/A

Duration :
118 MINS

Synopsis:
In January 2001, over 15 million Hindu pilgrims gathered at the confluence of India's three greatest rivers, turning a vast flood plain into a thriving festival of humanity and devotion. This is the largest congregation of people in the history of civilization. This is the Maha Kumbh mela.

PREMIERE : KYA KOOL HAI HUM (2005) INDIA
(The film is in Hindi with NO English Subtitles)

Presented By:
MyDesiRadio.com

Director :
Sangeeth Sivan

Showtime :
10:00PM

Cast :
Tusshar Kapoo
Ritesh Deshmukh

Synopsis:
The spectacular 2005 Bollywood superhit comes to NYC! Come join a raucous late-night crowd to watch Karan and Rahul on their quest to find love in this raunchy, no-holds-barred comedy of errors. Unmissable.

(Tickets are for all films)
Presented By: Salaam

FALAK (2005) TAJIKISTAN

Director:
Najeeb Mirza

Duration:
14 MINS

Synopsis:
Inspired by Sufi poets such as Rumi and Omar Khayyam, three musicians in Tajikistan offer their interpretations of the musical style called Falak. From their homes in the beautiful Pamir Mountains of eastern Tajikistan to performances at a concert in Dushanbe, the film presents the musicians and their perspectives on Falak, in words and in song.

DADA JI (2005) INDIA

Director:
Sabina Shamdasani

Duration:
18 MINS

Synopsis:
Dada Ji has come to live with his daughter, her American husband and their "half-cooked" son. Now they all must find some common ground if they're to live under the same roof. Whoever said family was a cup of tea? Stars Kumar Pallana, of the 'The Royal Tenenbaums' and Steven Spielberg's 'The Terminal.'

DON'T FENCE ME IN (2005) BURMA

Director:
Ruth Gumnit

Duration:
30 MINS

Synopsis:
Chronicles the life of 70-year old freedom fighter Major Mary On in her quest to help the Karen people of Burma find self-determination and freedom under the country's military junta.

HARSH BEAUTY (2005) INDIA

Director:
Alexandra Zeka

Duration:
54 MINS

Synopsis:
HARSH BEAUTY is an hour long documentary that follows for a period of several years the lives of 3 Eunuchs in India. Considered the third gender, neither men nor women, the Eunuchs of India are a society rarely seen and often misunderstood. Without presenting an anthropological approach, HARSH BEAUTY creates intimate and personal account of their lives and struggle to be accepted for what they truly believe themselves to be.

Moderator :
Simon Taufique

Speakers :
Mumtaz Hussain - THIS IS MY PAKISTAN
Simone Ahuja - SCRUM IN THE MUD
Lisa Hoffe - TRAILBLAZING WOMEN OF NEPAL
Debra Kaufman - A SCHOOL OF THEIR OWN

Program:
TBA

(Tickets are for all films)
Presented By: Your Dil

THIS IS MY PAKISTAN (2005) USA

Director:
Mumtaz Hussain

Duration:
4 MINS

Synopsis:
A warm and sensitive portrayal of what Pakistan means to a young child living outside of Pakistan. As the child is painting a card for her grandfather who lives in Pakistan, the mixing bowl and paints become a reflection of the confusion the child feels of Pakistan's history - from Allama Iqbal, to Jinnah to the blody partition - until she realizes that Pakistan to her is like heaven. and as she fills in the lush greens of her heaven and her whole world colors up.

CHILD MARRIAGE (2005) INDIA

Director:
Neeraj Kumar

Duration:
87 MINS

Synopsis:
CHILD MARRIAGE is a revealing documentary that unveils a never before heard traditional practice where in children are engaged before birth. Is child marriage a blessing or a children human rights issue? This film also touches upon women and animal rights issues, discrimination against untouchables and social injustice.

TARANA (2005) INDIA

Director:
Nrupen Madhavi

Duration:
9 MINS

Synopsis:
Sans dialogue, the film encapsulates a small period in the life of a talented 12 year-old girl by the same name, and her passion for playing the piano.

SCRUM IN THE MUD WITH RAHUL BOSE (2005) INDIA

Director:
Simone Ahuja

Duration:
3 MINS

Synopsis:
Find out why Rahul Bose, the actor Time magazine calls 'The New Face of Bollywood' is chapioning rugby in a cricket dominated nation. In this fast-paced film, Bose exudes a passion for the sport both on and off the field.

(Tickets are for all films)
Presented By: Sakhi

COLOR OF FAITH (2005) BANGLADESH

Director:
Saiful Wadud Helal

Duration:
60 MINS

Synopsis:
Each year at the end of spring, hundreds of thousands of people gather for seven days in a remote village of Bangladesh called Badarpur. They sing and dance in remembrance of a beloved saint. Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians all congregate to celeebrate the oneness of all religions, of all peoples. There is only one religion that these different colors of faith believe in; and that is humanism, being kind and loving to all.

TRAILBLAZING WOMEN OF NEPAL (2005) NEPAL

Director:
Lisa Hoffe

Duration:
24 MINS

Synopsis:
TRAILBLAZING documents the empowering and pioneering spirit of the few women in nepal who are breaking down stopng cultural and gender barriers in a male dominated adventure tourism industry and a conservative mountain culture to become the first female mountain guides in the Himalayas.

ACTING ON FAITH: WOMEN AND NEW RELIGIOUS ACTIVISM IN AMERICA (2005) USA

Director:
Rachel Antell

Duration:
42 MINS

Synopsis:
A new documentary video that offers an intimate look at the lives of and work of three different American women for whom faith, acitvism & identity are essential issues: one woman is Hindu, one is Muslim, the other Buddhist. Narrated by famed Hindu scholar Dr. Diana Eck.

RED (2005) USA

Director:
Dhruvesh Zaveri

Duration:
20 MINS

Synopsis:
The story of Anjali, an artist who can't paint with the colour red. The film is about an evening in Anjali's life which is a turning point in her life, her constant fight with a lot of hope and willpower to conquer the fear of the colour red she is suffering from and which is ruining her life.

KHIWE DI ROSHANI (LIGHT OF KHIWA; 2005) INDIA

Director:
Randeep Kumar

Duration:
38 MINS

Synopsis:
KHIWE DI ROSHANI, a documentary film, highlights the poetic luminescence of my ancestral village, Khiwa, situated in northwestern India. It also features the long awaited return to the motherland of one of her blessed sons. My father, Urdu poet Roshan Pukhraj, returns to Khiwa, the village of his birth, after a twenty-year hiatus.