Press Release
New York: The inaugural Awesome International Film Festival (AwesomeIFF) made its New York debut on Aug. 14 at SVA Theatre, bringing together filmmakers, artists, performers and film enthusiasts from around the world for a celebration of international cinema and culture.
Founded by Ritesh Parikh, founder of Awesome TV, AwesomeIFF and AWSM Time, the festival attracted more than 700 attendees and featured 88 film submissions from 18 countries in its first edition.
Organized around Parikh’s vision of “Cinema Without Borders,” the festival showcased an international lineup spanning feature films, short films, documentaries, AI-generated films, student productions and music videos. The program was presented in four screening blocks and culminated in a red-carpet event and the New York premiere of Batwara 1947.
“AwesomeIFF is about creating a home for storytellers, regardless of where they come from, what language they speak or the size of their production,” Parikh said. “Through Awesome TV, AWSM Time and now AwesomeIFF, my goal is to build platforms that connect people through stories.”
Batwara 1947 Premieres in New York
A major highlight of the festival was the New York premiere of Batwara 1947, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan. The film stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol and Ali Fazal, with music by A.R. Rahman.
Set against the backdrop of the Partition of India, the film was screened at AwesomeIFF on the same day it opened theatrically in India and internationally.
The screening was presented in association with Aamir Khan Productions, AA Films and Shree Entertainment, with special recognition to Anil Thadani of AA Films, Jatin Grover of Shree Entertainment and Sunil Hali.
International Filmmakers Take Center Stage
The festival’s official selections reflected its international character, featuring filmmakers from the United States, India, South Korea, Hungary, Brazil, Poland and Italy, among other countries.
Films presented included The Man and The Monkey by Korok Murmu, Nilankar Mukhopadhyay and Samrat Chakrabarti; The Red Market by Christopher Matthew Spencer; Hello Dad by Neha Lohia and Tirlok Malik; Immortality by Min Chul Choi; What We Deserve by Attila Lorant; Giving Mom the Talk by Vidhya Iyer and Kavi Ramachandran; The City Speaks by Hema Seth and Alok Seth; and the documentary Destination Oak Tree Road by Rohit Vyas, produced by 14-time Emmy Award-winning producer Janice Selinger.
Other selections included Mukunã: Aprendiz de Pajé by Rodrigo Sena of Brazil, Unspoken by Maciej Adamek of Poland, Cartapesta: Carnival of Fano by Andrea Lodovichetti of Italy, Two Steps by Nita Pednekar and Baba by Bushra Farook.
Music and Culture Add to Festival
Music and South Asian cultural performances were an integral part of the opening festival. AwesomeIFF also hosted the 25th anniversary celebration of DESIPINA & CO., featuring performances by Rohi Mirza Pandya, Samrat Chakrabarti, Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier and Andrew Guilarte.
The festival also premiered singer Bikram Singh’s music video Soni, a collaboration with DDS and Metz N Trix, filmed and directed by Akash.
The inaugural festival received support from Jatin Grover of Shree Entertainment and festival partner Sattie Persaud, founder of the World Heritage Cultural Center.
A broad group of sponsors and community supporters also backed the event, including Raj Soin, Ravi Uppal, Moin Ali, Rohit Motiani, Palak Patel, DJ Himanshu, Sunil Hali, The Indian Eye News Group, Radio Zindagi, Bhavya Gujarat, The South Asian Insider, David Zucker, My Jam Music Network, Sura Vie, Prashant Gupta, Roslyn Living, Khushboo Paleja and the SVA team.
“New York gave AwesomeIFF an incredible beginning, but this is only the first chapter,” Parikh said. “We want to discover more filmmakers, open more doors and build AwesomeIFF into a global platform where independent voices can be seen, heard and celebrated.”
AwesomeIFF is expected to announce its inaugural award winners next week. Details regarding submissions and dates for the festival’s second edition will be announced in the coming months.
Founded by Ritesh Parikh and produced by Awesome TV, AwesomeIFF is a New York-based international film festival built around the mission of connecting filmmakers and audiences through “Cinema Without Borders.”
