*OPENING IN 4 DAYS!    THE 12th ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES 2014 DISTINGUISHED JURY

HBO SPONSORING CASH GRANT
FOR GRAND JURY PRIZE-WINNING SHORT

Festival also announces a free program addition of
“Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown” devoted to the foods of the Punjab region,
as well as the live music program Rhythm Village with a line-up that features KCRW DJ Garth Trinidad.

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 3, 2014) – The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announced today its 2014 jury, as well as the program addition of a free screening of “Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown.” The popular outdoor musical program Rhythm Village, presented by Rukus Avenue, will once again take place this year at ArcLight Hollywood’s Courtyard with an exciting line-up of accomplished artists and KCRW DJ Garth Trinidad highlighting the centerpiece celebration on Thursday, April 10.
Juries will award prizes to films competing in the Narrative, Documentary, and Short Film categories, with HBO providing a Grand Jury cash grant for the short film winner. In addition, audiences will have a chance to cast their ballots for the same categories. The Audience Choice Award for Best Short is presented by NBCUniversal. Award winners will be announced during the festival’s Closing Night, just prior to the Los Angeles premiere of the culinary comedy JADOO.
“The jury for this year’s IFFLA is comprised of some of the most influential and successful tastemakers in the industry,” said IFFLA Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. “We are honored to have them involved with the festival this year, and appreciate their attention in judging each of the films we have very thoughtfully curated.”

The 2014 narrative film jurors are: Variety film journalist and educator David Chute, Head of Digital Development for Crackle and Sony Pictures Television John Orlando, and writer and prolific television actress Meera Simhan (Date Movie). The Best Documentary Award will be decided by award-winning writer, producer, and director Brian Knappenberger (The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, Scratch), film festival programmer Dilcia Barrera(Sundance, AFI FEST, LACMA), and producer Chris Salvaterra (Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck). Judging the short films are Senior Vice President of Post-Production at HBO Entertainment Gena Desclos, award-winning director and writer Kamal K.M. (I.D.),and Sundance and Palm Springs International ShortFest programmer Heidi Zwicker.
“We’re thrilled to welcome CNN and ‘Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown’ to the IFFLA family,” continued Jaisinghani. “Screening the premiere episode the same day as our closing film, JADOO, gives us a unique opportunity to celebrate Indian cuisine.”
The Emmy® award-winning Original Series “Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown” begins its third season on CNN, Sunday, April 13 at 9:00PM ET, with a look at the people, food, culture, and history of India’s Punjab region. This episode will screen at IFFLA on Sunday, April 13 at 2:30PM, free of admission, offering festival patrons an opportunity to see it before the rest of the country. In this episode, Bourdain dives into the ever-changing state of Punjab on a trip to Amritsar. He samples cuisine at the dhabas (roadside restaurants), a gurpurb festival (Sikh celebration), and a free community vegetarian restaurant, and also meets with local residents who give their perspectives on life in this sometimes contentious region of India that borders Pakistan. Tickets are free and can be reserved online at www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Now in its 7 year, Rukus Avenue presents Rhythm Village (April 10-12), IFFLA’s live music program that transforms ArcLight’s Courtyard into a vibrant space, entertaining movie-goers with a selection of live performances aimed at enhancing the IFFLA experience and celebrating the richness of Indian music, film and culture.
On April 10, soulful singer/songwriter Raghav and influential KCRW DJ Garth Trinidad will perform at TRU Hollywood. Tickets are $25.00 and available at www.tunestub.com/iffla. IFFLA Fest and All-Access pass holders receive complimentary admission.
Tickets and Passes
The 12th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) runs April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood, located at 6360 W. Sunset Blvd between Vine and Ivar. Festival Passes, Gala tickets, and individual screening tickets are currently on sale at www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Pre-fest on-site box office opens on Friday, April 4 at 6:00PM.
General admission: $14
Opening Night Gala: $75
Closing Night Gala & Awards Ceremony: $75
All-Access Pass: $200 (access to all screenings, Galas, and Awards Ceremony)
Fest pass: $100 (access to all screenings except Galas)

About IFFLA
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
2014 Jury by Category:
2014 NARRATIVE JURY
DAVID CHUTE began writing about movies for publications in the late 1970s. He has worked as a publicity writer and unit publicist, and has contributed freelance pieces to the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Premiere, LA Weekly, The Village Voice, and Asian Cult Cinema. His many contributions to Film Comment include two midsection supplements he guest-edited, “Made in Hong Kong” (May-June 1988) and “Bollywood Rising” (May-June, 2002). He reviews Bollywood movies regularly for Variety.
JOHN ORLANDO is Head of Digital Development for Crackle and Sony Pictures Television. He develops and oversees production on the franchises Cleaners, Chosen, and Playing It Forward, as well as the first Sony Pictures feature developed for digital distribution, Extraction.John began his career in entertainment as editor of a magazine for Disney Channel. He subsequently co-founded Threshold Digital, a media/technology company. Since then, John has worked as an executive at William Morris Agency, John Wells Productions, United Artists, and Circle of Confusion.
MEERA SIMHAN isan actress and writer currently in post-production on Miss India America, a feature she co-wrote with Ravi Kapoor. The film was partly inspired by her solo theatre show of the same title, which she wrote and performed. The show played in cities throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles, Chicago, Memphis, and New York. Simhan received her training as an actress at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and then went on to work in theatre and television in the UK for five years. Since returning to the U.S. she has had numerous recurring and guest starring roles in television, including Anger Management, New Girl, Touch, The Mentalist, Parenthood, House, Heroes, and Numbers. Her film credits includeHello I Must Be Going, which opened the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Raspberry Magic, The 5, Homecoming, and most recently Baby Steps, which is currently in production.

2014 DOCUMENTARY JURY
DILCIA BARRERA is a Short Film Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival and works with Elvis Mitchell’s curated film series for Film Independent at LACMA. Since 2007, she has worked for numerous film festivals, previously serving as Senior Programmer at AFI FEST, Programmer for The Philadelphia Film Festival, and a screener for the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program. A Los Angeles native, Dilcia has a Spanish/Portuguese Literature degree from UCLA.
BRIAN KNAPPENBERGER isan award-winning writer, producer, and director best known for the Sundance selection The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz. Other credits include Bloomberg Game Changers, Life After War, and Murder in Kyiv. His list of camera credits includes the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring environmental documentary 11th Hour and Sundance award-winning documentary Scratch.Brian makes movies for the Sundance Channel, PBS, the History Channel, National Geographic, and the Discovery Channel.
CHRIS SALVATERRA started his career in entertainment at Universal Pictures, where he oversaw the production of American Pie. Chris then joined Casey Silver Productions, where he shepherded Ladder 49 and Hidalgo. At Participant Media, he oversaw the production of films such as Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck, and Fast Food Nation. In 2010, Chris formed Katonah Pictures with partner Dan Abrams. Katonah produced Gone and 96 Minutes, and currently has numerous projects in development.

2014 SHORT FILM JURY
GENA DESCLOS is Senior Vice President, Post Production, at HBO Entertainment, overseeing post-production on all HBO original series, films, and mini-series. During her tenure, she has directly supervised such shows as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Deadwood, Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Entourage, and True Blood. Prior to HBO, Gena held various production, post-production, and producer titles for broadcast and cable networks, as well as film studios. She began her career at Lucas Film TV Ltd.
KAMAL K.M. isadirecting graduate of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India. Kamal has worked extensively with renowned cinematographer and director Santosh Sivan as an associate director and writer on Before the Rains and Tahaan. I.D., his directorial debut feature film, has screened at various film festivals, including Busan, Abu Dhabi, Marrakech, Rotterdam, Edinburgh, and Los Angeles Film Festival, garnering numerous awards. Kamal is currently preparing his next feature film with India’s brilliant rising young star Fahadh Faazil, produced by Sree Gokulam and Resul Pookutty.
HEIDI ZWICKER has been contributing to various Sundance Institute programs for the past nine years, beginning with the Feature Film Program, International. In 2010, she was hired as the programming department’s World Cinema Coordinator and began serving as an Associate Programmer for the festival in 2012. Additionally, Heidi has been a Programmer at Palm Springs International Shortfest since 2011. She also manages the Sundance Collection at UCLA.
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Jasmine Davis
Big Time PR
jasmine@bigtime-pr.com

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