A Decade Celebrating Indian Film Festival of Houston

The Indian Film Festival has turned 10 years old. In its decade of showcasing Indian cinema to the Houston community, the festival Founder and Executive Director Sutapa Ghosh has brought diverse entertainment to Houston’s diverse population.

Audiences were treated to screenings, entertainment, food, and an opportunity to mingle with film directors and actors during the three-day event. Hosted at the Asia Society on October 4th and 5th 2018, three films were featured that spoke to the advancement of Indian cinema and its ever-expanding global reach. Opening Night’s Chief Guest, Deputy Consul General of India Surendra Adhana, greeted moviegoers and congratulated Ghosh for the milestone anniversary.

Director Kanwaljit Sethi presented his feature film on opening night, entitled Once Again, then answered questions. A short film, Sound Proof, and documentary, Shalom Bollywood, followed.

Films on the second night were shorts. Screenings included Shame, directed by Anusha Bose who answered questions about the unusual plot, followed by the feature film, The Music Teacher which was presented by Sartak Dasgupta who came with the lead actor, Amrita Bagchi. The documentary, Purdah, ended the evening’s showings.

The highlight of the Festival was the presentation of awards at the Hotel ZaZa in Memorial City. Master of Ceremonies Jose Grinan, and Mistress of Ceremonies, Deborah Duncan introduced filmmakers and other guests. Sutapa Ghosh gave remarks about how pleased she was that the Indian Film Festival of Houston was celebrating its 10th anniversary and remarked about plans for the future.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was the Chief Guest, who congratulated the Indian Film Festival of Houston for its 10th Anniversary and talked about his deep appreciation for the festival’s sharing wonderful Indian cinema and culture with the city’s residents. He concluded his talk by presenting a proclamation to Festival Director Sutapa Ghosh, marking October 4th, 2018, as Indian Film Festival of Houston Day.

Dr. Renu Khator, Chancellor and President of University of Houston, received the Award of Excellence. She arrived in the city in 2008, just as the film festival began, and has been one of its strong supporters. She spoke of the importance of the annual event as a way of sharing Indian culture with diverse audiences.

Awards for the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Houston included Best Feature Film for Once Again, directed by Kanwaljit Sethi, Best Short Film for Shame, directed by Anusha Bose, Best Documentary Film for Shalom Bollywood, directed by Danny Ben-Moshe, and a Special Recognition Award for actress Amrita Bagchi.

Photos By Wilberth Ramirez