The 13th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) announced an exclusive kick-off screening of MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN followed by a special Q&A on April 10, 2013. In attendance will be the film’s acclaimed director Deepa Mehta, award-winning writer of the novel Salman Rushdie who also adapted the screenplay, producer David Hamilton, cast members Sarita Choudhury and Samrat Chakrabarti, plus other special guests. Paladin and 108 Media will be officially releasing MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN in major U.S. cities starting in New York City on April 26.
Deepa Mehta returns to NYIFF after her Oscar-nominated film WATER opened the film festival in 2005. “We have had a very long and creatively fruitful relationship with NYIFF. FIRE, the very first film in the elemental Trilogy was shown there and almost every film I have made since,” says Mehta. “Aroon Shivdasani was in fact responsible for the creation of MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN. She brought Salman to the premiere screening of WATER in New York and that began a close relationship with Salman, which culminated in the very first film adaptation of any of his novels. It is enormously pleasing for me to be once again collaborating with NYIFF and bringing to their extremely discerning audience MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN, a film that I have been dreaming of doing since I first read the book over 30 years ago.”
With this latest masterpiece, MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN, Mehta tantalizes audiences with lush visuals and a magical, wide-spanning story. Two babies, born within moments of India proclaiming Independence from Britain, are switched at birth and are forever marked by history.
Long-time supporter of NYIFF, Salman Rushdie also narrates the film. “I’m delighted the film of MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN is to be given this preview screening in New York by my old friends at NYIFF,” says Rushdie. “I look forward to a great evening with you all!”
MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN has played at festivals worldwide to much critical acclaim. This star-studded event is open only to press and members of the film festival’s presenting organization, the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC). Widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally, IAAC’s NYIFF will announce the full line-up of screenings and events for the festival by March 22.
Celebrating its 13th year, NYIFF will run April 30 to May 4.
About the film:
Paladin and 108 Media present
MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN
148 minutes
Director: Deepa Mehta
Writer: Salman Rushdie
Executive Producers: Deepa Mehta, Dilip Mehta, Salman Rushdie, Doug Mankoff, Andrew Spaulding, Steven Silver, Neil Tabatznik, Elizabeth Karlsen, David Hamilton, Stephen Woolley
Producer: David Hamilton
Cast: Satya Bhabha, Shahana Goswami, Rajat Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran, Siddharth, Ronit Roy, Rahul Bose, Anita Majumdar, Zaib Shaikh, Anupam Kher
Logline: Born in the hour of India’s freedom. Handcuffed to history.
Release Date: April 26 in NY, additional cities in May
English and Urdu with English subtitles
source: New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF)