The 5th Indic Film Utsav Celebrated Enormous Success with the 24/7 OTT + In-Person Theatrical Screenings in Dallas.
Indica Pictures, now renamed as Center for Indic Films, is proud to announce the overwhelming success of the 5th Indic Film Utsav, held from November 14-17, 2024. This year’s festival featured both an OTT platform and in-person theatrical screenings of 3 yet to be released award-winning films at the Galaxy Theatres in Dallas, offering an exceptional viewing experience to a global audience and the local Indian diaspora in the Dallas Region.
The festival presented a diverse lineup of 45 feature films, documentaries, and short films in 11 different languages, showcasing the rich storytelling traditions of Indian cinema. The winning films across all categories captivated audiences with their unique narratives and powerful performances.
Our esteemed 2024 Jury Board of the 5th Indic Film Utsav announced the JURY AWARD winners LIVE at the Galaxy Theatre @ Grandscape.
Our 2024 Jury Board-
– Sri V N Aditya is a passionate filmmaker and screenwriter with many hits who has been a Jury Convenor and Member at prestigious Indian festivals including IFFI.
– Sri Hari Charan Prasad is a well-known producer. He produced Joyland that was nominated to the Oscars in 2022. He also produced Kamli that won the NFDC National Best Feature Award in 2006.
– Sri Renata Keller is an independent filmmaker formerly CEO and Art Director of Evolve, the German philosophical magazine.
– Sri Aditya Patwardhan is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker whose filmography includes Pink Belt, a film we screened at our event in Dallas.
Awards and Honors:
Best Feature Film Jury Award went to the Kannada film ALL INDIA RADIO directed by S Rangaswamy. A God, its folklore, the humanity, and innocence of Madappa is captured beautifully in the film.
SHYAMCHI AAI by Sujay Dahake won the Best Feature Film Jury Award (Special Mention). Shyamchi Aai is the 2024 re-telling of social worker and freedom fighter Sane Guruji’s autobiographical novel.
Best Documentary Film Jury Award went to the RISK TAKERS, a Hindi language film directed by Siddhesh Pandey. Risk Takers follows the lives of Mumbai’s lowest but most essential citizens and the hope they provide.
The Bengali film DEVOTION – MUSIC OF LOVE AND LOSS (BAANDAGI) by Siddhartha Chakravarty won the Best Documentary (Special Mention). The documentary traces the cultural significance Esraj one of the oldest classical musical instruments of India.
Best Short Film – Jury Award went to WEAVE OF CULTURE Santhosh Ram Mavuri’s Telugu language short film. The film is about a young man who sets aside his dreams to keep his mother’s promise.
Based on audience polling, the Best Audience Choice Award (Feature Film) went to Karma, a gritty Malayalam language film by Abhilash S, about how doubts about an individual can lead to different conclusions. Best Audience Choice Award (Documentary) went to Amyth Patkar for his Marathi-language The Tradition (Pratha) about a unique Konkan tradition. The Best Audience Choice Award (Short Film) went to Shubham Joshi, for Paanthal a Marathi film.
Pushing the envelope further, the 5th Indic Film Utsav added in-theater live screenings as an additional layer on top of the OTT model.
On November 16th, the Telugu-language indie film from Movie Makers, GANDHI THATHA CHETTU (GANDHI AND THE GRANDFATHER TREE) was screened to a full audience. Sesha Sindhu Rao, the producer of the film participated in a Q&A session after the screening.
On November 17th, the Hindi-language detox film Outhouse, starring Sharmila Tagore and Dr Mohan Agashe, both of whom are well-known actors with incredible celebrity recognition, was screened to a 100% capacity theater. Pink Belt is an English Documentary directed by award-winning director John McCrite was screened on November 17th too. Aditya Patwardhan was present for a Q&A with the audience.
All screenings were held at the Galaxy Theatre, a top-notch theater in Dallas. Attendees mingled in the reception held in the theatre lounge and took pictures by the step-and-repeat. After the screenings, Center for Indic Films also announced special awards.
Teenager Sukriti Bandreddi, the lead actor in GANDHI THATHA CHETTU, received the INDICA Best Upcoming Actress. Also, Music Director Ree received the INDICA Best Original Music Award.
Dr Mohan Agashe, distinguished Indian actor, thespian, psychiatrist, and academician, renowned for his versatile performances in both mainstream and parallel cinema as well as theatre, was awarded the INDICA Special Achievement Award for OUTHOUSE. A video message from Dr Agashe was played to which the audience gave a standing ovation.
The in-person theatrical screenings in Dallas received an enormous response from the local Indian diaspora, filling the theaters with enthusiastic cinephiles who cherished the opportunity to celebrate their cultural heritage through film. The atmosphere was electric as attendees engaged with filmmakers and fellow film enthusiasts, creating a vibrant and dynamic community experience.
“We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support and participation from our audiences, both online and in-person,” said Danji Thotapalli, Chief Curator and Festival Director of Indica Pictures. “We brought a new film festival to Dallas and showed a new way to do it. The 5th Indic Film Utsav that included theatrical screenings, receptions, and a roundtable pitching session were well attended and created a truly positive buzz for Indica. The success of this year’s festival is a testament to the enduring appeal of Indian cinema and the power of storytelling to bring people together. We are encouraged to look at Dallas for our future events!”
Center for Indic Films remains committed to promoting Indian cinema and culture through film festivals and events, providing a platform for unique voices and compelling narratives that resonate with audiences worldwide.
For more information about the 5th Indic Film Utsav, please visit https://cif.indica.in.
