2 months ago
Mahesh Narayanan’s spy thriller Patriot, starring Mohanlal and Mammootty, 2 of nan biggest stars of Malayalam cinema, is group to unfastened this year’s Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA, April 23-26). The Great Shamsuddin Family, Anusha Rizvi’s long-awaited follow-up to Peepli Live, will adjacent nan festival.
Produced by Anto Joseph Company and Kichappu Films, Patriot is being billed arsenic nan biggest fund Malayalam movie ever pursuing a sprout that took spot crossed aggregate countries including India, Sri Lanka, nan UK, Azerbaijan and nan UAE. Set for worldwide merchandise connected April 23, nan movie reunites Mohanlal and Mammootty, 2 giants of nan Kerala-based movie industry, for nan first clip successful 18 years.
Narayanan antecedently directed endurance thriller Take Off, based connected nan existent communicative of nan rescue of a group of Indian nurses successful Iraq, and 2022 play Declaration, astir a Keralan migrant mates moving successful Delhi, which premiered successful title astatine Locarno movie festival.
Rizvi’s The Great Shamsuddin Family is simply a societal satire group complete nan people of a azygous time successful Delhi, pursuing a writer racing to meet a important deadline while managing her family’s escalating turmoil. The film’s ensemble formed includes Kritika Kamra, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sheeba Chaddha, Farida Jalal and Purab Kohli.
In total, IFFLA is screening 27 films, including 7 communicative features, 2 documentary features and 18 short films, pinch entries from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia, nan Philippines, Japan, France, U.S., UK, Netherlands, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
The communicative characteristic line-up besides includes aggregate debut films that person been winning acclaim connected nan show circuit, including Ghost School, from British-Pakistani filmmaker Seemab Gul, which premiered astatine Toronto past year; and Sand City, a Dhaka-set play from Bangladeshi filmmaker Mahde Hasan, which won nan Proxima Grand Prix astatine Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
IFFLA will besides surface Anuparna Roy’s Mumbai-set Songs Of Forgotten Trees, which won champion head successful nan Horizons conception of past year’s Venice movie festival; Tribeny Rai’s Shape Of Momo, astir a young female returning to her ancestral location successful a distant Himalayan village; and acheronian drama Lali, directed by Pakistan’s Sarmad Khoosat, which precocious premiered astatine Berlin movie festival.
The festival’s 2 characteristic documentaries see Ben Rekhi and Swetlana’s Breaking The Code, successful which Rekhi retraces his father’s way from a humble puerility successful recently independent India to his emergence arsenic a tech pioneer successful Silicon Valley, and Karla Murthy’s The Gas Station Attendant, a image of an migrant father’s travel from nan streets of India to nan realities of life successful America.
Meanwhile, nan short movie program, which this twelvemonth features activity by 13 female directors, includes nan world premiere of Nihaarika Negi’s Tenfa, produced by Storiculture which antecedently produced acclaimed IFFLA 2025 title Humans In The Loop.
Anu Rangachar, IFFLA’s Artistic Director, said: “Apart from our awesome galas, nan programme travels crossed South Asia, from Bangladesh’s meditative Sand City to Pakistan’s emerging caller activity pinch nan haunting Ghost School and nan visually arresting Lali.
“Alongside Indian stories for illustration Shape Of Momo and Venice-winner Songs Of Forgotten Trees, this year’s lineup reflects a singular surge of women filmmakers crossed nan subcontinent and nan diasporas, thing we are very proud to champion. Two friendly diaspora documentaries, Karla Murthy’s The Gas Station Attendant, and Ben Rekhi and Swetlana’s Breaking The Code, information retired nan action pinch profoundly individual tributes to their fathers.”
IFFLA besides hosts an manufacture platform, IFFLA Industry Days Forum, which intends to link South Asian creatives pinch Hollywood executives done panels, masterclasses, screenings and pitching sessions. The arena offers a $10,000 Pitch Competition Development Grant and IFFLA Connect, a programme that links projects from South Asian and diaspora filmmakers to cardinal manufacture professionals
Anjay Nagpal, IFFLA’s Executive Director, said: “Each twelvemonth IFFLA puts nan spotlight connected nan superb breadth and scope of South Asian storytelling. We look guardant to bringing different breathtaking group of filmmakers together pinch nan Los Angeles audiences and manufacture vets eager to spot their caller work. This curated relationship is what makes IFFLA specified a captious and unmissable event.”
IFFLA is scheduled to return spot April 23-26, 2026 astatine Landmark Sunset Hollywood.
