The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) will highlight the acclaimed stage adaptation of “Life of Pi” throughout its expanded Industry Days program. The panel “Bringing Life of Pi to Life – From Page to Stage” will discover the journey of reworking Yann Martel’s beloved novel into groundbreaking theater that includes revolutionary puppetry and staging.
Cast members Savidu Geevaratne, Sharayu Mahale and Sorab Wadia will take part in a dialog about illustration, adaptation and the cultural significance of a South Asian-led narrative on Broadway and past.
The panel is a component of IFFLA’s sturdy two-day trade discussion board scheduled for May 8-9, 2025, at the Landmark Theatres Sunset in Los Angeles, which has been expanded following final yr’s profitable inaugural version.
“Following the tremendous success of last year’s inaugural Industry Day, the expanded Industry Days offers a vital, curated space for visionary creatives from South Asia and its diasporas to connect, engage with prominent industry leaders, forge and nurture meaningful relationships, and explore an eclectic slate of projects with universal appeal,” mentioned Christina Marouda, govt director of IFFLA.
A masterclass titled “From Dhaka to Hollywood: The Genre-Bending World of Nuhash Humayun” will spotlight one of South Asia’s rising filmmaking abilities. In this session, Humayun, recognized for his horror quick “Moshari,” will mirror on telling daring native tales that resonate globally, working throughout industries and geographies, and creating house for South Asian horror in world cinema.
A spotlight of this yr’s program is the launch of IFFLA Connect, a brand new initiative presented in collaboration with Cinévesture. The program will showcase South Asian movie initiatives from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh beneath the banner CinéV-IFFLA, alongside North American initiatives curated by IFFLA.
The South Asian lineup consists of “Friends and Fascism” from director Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy (India/U.S.); “Kafala” and “Moving Bangladesh” from Nuhash Humayun (Bangladesh); actor Radhika Apte‘s directorial debut “Koyta” (India), produced by Vikramaditya Motwane; “Papita” from director Aakash Bhatia (India) with producer Richa Chadha; Leena Manimekalai’s “Saracura” (India); Afronza Hossain’s “Song of Jhinuk” (Bangladesh); and Deepak Rauniyar’s “Taste of my Dreams” (Nepal).
The North American initiatives characteristic Sachin Dheeraj’s “Mouna Tharangam (A Silent Wave)” (U.S.) and Ravi Kapoor’s “Patel” (U.S.), bringing various South Asian diasporic voices to this system. “This initiative is about getting these powerful, South Asian-led projects the access and backing they need from Hollywood industry partners,” mentioned Noopur Sinha, pageant producer.
The Launchpad: Pitch Competition returns with finalists Alisha Bhowmik (“Untitled Kolkata Film”), Vankshita Mishra (“The Moth & the Fly”), the crew of Venk Potula, Reena Patel and Bijon Imtiaz (“Now & Then”), Kiana Rawji (“Adult Children”), and Minoti Vaishnav (“The Secret Life of Samira Sen”) presenting initiatives to trade executives for an opportunity to win a $10,000 growth grant. The competitors will likely be judged by a various panel together with TV and movie producer Aanch Khaneja, Temple Hill Entertainment’s Isaac Klausner, Gaumont Television’s Santiago Marcos, author Madhuri Shekar, and Inflection Point Entertainment’s Chisom Ude.
Industry Days will even characteristic panels on AI in storytelling and worldwide cinema’s future, with participation from executives representing Netflix, Neon, Orion Pictures, Film Independent, and different main gamers. The characteristic movie jury consists of acclaimed actor Rajshri Deshpande, writer Priyanka Mattoo, and movie critic Carla Renata, whereas the quick movie jury contains director Maureen Bharoocha, actor-writer Kausar Mohammed, and Sundance programmer Sudeep Sharma.
IFFLA runs May 6-10.
