3rd edition of New Jersey Indian International Film Festival goes virtual from November 27 to 29  

The Pandemic has not deterred the intention and mantra of getting diverse kinds of cinema from across the world to film lovers. The 3rd edition of the New Jersey Indian International Film Festival (NJIIFF) will be held virtually from November 27th to November 29th with 52 films including short, documentary and feature films participating in this festival which has gained popularity within two years of its inception.

Elaborating on the festival programme, NJIIFF director Hemant M. Pandya said, “The ever growing demand for good content is the motivation for the new filmmakers to venture into filmmaking. New Jersey Indian International Film Festival is the perfect platform for all such filmmakers to showcase their talent, seek market & supply to the right kind of network.”

The more diverse the content, more is the demand. This year, NJIIFF has selected almost 52 films in different categories and from around 12 countries.

Pandya further adds, “NJIIFF aims to connect filmmakers with distributors, networks and potential investors, and also to create market for Indie films.”

He also tells the reason for the virtual festival which has become a norm in 2020. Pandya said, “Due to the pandemic restrictions many film festivals closed their operations, but we are standing by our commitment and this year we are holding a virtual film festival.”

Some of the interesting films selected are Suraj Sharma and Shweta Tripathi starrer Illegal directed by Danish Renzu whose film Half Widow had won the best film in the first edition of NJIIFF.  The film is a story of an immigrant who drops out of school to support his family back in India.

Tindey, a film directed by Seema Desai, is an interesting film about a man who is leading a boring married life. The film stars Rajesh Sharma and Adah Sharma who is a superstar in South India. Mita Vashith's starrer Kasaai is another promising entry at the festival. The festival will also screen Level 13 that has Anup Soni of Crime Patrol fame and Sandhya Mridul in it.

Another interesting film is Ekaant, a lesbian love story directed by Swapnil Pagare which stars well known Marathi actress Sukanya Kulkarni. Shilpa Krishnan Shukla's Singaporean entry Kathaath@8 is the first of its kind anthology of 8 films shot in 9 days in 8 different Indian languages.

Some good films from France, Iran and USA also feature on the list. Following is the link for the audience to watch the entire catalogue of selected movies this year.