The Washington DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) has announced that this year's edition will be held from 16–30 January in a virtual format.
With 14 feature films, 18 short films, documentaries and panel discussions, the festival is open to everyone with a festival pass.
The opening film is Mohan Rai’s Nepali film One Night In Kathmandu while Vishal P Chaliha’s Sijou will be the closing film. The package also includes Dr Bijukumar Damodaran’s House Of Orange Tree, Aakash Prabhakar Freddie’s Piano, Kumar Chowdhury’s Fire Of Teak Flame Of Chinar, Chittaranjan Giri’s Awakash and Ruturaj Dhalgade’s Amidst My Own.
The documentary section includes Samarth Mahajan’s Borderland, Vinay Giridhar’s Emergence: Out Of The Shadows, Nicholas Lindner’s The Market, and Nandan’s Dreaming Of Words.
Aside from the screenings, the DCSAFF will also organize several live discussions, which includes a discussion with actor-director Ananth Mahadevan on his recent book, Once Upon a Prime Time, and a Republic Day special discussion with yesteryear actress Poonam Dhillon. A panel discussion on ‘ethics in documentary filmmaking’ has also been announced.
DCSAFF is organized by the DC South Asian Arts Council Inc (DCSAACI), a non-profit organization that provides opportunities to South Asian artistes to showcase their talents via films, dance, books and art.
The festival takes place annually in the US capital and showcases alternative cinema from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Tibet.