The New York Indian Film Festival and Asian American Film Lab to Collaborate to Promote Diversity

NEW YORK - Feb. 1, 2015 - PRLog -- The Asian American Film Lab™ (“Film Lab”), and the New York Indian Film Festival (“NYIFF”), are excited to announce they will be collaborating to promote diversity in mainstream media!  NYIFF, an acclaimed festival now entering its fifteenth year, will now be adding a special screening of the top ten films of the Film Lab’s annual 72 Hour Shootout (the “Shootout”), the Film Lab’s well-known annual global filmmaking competition which promotes and supports diversity in mainstream media.  The Film Lab will be airing specially selected short films, selected by NYIFF, on its AAFL TV series, “Film Lab Presents.”

Aroon Shivdasani, the executive director of the Indo-American Arts Council, explained, “NYIFF's mission is to showcase and present both veteran and emerging filmmakers, as well as to build an awareness of South Asian films in North America.  We give filmmakers a platform to tell their stories and to educate mainstream America about the realities of other cultures.   To this end, we are delighted to partner with the Asian American Film Lab to give our filmmakers yet another platform to display their talent to an ever more diverse audience.”

Film Lab President and actor Jennifer Betit Yen commented, “We are so excited to be able to partner with NYIFF to not only encourage even more Indian filmmakers to participate in the Shootout but also to share the beautiful and brave films that their festival is so well known for via our production arm!”

The top 2014 Shootout films will next be screening at The Asians on Film Festival in Los Angeles in their West Coast premiere, which will take place on March 27 at 5pm. The Film Lab will open registration for the 2015 Shootout online at www.asianamericanfilmlab.com on March 1^st.  2015 judges include ABC’s Marci Phillips, playwright David Henry Hwang, Don Buchwald’s David Elliott, Bertha Bay-Sa Pan of Slew Pictures, and many more.  2015 filmmakers will compete for an array of prizes including mentoring prizes from major networks and the chance to screen in New York and Los Angeles and on the Film Lab’s series, Film Lab Presents!

About the New York Indian Film Festival

NYIFF is North America's oldest and most prestigious destination for feature films, documentaries, and shorts from and about the Indian subcontinent and a once-a-year opportunity to experience the rich and diverse film cultures of the Indian subcontinent through premiere  film screenings, discussions, industry panels, nightly networking parties, special events, an awards ceremony, and red carpet galas..NYIFF is run under the auspices of the Indo-American Arts Council (the “IAAC”).

The IAAC supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America,  as well as to facilitate artists from the Indian subcontinent to exhibit, perform and produce their work here. The IAAC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax- deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. For further information, please visit www.iaac.us

About Asian American Film Lab

The Film Lab began in 1998 as collaborative of New York-based filmmakers whose goals were to hone their craft and to share their knowledge, experience and resources. The membership has grown to comprise professionals, artists and other talented individuals who all share the common goal of creating great film and promoting Asian American filmmakers and other filmmakers of color, and the visibility of their stories and characters in film and television.  The Lab now runs monthly programs to promote gender and ethnic diversity in film and television.  The Asian American Film Lab and Jennifer Betit Yen created AAFL TV in August 2013 to address an explosion of interest in diverse, original creative content along with a corresponding rising level of dissatisfaction with mainstream programming for a lack of diversity and/or perpetuation of racial stereotypes.  AAFL TV partnered with NYCMedia, New York City’s flagship media station, to begin airing a television series entitled “Film Lab Presents,” consisting of 30 minute episodes of racially diverse original contemporary entertainment content in January 2014.

The Film Lab currently airs television series on NYCLife and CrossingsTV.    The Film Lab is run under the direction of President Jennifer Betit Yen.  Board members include Edwin Wong, James Kyson, Aaron Woolfolk, and Daryl King.  The Film Lab’s other programming includes filmmaking workshops with industry professionals, screenwriting contests, and film competitions, including the annual 72 Hour Film Shootout.  This annual competition, now in its eleventh year, has inspired hundreds of filmmakers by helping nascent talent take brave steps towards a filmmaking career.

The Asian American Film Lab is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. www.asianamericanfilmlab.com