New York’s South Asian International Film Festival has appointed Chayan Sarkar as its new president.
A filmmaker, entrepreneur and festival director, Sarkar is also the founder of the Indian International Film Festival of Queensland in Australia. He takes over from SAIFF founder Shilen Amin, who will step down as president, but will remain a member of the festival’s board of directors.
Sarkar joins SAIFF as the festival enters its 19th year as a leading film festival in the U.S. for new cinema from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, and within the Indian diaspora. In recent years, SAIFF has become increasingly influential as a platform for South Asian cinema, both in the U.S. and internationally. Fourteen of India’s submissions for the international feature film Oscar have had their North American premieres at the festival.
This year’s edition of SAIFF will take place from Dec. 7-11, with screenings presented both online and in-person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
Sarkar’s role as president is effective from Oct. 17. In this role, he will lead the festival and act as chair of the organization’s board of directors. For the 2022 edition of SAIFF, Sarkar will also contribute to the festival’s programming, with the support of Galen Rosenthal, SAIFF’s former program director and current programming chair.
“I’m thrilled to welcome SAIFF’s new president Chayan Sarkar,” said Amin. “Chayan is an immensely talented, experienced and thoughtful film executive. As the festival enters this new chapter, I look forward to supporting him as he carries out his long-term vision for the organization, growing the festival’s impact and continuing to nurture ties between South Asian filmmakers and the film industry in the U.S. and internationally.”
Sarkar added: “I am truly honored and humbled to be appointed President of SAIFF. I have been aware of the quality and strength of this particular film festival for a long time. It is a huge responsibility for me to take this festival to its fullest extent. It is also a unique opportunity for me to recognize and nurture talented filmmakers of South Asian background and beyond in New York City, promoting quality content with a strong focus on diversity. I will be actively reaching out to global filmmakers and producers, studios, film festivals, and actors with similar cinematic goals, and endeavor to include them in our mission to support artistic outputand great talent, independent cultural expressions in cinema.”
Elsewhere, Amin plans to launch a new film sales and distribution company with a focus on South Asian cinema. The company, which will launch later this year, aims to distribute up to six films per year, both theatrically and via streaming and other ancillary platforms. He will source projects through festivals and through his extensive network of film industry contacts across India and South Asia.
(Pictured, L-R: Chayan Sarkar, Shilen Amin)