Hey everyone! Yesterday was the first day of the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival. It should be noted off the bat that the administration and staff of this incredible festival is 100% volunteer! Remember that this is the festival that brought us “Slumdog Millionaire,” so you can see what a hell of a lot of passionate elbow grease can bring!
So, yesterday Nandini and I got all dolled-up and headed off to the gala opening night event at the Paris Theatre on 58th, a venerated spot right off Central Park. I used to go to the Paris a lot when I lived in NYC, so it was a thrill to be a part of something so grand in one of my old haunts.
We walked the red carpet and got our picture taken, even though we’re just a tiny, documentary film. The fest has been lovely with us, treating us and our “little film that could” with great respect. 
Next, we handed out a few postcards and Nandini reconnected with a lot of folks she hasn’t seen in a while. One was her cousin who, after the fest, is off to Kolkata to make her second film. I’m already jealous… After the schmoozing we saw the opening night film, “Today’s Special,” which starred Daily Show regular Assif Mandvi. It was very funny and poignant.
I forgot to mention that the evening was opened by a beautiful singer who first sang a traditional Indian song, and then launched into “America The Beautiful.” Both songs were backed by the classic Indian drone of an electronic tanpura. Gorgeous. After each individual song she then did a kind of mashup of the two. It was beautiful and the audience was entranced. It was the perfect way to open the festival. Simple, beautiful.
You can follow our festival progress on twitter as well at @lextopia. I’m using hashtags #SomaGirls and #miaac.
Now off to Day 2!
