THE INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES (IFFLA) ANNOUNCES
EXPANDED INDUSTRY DAYS AND THE 2025 JURY

IFFLA Launches New Initiative,  IFFLA Connect, to Link Emerging Projects with Leading Industry Professionals

Industry Days will Feature Top Executives from Netflix, Neon, Orion Pictures, Film Independent, Temple Hill Entertainment, and More

Launchpad: Pitch Competition Returns, Offering Five Finalists a Chance to Pitch their Projects

 

Los Angeles, CA (April 21, 2025) – The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is thrilled to announce the expansion of IFFLA Industry Days, a robust two-day forum set to take place on May 8 and May 9, 2025 at the Landmark Theatres Sunset in Los Angeles, CA. Passes are now available at indianfilmfestival.org.

IFFLA Industry Days fosters connections between South Asian film and TV creatives and industry leaders. Key executives from Neon, SAGIndie, Netflix, Temple Hill Entertainment, Orion Pictures, Film Independent, Jaya Entertainment, Gaumont Television, Macro, Color Creative, NBCUniversal, and more will participate in a series of IFFLA’s dynamic events, including the inaugural program titled IFFLA Connect, the Launchpad: Pitch Competition with a $10,000 award, panels and a masterclass. 

“Following the tremendous success of last year’s inaugural Industry Day, the expanded Industry Days offers a vital, curated space for visionary creatives from South Asia and its diasporas to connect, engage with prominent  industry leaders, forge and nurture meaningful relationships, and explore an eclectic slate of projects with universal appeal,” said Christina Marouda, Executive Director of IFFLA. “It’s a powerful reflection of how IFFLA has remained a cornerstone in Hollywood for over two decades, championing bold storytelling and emerging talent.”

A highlight of this year’s IFFLA Industry Days is the official launch of IFFLA Connect, a new initiative presented in collaboration with Cinévesture. This program will showcase a selection of South Asian film projects from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh under the banner CinéV-IFFLA, alongside a hand-picked slate of North American projects curated by IFFLA. Designed as a nexus for collaboration, IFFLA Connect links promising projects with prominent industry professionals, offering essential support in financing, production, casting, and beyond. The inaugural lineup of IFFLA Connect features both emerging voices and acclaimed filmmakers, including producer Vikramaditya Motwane alongside celebrated actress Radhika Apte, who makes her directorial debut with her project “Koyta,” director Nuhash Humayun’s “Moving Bangladesh,” Ravi Kapoor’s “Patel,” Deepak Rauniyar’s “The Taste of Dreams,” and many more.

“We’re delighted to introduce IFFLA Connect as part of this year’s Industry Days,” said Noopur Sinha, Festival Producer. “This initiative is about getting these 10 powerful, South Asian-led projects the access and backing they need from Hollywood industry partners to bring vital and diverse stories to the mainstream.”

The highly anticipated Launchpad: Pitch Competition returns. The competition will give five finalists a unique opportunity to present their projects in development to a diverse panel of industry executives and a live audience. The pre-selected projects will be presented by their creative teams and receive immediate feedback from the panelists, who will award one of the projects a $10,000 development grant.

IFFLA Industry Days features two timely panels – The Human Loop: Storytelling and Responsibility in the Age of AI and Global Vision: Specialty Studios and the Future of International Storytelling. The Human Loop will discuss the responsible use of technology in storytelling, featuring voices from the film and AI industries. Topics will include ethics, automation, and the invisible labor behind artificial intelligence. The Global Vision panel brings together influential professionals from the independent and specialty studio space to discuss how their companies are navigating the evolving challenges of today’s film industry. As the US market undergoes significant shifts, the conversation will explore the growing importance of international stories and voices in shaping the future of cinema.

As part of this panel slate, IFFLA will also spotlight the acclaimed stage adaptation of Life of Pi, now on its first U.S. tour. This panel explores the story’s journey from novel to Broadway, focusing on cultural impact, representation, and the artistry behind the production.

Additionally, a special masterclass titled “From Dhaka to Hollywood: The Genre-Bending World of Nuhash Humayun” will highlight one of the most exciting voices to emerge from South Asia’s new wave of filmmakers. In this masterclass, Nuhash Humayun (Moshari) will discuss the challenges of telling bold, local stories that resonate globally, the mechanics of working across industries and geographies, and what it means to make space for South Asian horror in the global film conversation.

IFFLA also announced the 2025 Feature Film and Short Film Jury.

Feature Jury:

  • Rajshri Deshpande – Acclaimed Indian actress known for Angry Indian Goddesses, Sexy Durga, BBC One’s McMafia, and Netflix’s Sacred Games and The Fame Game.
  • Priyanka Mattoo – Author of the upcoming memoir Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones (Knopf, June 2024) and writer-director adapting her short The Homestay into a feature for Likely Story.
  • Carla Renata – Film critic and journalist (a.k.a. The Curvy Critic), with bylines in Variety, The Wrap, The Cherry Picks, RogerEbert.com, and more.

Shorts  Jury

  • Maureen Bharoocha – Film and TV director (The Prank, Golden Arm, Grand Crew, Saved by the Bell), known for blending genres and telling stories that bridge cultures.
  • Kausar Mohammed – Actress and writer known for Sisters, Hulu’s Appendage, and The CW’s The Flash and 4400.
  • Sudeep Sharma – Sundance Film Festival Programmer specializing in documentary features.

Passes to access IFFLA Industry Days are now available. The general public can purchase

the Industry All-Access Pass ($220) for admission to all festival screenings, galas, and Industry Days programming. For those only interested in Industry Days programming, the Industry

Days Pass ($80) provides access to the masterclass, panels, pitch competition final, networking mixers, and any screenings attached to the panels or masterclass.

For more information and to secure a pass, please visit indianfilmfestival.org.

 

EVENT LINEUP

LAUNCHPAD: A PITCH COMPETITION

$10,000 Development Grant

Five selected finalists will have the chance to pitch their idea for a feature film or episodic series to a panel of distinguished, industry-expert judges, in front of a live audience. The judges will give immediate feedback, not only granting valuable advice to the contestants but also providing an educational experience to the gathered audience as to what goes into crafting an effective pitch. The pitch competition winner of the $10,000 development grant will be announced at the closing reception of IFFLA Industry Days.

Finalists:

  1. Alisha Bhowmik (A Place in Between)
  2. Vankshita Mishra (The Moth & the Fly)
  3. Venk Potula, Reena Patel, Bijon Imtiaz (Now & Then)
  4. Kiana Rawji (Adult Children)
  5. Minoti Vaishnav (The Secret Life of Samira Sen)

Pitch Competition Jury:

  • Aanch Khaneja, TV and Film Producer
  • Isaac Klausner, President of Production, Temple Hill Entertainment 
  • Santiago Marcos, Director of Development, Gaumont Television
  • Madhuri Shekar, Writer (Three Body Problem, Evil Eye)
  • Chisom Ude, Development Executive, Inflection Point Entertainment

Mentors:

  • Siobhan Flynn, Head of Production and Development, Ventanarosa 
  • Lakshmi Iyengar, Independent Producer and Film Executive
  • Kilian Kerwin, President, Jaya Entertainment
  • Roshan Sethi, Director, Writer, Producer (7 Days, A Nice Indian Boy, The Resident)

 

IFFLA CONNECT

Presented in collaboration with Cinévesture, the program will showcase a curated selection of South Asian projects from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, under the banner CinéV-IFFLA, alongside IFFLA’s own hand-picked projects from North America. Designed as a nexus for collaboration, IFFLA Connect links promising projects with key professionals, offering crucial support in financing, production, casting, and beyond.

CinéV-IFFLA Project Line-Up:

  1. Friends and Fascism (Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy, Director) – India, United States
    1. Writer: Shuchi Dwivedi. Producers: Shuchi Dwivedi, Aishwarya Sonar 
  2. Kafala (Nuhash Humayun, Director) – Bangladesh
  3. Koyta (Radhika Apte, Director) – India
    1. Producer: Vikramaditya Motwane
  4. Moving Bangladesh (Nuhash Humayun, Director) – Bangladesh
    1. Producers: Bijon Imtiaz, Patrick Mao-Huang, Arifur Rahman (Japan and Taiwan co-production)
  5. Papita (Aakash Bhatia, Director) – India
    1. Producers: Richa Chadha, Pushing Buttons Studio, Priyanka Bangia, Loud Mouth Films 
  6. Saracura (Leena Manimekalai, Director) – India
  7. Song of Jhinuk (Afronza Hossain, Director) – Bangladesh 
    1. Producer: Nina Lath Gupta
  8. The Taste of Dreams (Deepak Rauniyar, Director) – Nepal
    1. Producer: Nina Lath Gupta

IFFLA Project Line-Up:

  1. Mouna Tharangam (A Silent Wave) (Sachin Dheeraj, Director) – United States
    1. Producers: Karan Shah and Janani Vijayanathan 
  2. Patel (Ravi Kapoor, Director) – United States
    1. Producers: Ashim Ahuja, Megha Kadakia

 

MASTERCLASS 

From Dhaka to Hollywood: The Genre-Bending World of Nuhash Humayun

This is an intimate masterclass with Nuhash Humayun (Moshari), one of the most exciting voices to emerge from South Asia’s new wave of filmmakers. In this masterclass, Nuhash will reflect on the challenges of telling bold, local stories that resonate globally, the mechanics of working across industries and geographies, and what it means to make space for South Asian horror in the global film conversation. 

Moderator:  Bijon Imtiaz, Writer, Director, Producer

 

AI PANEL

The Human Loop: Storytelling and Responsibility in the Age of AI

This panel will discuss the responsible use of technology in storytelling, featuring voices from the film and AI industries. Topics will include ethics, automation, and the invisible labour behind artificial intelligence.

Panelists: 

  • Manjula Nadkarni, Co-founder and CEO of Yuni
  • Shrikanth (Shri) Narayanan, Vice President for Presidential Initiatives and University Professor, University of Southern California
  • Aranya Sahay, Filmmaker, Director (Humans in the Loop)

Moderator:  Senain Kheshgi, Director, Writer, Producer

 

SPECIALTY STUDIOS PANEL

Global Vision: Specialty Studios and the Future of International Storytelling

This panel brings together influential professionals from the independent and specialty studio space such as NEON, Focus Features, and Orion Pictures, to discuss how their companies are navigating the evolving challenges of today’s film industry. As the US market undergoes significant shifts, the conversation will explore the growing importance of international stories and voices in shaping the future of cinema.

Panelists:

  • Kate Gondwe, Manager, Acquisitions, Development & Production, Neon
  • Priyanka Kapoor, Creative Executive, Orion
  • Marisa Messina, Creative Executive of Production and Development, Focus Features

Moderator: Priya Desai, Producer, Prism Entertainment 

 

LIFE OF PI PANEL

Bringing Life of Pi to Life – From Page to Stage

This panel will explore the journey of bringing Life of Pi to the stage, from the novel’s global resonance to the groundbreaking puppetry, staging, and storytelling that have redefined what’s possible in live theater. Join special guests for a conversation about representation, adaptation and the cultural significance of seeing a South Asian-led narrative take center stage on Broadway and beyond.

Panelists include:

  • Savidu Geevaratne – Ensemble/u/s/ Pi
  • Sharayu Mahale – Rani/u/s Pi
  • Sorab Wadia – Father 

 

ONE-ON-ONE PROGRAM

Since its launch in 2004, IFFLA’s signature industry program One-on-One has played a vital role in connecting emerging South Asian filmmakers with respected players in the North American film industry. Held annually during the festival, the program facilitates a series of curated 15-minute meetings between participating filmmakers and top industry professionals from major studios, independent production and distribution companies, and talent agencies. Designed to foster meaningful connections and career advancement, One-on-One has led to numerous success stories, including alumni securing representation and launching new creative collaborations. 

Participants include: 

  • CAPE
  • Color Creative
  • Film Independent
  • Jaya Entertainment
  • MACRO
  • NBCU Launch
  • Netflix 
  • SAGindie
  • The Film Collaborative
  • The SB Initiative
  • Upgrade Productions

For more information and to secure a pass, please visit indianfilmfestival.org.

 

PRESS CONTACTS:

Kimberly Gutierrez
MPRM Communications
Los Angeles, USA
iffla@mprm.com

Abhishek Rana
Mumbai, India
arana@indianfilmfestival.org