LA’s Indian Film Fest Names 2011 Award Winners; Honor Sony Pictures TV and PVR Cinema Execs

After six days at the ArcLight Hollywood, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, which brings films from the robust Indian film industry to Los Angeles, announced their 2011 winners. The awards ceremony included a special tribute to Industry Leadership Award winners Andy Kaplan, President of Sony Pictures Television Networks, Multi Screen Media CEO Manjit Singh, and PVR Cinemas’ Managing Director Ajay Biliji. Commenting on this year’s edition, IFFLA Executive Director Christina Marouda said, “This year’s festival broke previous year’s attendance proving there is a major audience fan base for Indian cinema in the U.S. Our audiences were captivated by the diversity of our offerings. We are thrilled at the enormous response to this year’s program. We look forward to celebrating our momentous 10th year in 2012 in Los Angeles and have already begun preparations.”

This year’s complete list of winners:

GRAND JURY AWARDS:

Best Narrative Feature:
“Udaan,” Vikramaditya Motwane

Best Documentary Feature:
“I Am,” Sonali Gulati

Honorable Mention:
“Ganish Boy Wonder,” Srinivas Krishna

Best Short Film:
“The Eclipse of Taregna,” Rakesh Chaudhary

Honorable Mention:
Shlok Sharma

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Narrative Feature:
“I Am Kalam,” Nila Madhab Panda

Documentary:
“Big in Bollywood,” Kenny Meehan, Bill Bowles

Short:
“Tubelight’s Moon” (Tubelight Ka Chand), Shlok Sharma