Mumbai: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. extended its commitment to its patronge of the arts by announcing the The Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival 2007 to be held from November 7-11 at prestigious venues across Manhattan. Being consistent with their aim of facilitating development in areas that not do not generally get corporate support the MIAAC Film Festival will showcase South Asian features, documentaries and shorts.

Message from Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra Group, - 'The Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival is yet another way of strengthening our commitment to nurture the arts. With emphasis on cinema of and by the South Asian Diaspora, this festival has carved out a unique niche for itself and we are proud be at the forefront of this international initiative.'

Mira Nair, noted filmmaker and member of IAAC’s Advisory Board whose films such as ‘The Namesake’ and ‘Monsoon Wedding’ have premiered at the Film Festival conveys, 'The Indo-American Arts Council has given us a home for our work, our stories and our voices. It is a place for us to fly into the world. And like I always believe, if we don‘t tell our own stories, no one else will.'

Fueled by independent artistic expression, the 50 films selected this year include stories that range from social issues to gritty suspense dramas. This year’s Festival kicks off with the much awaited red-carpet screening of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’, the first Indian co-production by Sony Pictures. Highlights include: ‘Gandhi, My Father’ directed by Feroze Abbas Khan, Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘The Last Lear’ and ‘Dosar’, and Pan Nalin’s ‘Valley of Flowers’. This year’s selection continues to celebrate the Festiva l’s tradition for excellence and diversity with powerful performances and new cinematic expression by cutting-edge Indian directors. For a complete line up of films and synopsis, please visit the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council website at http://miaacfilmfest.org.

For the 2007 MIAAC Film Festival, 50 films were selected including 12 world premieres, 11 US premieres and 15 New York premieres. The Festival includes films from several countries including India, Kuwait, France, United Kingdom, USA and Canada. 'We are struck by the sheer diversity of independent film in this year’s festival. The range of artistic expression this year – both directorial and in performances – gives a special quality to the films presented. The films truly uncover the aesthetic experimentation and complex storytelling that is at the heart of emerging independent filmmaking at the moment,' says Pooja Kohli Taneja, Festival Director.

Other highlights include: the ‘AIDS JaaGo Project’ that presents four short dramatic films by cutting-edge Indian directors Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Santosh Sivan and Farhan Akhtar that aim to dismantle myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS.

The MIAAC Film Festival 2007 is a tribute to the abundance of compelling new voices and creative spirit in independent filmmaking and is proud to present some of the most promising new filmmakers from India and the Indian subcontinent to the audiences in the U.S.

Key Highlights from the MIACC Festival:

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya [November 7^th, 6PM - AMC Loews 42nd Street] – Starring Ranbhir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, based on White Nights which is a short story written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is the first Indian Co-production with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear [November 11^th, 9PM – AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2] – Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal. US premiere screening after Toronto Film Festival 2007, received standing ovation and critical acclaim.

Buddhadev Dasgupta’s The Voyeurs (Ami, Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala) [November 10^th, 2:30 PM –AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2 and November 11th, 2:30 PM – Newport Mall Theatre] - Starring Amitav Bhattacharya, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Sameera Reddy. US premiere screening after its critical acclaim at Toronto Film Festival 2007.

Pan Nalin’s Valley of Flowers [November 9th, 6PM – AMC Loews 19^th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2 and November 10th, 6PM – Newport Mall Theatre] - Starring Milind Soman, Mylene Jampanoi, Naseeruddin Shah. It won the Jury Award for Best Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival 2007. This is a NY premiere screening for this film.

Mridul Toolsidass & Vinay Subramanian’s Missed Call [November 8th, 8:30 PM – Newport Mall Theatre and November 10th, 6PM – AMC Loews 19^th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2]. NY premiere screening after Cannes 2007.

Arindam Nandy’s Via Darjeeling [November 8^th, 6PM – Newport Mall Theatre and November 10th, 8:30 PM – AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2] – Starring Kay Kay Menon, Parvin Dabas, Vinay Pathak and Shonali Misra. This is a US premiere screening after the Osian Film Festival 2007.

Mira Nair presents AIDS JaaGo [November 9^th, 8:30 PM – Newport Mall Theatre and November 11th, 2:30 PM – AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 2]– 4 shorts films directed by Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Farhan Akhtar and Santosh Sivan. US Premiere after Toronto Film Festival 2007.

Teri McLuhan’s The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace [November 10th, 2:30 PM - AMC Loews 19th Street & Broadway, Theatre 1 and November 11th, 12:30 PM – Newport Mall Theatre] - twenty years in the making, "The Frontier Gandhi" is a spiritual thriller about a Muslim peacemaker, Badshah Khan. This is the world premiere for this feature documentary.

The 7^th Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival runs November 7-11 at prestigious venues across Manhattan, such as Loews Times Square, Madame Tussaud’s, Asia Society, and Loews Broadway. More information on ticket sales, film selections, and schedule can be found at www.iaac.us/seventh_film_festival2007. Project dossiers can be requested by writing to [email protected]

Please visit www.iaac.us to purchase Festival Tickets.

About the Mahindra Group

The US $6 billion Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top three tractor manufacturers in the world. Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector has recently won the Japan quality Medal, the only tractor company worldwide to be bestowed this honour. It also holds the distinction of being the only tractor company worldwide to win the Deming Prize. Mahindra is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India. It made a milestone entry into the passenger car segment with Logan, a product of its JV with Renault SA. The Group has a leading presence in key sectors of the Indian economy, including the financial services (Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd, Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd., Mahindra Rural Housing Ltd.), trade and logistics (Mahindra Intertrade Ltd., Mahindra Steel Service Ltd., Mahindra Middleeast Electrical Steel Service Centre FZE, Mahindra Logistics) automotive components, information technology (Tech Mahindra, Bristlecone), and infrastructure development (Mahindra GESCO, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd., Mahindra World City. With over 62 years of manufacturing experience, the Mahindra Group has built a strong base in technology, engineering, marketing and distribution which are key in its evolution as a customer-centric organization and has recently announced the setting up its retail venture, Mahindra Retail. The Group employs over 40,000 people and has several state-of-the-art facilities in India and overseas. The Mahindra Group has ambitious global aspirations and has a presence in five continents. Mahindra products are today available in every continent except Antarctica. M&M has one tractor manufacturing plant in China, three assembly plants in the United States and one at Brisbane, Australia. It has made strategic acquisitions across the globe including Stokes Forgings (UK), Jeco Holding AG (Germany) and Schoneweiss & Co GmbH (Germany). Its global subsidiaries include Mahindra Europe Srl. based in Italy, Mahindra USA Inc. and Mahindra South Africa. M&M has entered into partnerships with international companies like Renault SA, France, and International Truck and Engine Corporation, USA. Forbes has ranked the Mahindra Group in its Top 200 list of the World’s Most Reputable Companies and in the Top 10 list of Most Reputable Indian companies. Mahindra has recently been honoured with the Bombay Chamber Good Corporate Citizen Award for 2006-07.

About the Indo-American Arts Council: (www.iaac.us)

The Indo-American Arts Council was established in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC is committed to building an awareness of Indian artistic disciplines in North America, and does so through a wide, variety of activities and events, including their successful and acclaimed annual Film Festival.