HOME > FILM > FESTIVALS FEBRUARY 19, 2020 8:00AM PT Indian Film Festival Los Angeles to Open With Imtiaz Ali Evening By SHALINI DORE CREDIT: AMAN DHILLON The Indian Film Festival Los Angeles will kick off not with a new film, but what is billed as An Evening With Imtiaz Ali, the writer-director of such films as “Jab We Met” and “Rockstar.” He will be joined for an onstage conversation with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. A screening of Ali’s 2014 film “Highway” will then unspool. The opening night gala presentation takes place April 1 at ArcLight Hollywood. “The MisEducation of Bindu,” directed by Prarthana Mohan and produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, will close the festival on April 5. In between, a bevy of international film festival hits from Tribeca and SXSW to Venice and Toronto will screen including Bhaskar Hazarika’s “Aamis,” Arati Kadav’s “Cargo,” Alankrita Shrivastava’s “Dolly Kitty and Those Twinkling Stars,” Gitanjali Rao’s animated “Bombay Rose” and Geetu Mohandas’ Malayalam-language “Moothoon.” There will also be an array of documentaries and shorts playing during the festival, which runs April 1-5 at Regal L.A. Live. “This year’s lineup exemplifies the boundless creativity on display in the Indian independent film community and its diaspora” said Mike Dougherty, IFFLA’s director of programming. “Visitors to IFFLA this year have their choice of animation, sci- fi/fantasy, romance, documentary, comedy, thriller and more, in films that in typical IFFLA fashion deal with hard-hitting political themes, and that challenge as well as entertain. I couldn’t be more proud of the films we’re presenting.” /.