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Ritesh Parikh, founder of Awesome TV, AwesomeIFF and AWSM Time, launched the inaugural Awesome International Film Festival on August 14 at the SVA Theatre in New York City. The event drew more than 700 attendees for a celebration of international cinema, music and culture.
Built around Parikh’s vision of “Cinema Without Borders,” AwesomeIFF received 88 film submissions from 18 countries in its first year. The festival showcased short films, AI-generated films, documentaries, music videos and feature films across four screening blocks. The screenings were followed by a red-carpet event and the New York premiere of “Batwara 1947,” according to a statement from AwesomeIFF.
“AwesomeIFF is about creating a home for storytellers, regardless of where they come from, what language they speak or the size of their production,” said Parikh. “Through Awesome TV, AWSM Time and now AwesomeIFF, my goal is to build platforms that connect people through stories. Seeing filmmakers from 18 countries and more than 700 people come together in New York showed us what ‘Cinema Without Borders’ can become.”
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan, “Batwara 1947” stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol and Ali Fazal, with music composed by A. R. Rahman. Set against the backdrop of the Partition of India, the film was screened at AwesomeIFF on the same day it opened theatrically in India and on more than 1,000 screens worldwide.
AwesomeIFF presented the film in association with Aamir Khan Productions, AA Films and Shree Entertainment. The festival also acknowledged Anil Thadani and Damani of AA Films, Jatin Grover of Shree Entertainment, and Sunil Hali for their support.
The festival’s official selections featured filmmakers and stories from around the world in categories including feature films, short films, AI films, student films and music videos, the statement said.
Films screened at the festival included “The Man and The Monkey” by Korok Murmu, Nilankar Mukhopadhyay and Samrat Chakrabarti of the United States; “The Red Market” by Christopher Matthew Spencer of the United States; “Hello Dad” by Neha Lohia and Tirlok Malik of the United States; “Immortality” by Min Chul Choi of South Korea; and “What We Deserve” by Attila Lorant of Hungary.
Other selections included “Giving Mom the Talk” by Vidhya Iyer and Kavi Ramachandran of the United States; “The City Speaks” by Hema Seth and Alok Seth of India; and the documentary “Destination Oak Tree Road” by Rohit Vyas of the United States. The documentary was produced by 14-time Emmy Award-winning producer Janice Selinger.
Additional official selections in the 2026 program included “Mukunã: Aprendiz de Pajé” by Rodrigo Sena of Brazil; “Unspoken” by Maciej Adamek of Poland; “Cartapesta: Carnival of Fano” by Andrea Lodovichetti of Italy; “Two Steps” by Nita Pednekar of the United States; and “Baba” by Bushra Farook of the United States.
Music and South Asian cultural performances were also featured in the inaugural program. AwesomeIFF hosted a celebration marking the 25th anniversary of DESIPINA & CO., featuring Rohi Mirza Pandya, Samrat Chakrabarti, Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier and Andrew Guilarte.
The program also included the festival premiere of Bikram Singh’s music video “Soni,” a collaboration with DDS and Metz N Trix. The video was filmed and directed by Akash.
The inaugural festival was supported by Jatin Grover of Shree Entertainment and festival partner Sattie Persaud, founder of the World Heritage Cultural Center.
Sponsors and supporters included Raj Soin, Ravi Uppal, Moin Ali, Rohit Motiani, Palak Patel, DJ Himanshu, Sunil Hali, The Indian Eye News Group, Radio Zindagi, Bhavya Gujarat, The South Asian Insider, David Zucker, My Jam Music Network, Sura Vie, Prashant Gupta, Roslyn Living, Khushboo Paleja and the SVA team.
“New York gave AwesomeIFF an incredible beginning, but this is only the first chapter,” Parikh said. “We want to discover more filmmakers, open more doors and build AwesomeIFF into a global platform where independent voices can be seen, heard and celebrated.”
