The 5th Annual ‘DFW SAFF, Presented by Toyota,’ will take place from May 16th to 19th at various locations, ranging from Victory Park to Addison to the Design District in Dallas, Texas.
The opening night film will premiere at the Hoglund Foundation Theater inside the Perot Museum of Nature and Science on Thursday, May 16th, followed by a red carpet and VIP reception at the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall (4th floor of the Perot Museum). Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s curated line-up will be showcased at the AMC Village on the Parkway 9 in Addison. The weekend will include panel discussions with attending filmmakers from all over South Asia and nightly networking parties. The grand finale (closing night party) will be held at the Design District’s newest event space, Center Stage.
In its 5th year, ‘DFW SAFF, Presented by Toyota,’ will begin awarding noteworthy films at the festival through votes by an esteemed jury and the general public. The theme of this year’s festival is FIVE YEARS, FIVE AWARDS, and the categories will include: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Short/Documentary. Awards will be presented by Toyota during the closing night party on Sunday, May 19th.
“Toyota has long believed in storytelling that celebrates cultural diversity,” said Vinay Shahani, Vice President, Integrated Marketing Operations, Toyota Motor North America. “It’s an exciting time for the South Asian community in the Greater Dallas Metroplex, so to be able to support the 5th annual SAFF is a great honor. We look forward to an inspiring and educational festival and to the continued growth of the community at large.”
JINGO Media, a Dallas and NYC-based public relations and events management boutique firm, produces the annual festival of South Asian independent cinema in North Texas. The fifth iteration of the festival boasts two dozen curated shorts, documentaries and feature films that focus on issues affecting the South Asian (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan, the Maldives) sub-continent, as well as explore the lives and stories of the South Asian Diaspora living outside their homelands all over the world.
“Our fifth year is going be bigger and better than ever” said JINGO Media Principal/CEO & Founder/Festival Director of DFW SAFF Jitin Hingorani. “We are thrilled that Toyota is joining the SAFF family this year! Their vision is to be the most successful and respected car company in America; we have the same goals for our film festival.”
The entire SAFF lineup will be revealed in mid-April, a month before the festival begins. For film synopses, trailers and festival passes, please visit www.dfwsaff.com.
