Heartland Film to host four-day experience celebrating the culture, cuisine, and cinema of India from August 17-20 at the Indiana Historical Society
Heartland Film is excited to announce the full schedule of events coming to Cultural Journey: India, presented by Lilly. The four-day celebration will include a lavish Bollywood themed Opening Night Extravaganza, a Traditional Indian Gala complete with an authentic Indian Welcome Ceremony, and a bike ride and yoga along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Other highlights include traditional dance performances, ethnic food from local Indian restaurants, VIP receptions, Q&As with visiting filmmakers, after-parties, and screenings of seven films from India. This event is made possible by the The Margot L. and Robert S. Eccles Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation.
“I am excited and delighted beyond words to showcase and share my Indian heritage with my Indiana community,” said Cultural Journey Committee Chair Neelu Sondhi. “The opportunity to entertain and educate through the transformative power of film and to pair it with events that will highlight the deep cultural heritage of my birth country has been absolutely wonderful.”
VIP Passes
To experience all the excitement the Cultural Journey has to offer, attendees are invited to purchase an exclusive Cultural Journey: India VIP Pass. With a $500 Cultural Journey: India VIP Pass, attendees will have access to:
- One ticket to all seven events & screenings throughout the Cultural Journey
- A VIP reception before the Thursday Opening Night Extravaganza & Friday Traditional Indian Gala
- Reserved seating at every screening throughout the Cultural Journey
- Complimentary open bar access at the Opening Night Extravaganza, Traditional Indian Gala, and “A Suitable Girl” Screening & After-Party
- Double the amount of purchased Cultural Journey raffle tickets
Purchase VIP Passes
Special Guests
- Neeta Bhushan, Consul General of India
- “A Suitable Girl” Directors Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra
- “Ventilator” Producer, Dr. Madhu Chopra (Purple Pebble Productions)
- Hannah Fisher, International Film Programmer
- Therese Hayes, International Film Programmer
Venue Information
All Cultural Journey events will be held at the Indiana Historical Society
- Indiana Historical Society
450 W Ohio St, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Cultural Journey: India Full Schedule
To learn more about the films and events, visit heartlandfilm.org/culturaljourney
Opening Night Extravaganza & “You Are My Sunday” Screening
Thursday, Aug. 17 – 6:30 p.m. – Tickets $75
Kickoff Heartland Film’s Cultural Journey: India experience with a night of Bollywood-style dancing, authentic Indian food from local restaurants, and a screening of the film “You Are My Sunday,” a comedy-drama about five thirtysomething friends trying to find a place to play soccer away from their frustrations and the crowded bustle of Mumbai.
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“Siddharth” Screening
Friday, Aug. 18 – 1 p.m. – Tickets $20/$17 members
“Siddharth,” 2014 Heartland Film Festival Grand Prize Winner for Best Narrative Feature, is the story of an impoverished and anguished father, with few resources and virtually no experience of the world outside of Delhi, who bravely sets out for the Punjab, and Mumbai, in search of his only son who disappeared while working in a factory.
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Traditional Indian Gala & “Ventilator” Screening w/ Producer Dr. Madhu Chopra
Friday, Aug. 18 – 6:30 p.m. – Tickets $150
Join Heartland Film for the headlining event of the Cultural Journey: India weekend featuring traditional dance performances, authentic Indian food from local restaurants, and a screening of the film “Ventilator,” an award-winning drama from Priyanka Chopra’s production company Purple Pebble Pictures, about the lively Kamerkar family as they band together around a sick family member during the Ganesh Utsav festival.
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Live Adventurously on the Cultural Trail & “Half Ticket” Screening
Saturday, Aug. 19 – 10 AM – Tickets $30/$25 members
Choose either a bike ride along the Cultural Trail or yoga on the Indianapolis Canal Walk before a boxed lunch and screening of “Half Ticket” — a story of the ‘Have Nots’ struggling to survive in a world of ‘Haves’. $20 screening only tickets also available.
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“A Suitable Girl” Screening & After-party w/ Directors Sarita Khurana & Smriti Mundhra
Saturday, Aug. 19 – 6:30 p.m. – Tickets $30/$25 members
“A Suitable Girl” is a documentary that follows three women over the course of four years as they struggle with beloved family traditions, modern careers, their friends — married and unmarried — all while trying to make sense of their contemporary lives within the context of the ancient social contract of the arranged marriage. Directors Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra will be in attendance for a Q&A and after party featuring a dessert reception and DJ.
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“A Billion Colour Story” Screening
Sunday, Aug. 20 – 1 p.m. – Tickets $20/$17 members
“A Billion Colour Story,” shot in stark black and white, is told through the eyes of Hari, a sensitive child wise beyond his years, as he moves with his progressive filmmaker parents — one Muslim, the other Hindu — to a different neighborhood in Mumbai only to be faced with intolerance and fundamentalism from their new neighbors and community.
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“Hotel Salvation” Closing Night Screening & Champagne Reception
Sunday, Aug. 20 – 4 p.m. – Tickets $20/$17 members
Cap off the Cultural Journey: India experience with “Hotel Salvation,” an award-winning film that humorously and respectfully illustrates the traditional Hindu philosophy of death and freedom from entrapment through the eyes of eccentric 77-year-old Dayanand Kumar and his son Rajiv when they check into a guest house in Varanasi specifically devoted to people who come to die and gain salvation.
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Thank You to Our Sponsors & Partners
Presented by Lilly
Made Possible by CICF: The Margot L. and Robert S. Eccles Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation
With additional sponsorship support from:
- The Glick Fund
- Current; India Association of Indianapolis, Inc.; John & Chichi Guy; Bollywood Beats; Lilly India Network; Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre; Sondhi Solutions
- Indiana Yoga Magazine; Talk to Tucker; Asian American Alliance, Inc.; Everhart Studio
- India Café; Chapati; Briyani House; India Palace; Rene’s Bakery; Flag and Banner Company; Gadi Boukai, Broker/Realtor, F.C. Tucker; Desi Fusion; Hops & Fire; Indiana Permanent Cosmetics; Naval and Neelu Sondhi; Chandru and Nandini Sundaram; Anoop and Rani Sondhi; Jimmy & Sonia Barona; Indianapolis Motor Speedway; National Bank of Indianapolis; Naga & Satya Chalasani; Griffith Family Foundation; Sreemala Murthy; Aparna Satheesan Hari, Samyoga School of Dance; Dr. Anindita Sen, Nrityangan; Anitha Srikant, Nriyanjali Dance School; Archana Thaker, Aradhana Institute of Dance; Anita Lerche; Anisha Mahenthiran; Benny the Dhol guy
