First India International Film Festival will begin Friday night

shanThe first India International Film Festival will begin Friday night with a red carpet event, followed by a showing of "7 Days in Slow Motion," directed by Umakanth Thumrugoti, a former Disney features animator.

TAMPA - Motivated by the recent success of Indian films in mainstream American cinema, the Indo-U.S. Chamber of Commerce has organized the first India International Film Festival of Tampa Bay.

The festival runs Friday through Sunday and will showcase more than 20 independent and short films, panel discussions and music videos at Channelside Cinemas. Interview sessions with film directors and producers will follow some screenings.

Francis Vayalumkal, who spearheaded the event, hopes to bring quality international films that portray India in different ways.

"We wanted to highlight the political and social issues, comedy and children's films," he said. "We hope to show more of what Indian cinema has to offer other than just Bollywood dramas."

Tampa is home to more than 35,000 people of Indian origin, according to the Indo-U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Organizers hope to provide a platform for Indian cinema and culture by promoting films representing the diversity of India. They also want to promote the Bay area as a venue for future film festivals and advertise it as a location for filmmakers. Vayalumkal is working with the Tampa Bay Film Commission to attract Bollywood producers to Tampa.

A red carpet event with directors and producers of independent films opens the festival at 6 p.m. Friday. It will be followed by the showing of "7 Days in Slow Motion," directed by Umakanth Thumrugoti, a former Disney features animator.

Other screenings include "Kavi," which was shortlisted for the Oscars in the short films category; "Tahaan," the story of a boy determined to find his donkey, directed by Santosh Sivan; "Bombay Summer," by director Joseph Mathew Varghese; "Amal," which was filmed in New Delhi and explores the meaning of success in modern India; and "The Salt Stories," a documentary on the famous salt march of Mahatma Gandhi.

Many English-language movies also are on the schedule, and those that aren't in English will have English subtitles.

Several films representing India's various regional languages are scheduled, including "Gulabi Talkies" (Kannada), directed by Girish Kasaravalli; "Kanchivaram" (Tamil), by popular Bollywood director Priyadarshan; "The Voyeurs" (Bengali), directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta; and "Ghabricha Paus" (Marathi).

The only high-budget Bollywood offering will be "Wake Up Sid," a popular film with megastars Ranbir Kapoor and Konkana Sen Sharma.