Ritesh Parikh’s “Cinema Without Borders” vision draws 700+ attendees and culminates with the New York premiere of “Batwara 1947”
NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2026 — Ritesh Parikh, founder of Awesome TV, AwesomeIFF and AWSM Time, launched the inaugural Awesome International Film Festival (AwesomeIFF) on Aug. 14 at SVA Theatre in New York City, drawing 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 presented short films, AI films, documentaries, music videos and feature films across four screening blocks, followed by a red carpet and the New York premiere of “Batwara 1947.”
“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 Ritesh 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.”
“Batwara 1947” Gets New York Premiere
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 by A. R. Rahman. Set against the Partition of India, the film screened at AwesomeIFF on the same day it opened theatrically in India and on more than 1,000 screens globally.
AwesomeIFF presented the film in association with Aamir Khan Productions, AA Films and Shree Entertainment, with special thanks to Anil Thadani of AA Films and Damani , Jatin Grover of Shree Entertainment and Sunil Hali.
Filmmakers and Stories from Around the World
Official Selections across the festival’s Feature Films, Short Films, AI Films, Student Films and Music Videos categories showcased filmmakers and stories from around the world.
Selections screened at the festival included “The Man and The Monkey” (Korok Murmu, Nilankar Mukhopadhyay and Samrat Chakrabarti, USA), “The Red Market” (Christopher Matthew Spencer, USA), “Hello Dad” (Neha Lohia and Tirlok Malik, USA), “Immortality” (Min Chul Choi, South Korea), “What We Deserve” (Attila Lorant, Hungary), “Giving Mom the Talk” (Vidhya Iyer and Kavi Ramachandran, USA), “The City Speaks” (Hema Seth and Alok Seth, India) and the documentary “Destination Oak Tree Road” (Rohit Vyas, USA), produced by 14-time Emmy-winning producer Janice Selinger.
Additional Official Selections in the 2026 program included “Mukunã: Aprendiz de Pajé” (Rodrigo Sena, Brazil), “Unspoken” (Maciej Adamek, Poland), “Cartapesta: Carnival of Fano” (Andrea Lodovichetti, Italy), “Two Steps” (Nita Pednekar, USA) and “Baba” (Bushra Farook, USA).
Music, Culture and Live Performances
Music and South Asian cultural performances were also part of the inaugural program. AwesomeIFF hosted a 25th anniversary celebration of DESIPINA & CO., featuring Rohi Mirza Pandya, Samrat Chakrabarti, Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier and Andrew Guilarte.
The evening also featured the festival premiere of Bikram Singh’s music video “Soni,” a collaboration with DDS and Metz N Trix, filmed and directed by Akash.
Festival Partners and Supporters
The inaugural AwesomeIFF was supported by Jatin Grover of Shree Entertainment and Festival Partner Sattie Persaud, founder of the World Heritage Cultural Center (WHCC).
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,” Ritesh 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.”
AwesomeIFF will announce its inaugural award winners next week. Dates and submission details for the festival’s second edition will be announced in the coming months.
About AwesomeIFF
Founded by Ritesh Parikh and produced by Awesome TV, the Awesome International Film Festival (AwesomeIFF) is a New York-based international film festival connecting filmmakers and audiences through its “Cinema Without Borders” mission.
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