Tennis celebrity and media executive Vijay Amritraj will present Santosh Sivan's 'Tahaan' set in Kashmir, as the festival Centerpiece. The closing film is 'Antaheen - The Endless Wait' starring two film luminaries - Sharmila Tagore and Aparna Sen – both of whom will attend this U.S. premiere at the Walter Reade Theatre, Lincoln Center.

Since its founding in 2001, IAAC has established itself as the premiere Indian film festival in the United States, introducing audiences to films such as Oscar winner “Slumdog Millionaire,” Mira Nair’s “The Namesake” and “Monsoon Wedding”; Deepa Mehta’s “Water” and Gurinder Chadha’s “Bride & Prejudice.” This year’s selection continues to celebrate the Festival’s tradition for excellence and diversity with powerful performances and new cinematic expression by cutting-edge Indian directors. Regular public screenings will be at the Quad Cinema, with special screenings at the Paris Theatre, Walter Reade Theater, the National Museum of the American Indian, and NYU's Cantor Center.

About 'Today's Special'

Director: David Kaplan
Screenwriter: Jonathan Bines, Aasif Mandvi
Cast: Aasif Mandvi, Naseeruddin Shah, Madhur Jaffrey, Jess Weixler, Ajay Naidu, Harish Patel, Dean Winters and Kevin Corrigan
Length: 90 mins

Inspired by Aasif Mandvi's Obie Award winning play Sakina's Restaurant, "Today's Special" is a heartwarming food comedy set in New York City. Samir is a Sous Chef who dreams of being Head Chef of his boss's hot new restaurant. After being passed over for the promotion, he abruptly quits and hatches plans to go to France and study under a legendary Chef.

But when his estranged father, Hakim has a heart attack, Samir's life takes a detour back to his parents home in Jackson Heights, Queens, where he takes over the failing family business: Tandoori Palace. With one foot out the door, Samir must come to terms with the loss of his older brother a few years back, and the sadness that engulfs his parents. Luckily, his paths cross with Akbar: a taxi driver, former chef in Mumbai, and irrepreseable raconteur who lives in the moment, breaks conventions, and inspires Samir to embrace life, save Tandoori Palace, and his family along the way.

A complete program listing is online at www.miaacfilmfest.org.