Ahead of the Indian Film Festival of Ireland (IFFI), which starts 3rd October in UCD,  we caught up with Siraj Zaidi, actor, writer, filmmaker and the festival’s Director. 

Thanks for chatting with us, Siraj. What were the films you loved growing up?

The Indian films I enjoyed were Sholay, Mughal-e-Azam, Pakeezah, Deewar, Zanjeer. All Shyam Benegal films. The Western ones were Betty Blue, French noir films, Hollywood westerns, Woody Allen films, and Robert Redford films.

A great mix! Can you talk to us about your career in the film industry?

My career started when I finished drama school in London at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts back in 1986. I trained as an actor; I had moved to Dublin then and worked in Glenroe, Fair City, Red Rock, The Bailout, Disenchanted (Disney), and Halal Daddy, among numerous short films. As a director, I have directed two TV series: Away and Home (RTÉ) and Our View (Ulster TV, on the Peace Process). I am the first distributor of all Indian films in cinema in Ireland and started exhibiting at IFI back in the 90s. I have distributed over 5,000 films all over Ireland.

Can you tell us about the history of the festival?

As many of you know, the Indian Film Festival of Ireland (IFFI) has been established over the past fourteen years as Ireland’s boutique film festival, introducing the world’s largest film industry, Indian cinema, to the Irish audience. There is also real potential for making Irish-Indian co-production films. The festival started back in 2010 with a single ambition and goal: to make Indian cinema more mainstream in Ireland.

How has the festival evolved over the years?

Well, it has survived over fourteen years without support from the Arts Council or any national film funding agency. Thanks to the patrons, friends, and supporters of the film festival, I just kept going and covered huge ground in terms of all sorts of films, including many in regional Indian languages. So, it’s not only Bollywood films that I’ve screened over the years. This year is no exception. The festival faced more challenges in selecting so many good films in the short and documentary categories, but we finally selected the best across various Indian languages.

How did you become involved with it?

With the advent of digital piracy, our box office takings were badly damaged, and I lost my shirt on several occasions. So I decided to reinvent the wheel and created this dedicated film festival.

How has it changed over the years?

I found a definite structure and format. It’s unique in a sense that, in the middle of the screenings, we have a glamorous Gala Award Night, complete with live Indian classical singing and dance performances, an integral part of Indian cinema.

What can audiences expect?

A treat, in short. In terms of extremely different kinds of cinema that are not available in Ireland. Local Indian diaspora making shorts and documentaries. Above all, it’s a bit of fun, a good time, celebrating life with fashion (I design my own suit each year), good Indian food, and frolic. The Gala Night will include singers from London and lovely Indian classical performers.

What are your highlights from the programme?

Apart from the Cultural Award Gala function, we have a biopic on the current Indian President, Mahamahim Didi Ji, Mujib: The Making of the Nation (on Bangladesh, a country in turmoil), and Land of Dreams, a great documentary among several other excellent documentaries and shorts. 

What is your future vision for the festival?

My vision for the Indian Film Festival Ireland is to elevate it to the global stage, where it is recognised alongside renowned international festivals. I want it to become a platform not only for Indian cinema but also for fostering Indo-Irish collaboration in filmmaking, which has incredible potential. Over the years, we’ve grown organically, but to reach the next level, we need more structured support. 

What we need from the authorities is a commitment to recognising the cultural and economic value this festival brings to Ireland. Support from organisations like the Arts Council, the Irish Film Board, or national funding agencies would be a game changer. Additionally, collaboration with local government and tourism boards can turn IFFI into a landmark event that draws in international audiences, filmmakers, and investors. With this backing, we can not only showcase the richness of Indian cinema but also create opportunities for cross-cultural productions that benefit both industries.

Thank you so much for chatting with us!

Thursday 3rd October sees the launch of Ireland’s 15th Indian Film Festival (IFFI) at UCD Cinema in Belfield, Dublin 4. The state of the art facility will play host to celebration of iconic Indian cinematography, vibrant music and dance across the four day festival, with a glittering film-networking Awards and Gala dinner. Inspirational guest speakers attending, include the highly acclaimed Indian film writer and actor, Atul Tiwari, screenplay author of the epic blockbuster Mujib: The Making of a Nation, who is making a special trip from India to support the festival. Get your tickets here

 Siraj ZaidiAbout Siraj Zaidi

Siraj Zaidi (B.Sc & LAMDA) is a graduate in Science and from The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), specialising in Performing Arts. After completing his training at LAMDA, Siraj spent two years working as a radio broadcaster with the BBC World Service. Since 1986, he has made Ireland his home and has worked across theatre, radio, TV, and film. He is the curator and director of the annual Indian Film Festival of Ireland and the Irish Film Festival of India. Siraj has written, directed, produced, and presented several significant projects, including the six-part TV documentary series Away and Home, broadcast on RTÉ 1 in August and September 1998, and the four-part TV series Our View, which aired on Ulster TV and TG4 during the summer of 1999. Both series have been distributed worldwide. He has also directed and produced Zion: Celebrate 150 Years, a documentary on a primary school in Dublin 6.

His recent work includes fronting the RTÉ documentaries Ramadan: Hungry for God (RTÉ/Kioros Communications), Ramadan Diaries (2020, filmed during lockdown), and Ashura (2022 & 2023). Siraj has also contributed to arts policy in Ireland, providing strategic advice to the National Committee of Intercultural and Racism (NCCRI) and contributing to the Irish Government’s document Towards a New Framework for the Arts(2000). He served as Chairperson of the Cultural Cluster within the Dublin City Community Forum and was an executive member on the Dublin City Community Forum for the 2012 City Development Plan.

In addition to his policy work, Siraj participated in the Guinness Living Dublin Awards in 2002 and 2003. In 1990, in collaboration with the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, he organised the first international seminar on the Irish film industry. The following year, he represented Ireland at the Commonwealth/ELCP Co-Production Colloquium during the 43rd Cannes Film Festival. In 1994, his development and pre-production work on the film Honey and Saffron was selected from Ireland for inclusion in World Cinema, the British Film Institute’s special cinema century publication. He is now planning to write a novel based on this love story.

As an actor, Siraj has worked in various productions, including films like Disenchanted (Disney), The Bailout (TV3), Halal Daddy (2016), Red Rock (TV3), and Fair City (RTÉ). He has also appeared in international productions such as Samvidhan (India), The Boxer (Universal), In the Name of the Father (directed by Jim Sheridan), Tailor of Panama (John Boorman), and Murphy’s Law (BBC). Siraj has directed numerous projects, including two television documentary series for RTÉ, TG4, and UTV, and over 100 radio features for the BBC World Service. Additionally, he has written a number of feature film scripts, including Savita (based on the true story of Savita Hallapanawer), Honey and Saffron, and Born Without Consent.

Author

Gemma Creagh is a writer, filmmaker and journalist. In 2014 she graduated with a First from NUIG’s MA Writing programme. Gemma’s play Spoiling Sunset was staged in Galway as part of the Jerome Hynes One Act Play series in 2014. Gemma was one of eight playwrights selected for AboutFACE’s 2021 Transatlantic Tales and is presently developing a play with the Axis Theatre and with the support of the Arts Council. She has been commissioned to submit a play by Voyeur Theatre to potentially be performed in Summer 2023 as part of the local arts festival. Gemma was the writer and co-producer of the five-part comedy Rental Boys for RTÉ’s Storyland. She has gone on to write, direct and produce shorts which screened at festivals around the world. She was commissioned to direct the short film, After You, by Filmbase and TBCT. Gemma has penned articles for magazines, industry websites and national newspapers, she’s the assistant editor for Film Ireland and she contributes reviews to RTE Radio One’s Arena on occasion.

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