New York, NY – October 19, 2009 – The 2009 South Asian International Film Festival – Presented by HBO will kick-off from October 28^th – November 3^rd in New York City.

The festival will open with its very first Bollywood film to ‘ever’ covet the Official Opening Night Presentation timeslot since its inception in 2004 with Sujoy Ghosh’s Aladin at the acclaimed - The Paris Theatre on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 7PM.  The film is a classic tale about a bullied orphan whose life changes when a genie enters his life to grant him three boons to fulfill his contractual obligations.  This journey is full of twists and turns; secrets and obstacle; and fantasy adventure that keep the mind guessing and heart pumping. 

Aladin is making its ‘World Premiere’ at the South Asian International Film Festival.  The breathtaking performances by the cast and fine storytelling will leave the audiences thrilled and amused.  ““It is definitely a wish come true to be chosen as the Opening film for SAIFF. A lot of people have worked over a period of a long time to make Aladin and an honor like this fully makes it worthwhile. It’s a great platform for an Indian film to be showcased to a global audience and I am grateful to SAIFF for making this happen for Aladin.” said director Sujoy Ghosh.       

“We are excited and honored to kick off the weeklong festival with Sujoy Ghosh’s first feature film,” said Shilen Amin, SAIFF President. “SAIFF’s continuing mission is to discover new artists and provide an international platform to emerging independent South Asian filmmakers to showcase their creativity. Sujoy is exceptionally skilled in storytelling and brings the latest in Bollywood’s foray into special effects, establishing never before seen practices in its film production history! Aladin will offer audiences a chance to see how films have changed and what is still to come out of our beloved film industry.”

For more information about the 2009 SAIFF, please log on to: www.saiff.org.