The 12th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), presented by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), which runs from May 23 to 27 at the Tribeca Cinemas in Lower Manhattan, showcases more than 50 features, documentaries, and short films over a span of five days. The festival kicked off with an opening night red carpet screening of Bedabrata Pain’s CHITTAGONG on May 23 at the Paris Theater, followed by a VIP gala dinner at the Essex House Ballroom. Tonight, Rituparno Ghosh’s CHITRANGADA, the centerpiece film will have its world premiere at Tribeca Cinemas. On Sunday, May 27, 2012, Anurag Kashyap’s GANGS OF WASSEYPUR closes the festival at NYU’s Skirball Theater, followed by an awards ceremony and closing night party, sponsored by Wells Fargo.

“And the nominees for the 12th annual NYIFF are…”
BEST FILM 
Aadukalam
Chitrangada
Chittagong
Gattu
Shala

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM 
Big in Bollywood
Inshallah Football
Kumare
Saving Face
Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret

BEST SCREENPLAY
Pooja Desai, Anvita Dutt, Rajesh Narasimhan, Ashish Patil (Mujshe Fraaandship Karoge)
Avinash Deshpande (Shala)
Rituparno Ghosh (Chitrangada)
Vetri Maaran (Aadukalam)
Bedabrata Pain, Shonali Bose (Chittagong)

BEST DIRECTOR
Sujay Dahake (Shala)
Rituparno Ghosh (Chitrangada)
Vetri Maaran (Aadukalam)
Prashant Nair (Delhi in a Day)
Bedabrata Pain (Chittagong)

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Sihle Dlamini (Lucky)

Clubbed Thumb’s 17th annual SUMMERWORKS season of new plays kicks off with Susan Soon He Stanton’s TAKARAZUKA!!!, directed by Lear deBessonet, about the real-life all-female Japanese theatre troupe from May 26-June 4 at HERE Arts Center, 145 6th Ave in New York.

The cast ofTAKARAZUKA!!!includes Jennifer Ikeda (TOP GIRLS, Manhattan Theater Club; TITUS ANDRONICUS, The Public), Brooke Ishibashi (THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G, Ma-Yi Theater Company in association with Vampire Cowboys Theater Company), Paul Juhn (“30 Rock”), Glenn Kubota (Pan Asian Rep) and Angela Lin (CHINGLISH). For tickets, priced $18, phone (212) 352-3101 or visitHERE.org. HERE Arts Center is located 145 Sixth Ave at Dominick. Showtime is at 8:30, there is no performance on May 30, 2012.

Part ghost story, part love story, TAKARAZUKA!!! tracks the career sunset of Yuko, the star of a Japanese theater that stages all-female Western style musical extravaganzas. But when you take away her partner, her fans, and her tux, who will she be?

May 28 2012

Harvard Associate Professor Miaki Ishii and her colleagues at Harvard University are studying Earth's inner core, approximately 1,800 miles beneath the surface. The research using seismic data is making waves in the scientific community and beyond.

New York Times writer Natalie Anger reports. (The New York Times online offers a digital subscription service, you may need to sign up to view this report.) 

Ellen Pao, Partner of high profile Venture Capital Group in Silicon Valley Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers files suit alleging sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

For the story and a copy of the legal complaint click to the story at Tech Crunch. 

Jeremy Lin reported on Saturday June 2 on his Facebook page that his knee is healthy and he's ready to start training again. His Facebook page shows a happy Lin holding a freshly caught marlin, which he caught and released on a vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Photo credit: Jeremy Lin's Facebook page