MUMBAI: Actor Nandita Das’ directorial debut Firaaq and Pakistani film Ramchand Pakistani have been chosen as the official opening and closing night films respectively at the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF).

The festival is scheduled to take place in New York City, from 22 – 28 October, 2008.

While Firaaq will be screened on 22 October, Ramchand Pakistani will be screened on 28 October.

Firaaq was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was also screened at the Telluride Film Festival. It stars Nasseruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Dipti Naval, Raghubir Yadav, Sanjay Suri and Tisca Chopra and some new talents like Shahana Goswami and Nowaz. Firaaq has been produced by Percept Pictures.

Ramchand Pakistani has been directed by Mehreen Jabbar and stars Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqui, Syed Fazal Hussain, Noman Ijaz, Navaid Jabbar and Maria Wasti. Incidentally, Ramchand Pakistani is also being released in India by Percept Picture Company. The movie is based on the true life story of a child who crosses the border line of Pakistan and enters India. The movie is slated to hit screens next week on 2 October.