MUMBAI: The 2006 South Asian International Film (SAIF) festival, which is scheduled to open in New York City on 4 October, will host over 50 of the latest and most celebrated short, documentary and feature films from the South Asian subcontinent.

The five-day film festival continues SAIFF’s mission to present the best in South Asian cinema from across India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This year’s festival will include 21 World Premieres and 11 North American premieres.

SAIFF’s third-annual event will kick-off on 4 October with the Opening Night World Premiere of Manish Jha’s Anwar at the Loews Theater at Lincoln Square.

Acclaimed feature selections include QuarterLife Crisis, Hope and a Little Sugar and Rockin’ Meera. From India, Anuranana, a drama about love, loss and friendship will be aired. From Pakistan, Botal Gali, a provocative film on prohibition and the dark side of Karachi will be presented.

From Nepal, Punam, a short film about one little girl’s dream to simply be a kid; from Bangladesh, My Cultural Divide, a documentary on one man’s journey to bridge the gap between his heritage and his life; from Sri Lanka, Butterfly Wings, an award winning film about the hopes and dreams of a young boy and the obstacles that stand in his way will be aired.

Featured documentaries this year include The Widow Colony – which recounts the events of the November 1984 Sikh massacre in New Delhi, India; Fingers of Fire – which follows one man’s journey in the world of tabla music and Going to School in India – which describes India’s diverse classroom settings.

Additionally, Verizon Wireless has also launched its first South Asian text-to-vote campaign for People’s Choice Awards for favorite short, feature and documentary at this year’s SAIFF 2006.