IIFF began as an initiative of the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce in Tampa. The idea was to showcase non-mainstream non-commercial Indian films, to a wider more eclectic audience in order to create opportunities for new film-makers. We weren't certain of an audience for this in Tampa and none of us had any involvement or experience in films to speak of. This would not be easy. Despite these reasons, or perhaps because of them, I found it hard to turn down the challenge.
The first year was a mad scramble to put everything together. I was in charge of sourcing and scheduling the selections and subsequently screening them. I also gave interviews on the radio and designed the print/web media to market the event, the first couple of years. With the help of a strong all-volunteer team, the festival came together and continued to do so in subsequent years.
The subsequent year, we premiered 12 short and feature films, which went on to win multiple awards. The number of volunteers grew too.
