Tampa Bay is gearing up for its first annual India International Film Festival Jan. 22-24 at Channelside Cinemas. The three-day festival will open with a main feature presentation and opening night gala at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by a variety of feature films, short films and documentaries from different genres. The organizing team is led by the INDO-US Chamber of Commerce.

Highlights will include opening and closing night galas with parties and receptions following Q&A sessions with the filmmakers, performances by local and guest artists and much more. Anyone visiting the Channelside District during the festival days will get to experience the Indian culture in different ways. The festival is expected to feature several upcoming Indian filmmakers from around the country and internationally. A special session with music videos by up and coming musicians of Indian origin is being planned. For those interested to learn more about the film industry and the movie business, a panel of experts will present the different aspects of filmmaking business and will provide an opportunity for filmmakers and those interested in getting involved to network.

Clearwater-based Homeowners Choice Insurance is the event sponsor this year. The three-day festival is expected to screen about 24 films, including feature films, documentaries and short films. Films from different parts of India will be presented. Limited sponsorship opportunities are available.

For more information about the festival or to join the volunteer team, visit www.IIFFTampa.com or call (813) 719-0303.

The fifth annual convention of the Asian American Convenience Store Owners Association (AACSA) held its Trade Expo and Gala Awards Banquet Nov. 21 at the India Cultural Center in Tampa. During the day, business persons held high-level networking meetings. In the evening, the 28^th Miss India USA Pageant took place. A Bollywood dance show featuring Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia had the crowd roaring, AACSA event Chairman Vijay Gandhi said.

Founded in 2005, AACSA is the apex body of the Asian American convenience stores in the United States More than 1,500 convenience store owners and operators from all across the United States attended the mega event to discuss the issues related to their business and welfare. Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink was the chief guest. State Senator Dave Aronberg, candidate for Florida Attorney General, was keynote speaker. South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley was an honored guest. AACSA chairman Chandrakant Patel coordinated the educational symposium featuring information on store licenses, crime prevention, financing, credit card processing and high-margin new products. 

A highlight of the convention was AACSA forming an alliance with the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo to fight against the proposed soft drink taxes of an extra 3 cents a can and 17 cents on a two-liter bottle to raise $6 billion in additional revenues to pay for healthcare.

The AACSA convention proudly hosted the 28th Miss India USA pageant attended by highly qualified contestants and their supporters from 26 states, AACSA president Satya Shaw said. Business owners and all those who attended the day expo enjoyed a global evening filled with entertainment from Neha Dhupia, DK Bollywood Dance Pak group from Toronto, a performance by students of Tampa's University of South Florida and the nail-biting competition among Miss India USA Pageant contestants. Priyanka Singha from California was crowned by Neha Dhupia as the winner. She will represent USA in the Miss India World contest on March 27, 2010 in South Africa. The first runner-up was Shivali Vyas, a Tampa resident and student at the University of South Florida. Second runner-up was Disha Patel from Illinois.