The London Indian Film Festival returns 16th – 23rd July at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX, and Birmingham Indian Film Festival opens 17th – 23rd July at the Midlands Arts Centre.
The 16th edition of the U.K. and Europe’s largest annual Indian film event returns with the U.K. premiere of high-action gangster film Little Jaffna, with a rookie cop going undercover to infiltrate Tamil gangs battling it out in the mean streets of Paris. Think La Haine meets Gangs of Wasseypur in this refreshingly paced and filmed drama directed by Lawrence Valin. Aligning with the 100th birth year of legendary British theatre impresario Peter Brooks is the festivals Central Gala with the U.K. premiere of the filmic version restoration of one of his most famed works, the interpretation of the greatest Indian epic story of love, philosophy and warfare – The Mahabharata, told as a story that encompasses all Human-kind. We expect some of the original cast to attend from France to the screening at BFI IMAX – literally it will be the biggest story ever told on the U.K.’s biggest screen.
Director Rima Das returns to the fest with the smoulderingly powerful Village Rockstars 2, about an Assamese teenager who holds onto her childhood dreams, only to confront the many challenges facing young people in rural India today, from threats of floods to holding her family together. The delightful story Boong tells of a disobedient schoolboys ambition to mend his broken family in Manipur, naively risking his safety to cross into Myanmar in search of his missing dad. Set in the Himalayas, Pyre is a sumptuously photographed story about a deeply in love elderly couple struggling to survive in a changing mountain society.
The festival goes on to celebrate emerging British Asian talent with a new industry event in collaboration with RIFCO Theatre, to encourage more U.K. South Asians into the industry and explore Co-production. This is accompanied by the festival’s popular programme of Brit-Asian shorts.
Other films and events to be announced nearer the festival dates.
The festival first phase is supported by Bicester Village, Birmingham City University, Excel Cars and other partners. We are delighted to extend Bridge India’s partnership with LIFF, as Members get access to some complimentary tickets during the Festival.
Festival Film Listings
London:
- Wed 16th July, 18:10, BFI Southbank – Little Jaffna
- Fri 18th July, 20:15, BFI Southbank – Village Rockstar 2
- Sat 19th July, 17:45, BFI Southbank – Brit-Asian Shorts
- Sun 20th July, 11:00, BFI IMAX – The Mahabharata
- Tue 22nd July, 18:00, BFI Southbank – Pyre
- Wed 23rd July, 18:10, BFI Southbank – Boong
Birmingham:
- Thu 17th at 7.30 pm, MAC, Little Jaffna
- Fri 18th at 7.30 pm, MAC, Brit-Asian Shorts
- Tue 22nd at 7 pm, MAC, Boong
- Wed 23rd at 7.30 pm, MAC, Pyre