Indian Film festival to return to Birmingham this summer
21 March 2018
Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) is once again backing the Birmingham Indian Film Festival (LIFF), which is returning for a fourth year.
The festival - Europe’s largest South Asian Film Festival - has been running in London since 2010, but was extended to take in Birmingham three years ago.
Last year’s festival – when a number of films were screened at local cinemas, including Cineworld, Broad Street and Mac Cinema, Cannon Hill Park – teamed up with Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) as a partner.
During the festival, ABCC sponsored one of the films, ‘Babylon Sisters’, which was set in Italy, and followed the efforts by the immigrant families living in a block of flats to beat a looming eviction notice.
‘Babylon Sisters’ was one of a number of films premiered at the festival, including ‘Newton’, an award-winning black comedy about a rookie official who tries to run a free and fair election in a conflict-ridden Indian state where no-one has any idea about who or what they are voting for.
The festival’s opening night film was ‘The Black Prince’, which was attended by the actor in the starring role, Satinder Sartaj, who is a big name in Indian music but was making his acting debut in this feature.
This year’s festival will focus on the best new independent cinema from the Indian sub-continent including feature films, documentaries and short films by both acclaimed and new filmmakers.
The festival will be in June, and the full programme will be unveiled in June. ABCC president Saqib Bhatti said: “Given the size and history of the Asian community in Birmingham and the West Midlands it is so apt that Birmingham hosted the Indian Film Festival.
“The ABCC was honoured to support Birmingham Indian Film Festival last year and also again this year, as it brought together two massive brands and the festival was a huge success celebrating some of the finest films that the Indian Film Industry has to offer."
Pictured: Satinder Sartaj (centre) at the opening of last year’s Birmingham Indian Film Festival, with event ambassadors Sunny and Shay Grewal