Indian Film Festival returns to the city
The acclaimed Birmingham Indian Film Festival (BIFF) has announced its festival programme in anticipation of its return, including the World Premiere of DOBAARAA directed by Anurag Kashyap and starring award winning actress Taapsee Pannu.
The Birmingham Indian Film Festival is part of London Indian Film Festival and Manchester Indian Film Festival and together it is the UK and Europe 's largest platform of South Asian (Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan) independent films.
Supported by title sponsor Blue Orchid Hotels, Integrity International, the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Arts Council England and Birmingham City University, this year 's BIFF runs from 24 June - 5 July, screening at MAC Birmingham and new cinema partners Electric Birmingham, the oldest working cinema in the country, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the city 's Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
The highly anticipated thriller DOBAARAA is produced by Shobha Kapoor & Ektaa R Kapoor (Cult Movies, a new wing under Balaji Telefilms) and Sunir Kheterpal & Gaurav Bose (Athena). The opening night red carpet screening at MAC Birmingham will be attended by Anurag Kashyap followed by a Q&A.
Festival director Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE said: “It 's wonderful to have director Anurag Kashyap return to the festival with supernatural thriller DOBAARAA following his visit to the city in 2019. We have UK premiered a number of Anurag 's films over the last 12 years - including That Girl in Yellow Boots and Gangs of Wasseypur. Anurag delivers yet another fresh directorial approach and a compelling twisted story and Actor Taapsee Pannu steals the show as a young woman trapped between two lives in different decades.
“We are delighted at the exceptionally strong cavalcade of exciting new Midland premieres at this year 's festival in ten different languages and some very rare in person talks and Q&As headlined by India 's greatest woman filmmaker Aparna Sen. ”
Female filmmakers are at the forefront of this year 's festival including the European premiere of THE RAPIST starring Konkana Sen Sharma and Arjun Rampal.
A special In Conversation will take place on Monday 4 July with its director Aparna Sen, India 's most prolific female filmmaker at the prestigious Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Her daughter, acclaimed actress, Konkona Sen Sharma will also be attending.
Among other Midland premieres are Pan Nalin 's uplifting homage to celluloid CHHELLO SHOW and Anik Dutta 's APARAJITO - a tribute to legendary director Satyajit Ray 's journey of making his first film, the cult classic 'Pather Panchali '. An intimate look at modern day Calcutta, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CALCUTTA by Aditya Vikram Sengupta also features in the festival line-up.
Ahead of the Commonwealth Games the Festival will be screening TAANGH with cinematography by Yugesh Walia, a Birmingham film maker who trained at the then Birmingham School of Photography. It tells the story of a daughter who embarks on a journey to find the champion her father was when he won the hockey gold for India at the 1948 London Olympics.
For the full programme visit www.birminghamindianfilmfestival.co.uk
Professor Rajinder Dudrah, professor of Cultural Studies and Creative Industries, Birmingham City University commented: "It's exciting to see the varied programme for BIFF this year. Birmingham City University enjoys partnering with the festival that brings diverse stories to a wider audience in the city and beyond. Cinema and its primary products - film - are a key sector of the creative industries and in hosting the festival in Birmingham, BIFF is also supporting and helping to develop local and global creative industries in South Asia and the city region. BCU as a champion of the creative industries is a proud supporter of the festival."
Birmingham Indian Film Festival opens on 24 June and runs until 5 July. All films have English subtitles.