The annual London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) has unveiled a heart-warming set of films, including the European premiere of multi-starrer ‘The Storyteller’ (pictured), as part of a special cinema season next month.
One of Europe's largest South Asian film festivals will be spread across BFI Southbank and Barbican in London and at the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in Birmingham, with a selected season of films and shorts premieres in June and a larger programme returning in September across the UK.
The June season, supported in London by the Bagri Foundation, opens with ‘The Storyteller’ – directed by Ananth Mahadevan – on June 22 at BFI Southbank and June 23 at MAC Birmingham. This sumptuous film is based on the writings of Satyajit Ray and includes charming performances from Indian arthouse stalwarts Paresh Rawal as a struggling writer, with Adil Hussain and Tannistha Chatterjee.
After winning awards at the Toronto International Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival, the high-impact documentary ‘To Kill A Tiger’ comes to the UK with its harrowing and ultimately hopeful story of a village teenager and her loving father, who fearlessly take on society to fight for justice when a young woman is attacked by a group of men.
A special showcase at the festival will cover a set of British Asian movies, including a special preview of comedy drama ‘The Effects of Lying’ prior to its ITVX release later this year, with an all-star cast of Laila Rouass, Mark Williams, Navin Chowdhry, Ace Bhatti and Bhasker Patel.
Director N. Padmakumar returns to the festival with a super-cute love story ‘Max, Min & Meowzaki’, a must for all cat lovers and fans of anime.
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The European premiere of US documentary ‘Call Me Dancer’, directed by Leslie Shampaine and Pip Gilmour, is a live-your-dreams film charting the journey of Manish – a charismatic teenage street dancer from Mumbai who dreams of entering the world of ballet against the wishes of his struggling parents.
The compelling debut feature of director Siddharth Chauhan, ‘Amar Colony’, uncovers the secretive and connected lives of residents in a dilapidated apartment block in a small hill town in the lower Himalayas, unveiling sexual desires and emotional desperations.
LIFF will also present a special classic showcase at the Barbican of two award-winning features by director Deepa Mehta and starring actor Nandita Das, ‘Fire’ and ‘Earth’, followed by panel debates. Completing the June LIFF season is the festival’s most popular annual shorts programme ‘Too Desi Too Queer’, which will include the world premiere of documentary ‘Discovering Kali – 25 years of the Legendary Club’, charting the ascent of the British South Asian LGBTQIA+ scene.
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Alongside the cinema season, the festival is also presenting a range of shorts packages online on BFI Player from June 22.
The main film festival – in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds – will take place between September 7 and 14.
