London Indian Film Festival 2016 Programme

The Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) returns for its seventh year in summer 2016.

A pioneering film festival, and the biggest Indian film festival in Europe, LIFF showcases the most current and diverse independent films to come out of South Asia.

From shorts, new features, to documentaries, LIFF offers avid cinema goers the chance to experience compelling films from outstanding South Asian filmmakers.

A key theme of 2016 is gender equality, with an incredible seven films directed by women filmmakers.

The Opening Night film, Parched is a wonderfully captivating story of four women living in a desert village in Gujarat.

The film follows their journey to overcome the cultural traditions they are stifled by. The film stars Radhika Apte, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Surveen Chawla, and Lehar Khan and directed by the very talented Leena Yadav.

In addition, LIFF will be proudly hosting their first transgender film based on an empowering true story, Naanu Avanalla Avalu (I Am Not He… She).

Media Sponsors of the Baghri Foundation London Indian Film Festival 2016, DESIblitz.com are also proud to announce that they will be supporting several films this year, including Moh Maya Money (In Greed We Trust), Enemy and Golpo (Jalal’s Story).

Moh Maya Money (In Greed We Trust) is a Delhi noir film directed by Munish Bhardwaj. It follows the life of a crooked estate broker who embezzles money from the firm he works for through a series of scams. The crime thriller stars Bollywood actors, Ranvir Shorey and Neha Dhupia.

Enemy directed by Dinesh P. Bhonsle is a Konkani language film about a Goan Catholic family who lose their home and land in the midst of a Government corruption scandal.

Jalaler Golpo (Jalal’s Story) is a Bangla language film following the life of teenager Jalal who was abandoned as a baby in a river. The film stars Mohammod Emon, Arafat Rahman, and Mosharraf Karim.

Speaking about the sponsorship, Managing Director of DESIblitz.com, Indi Deol says:

“We have worked closely with Cary [Sawhney] and the London Indian Film Festival over the years, and have watched LIFF grow bigger and bigger. Last year, we supported the prestigious festival as it came to Birmingham for the first time. We are proud to be part of such a fantastic event, and we are positive that this year will be one of the best so far.”

Other stand out films in the programme include Oscar winning Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s award-winning documentary, A Girl In The River: The Price of Forgiveness. Showcasing on July 18 at London’s Picturehouse Central, Sharmeen will also be engaging in a special Q&A session.

The film festival also welcomes a number of high profile guests across London and Birmingham. These include the talented filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. Kapur is the director of the Oscar nominated Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett.

Also joining audiences at BFI Southbank is the personable and charming Kamal Haasan who will be talking about his vibrant career and incredible journey in Indian film.

Speaking about the fantastic festival, Director of LIFF, Cary Rajinder Sawhney says:

“We aim to showcase films that entertain but challenge and make one think about the many social issues happening in India today, and that includes many positive changes including the fact that so many emerging Indian women filmmakers who are producing world-class films that are giving their male counterparts a serious run for their money.”

Title Sponsor Alka Bagri of the Bagri Foundation adds: “We are delighted to support such an incredible festival which reveals the richness of South Asian culture and offers a wonderful platform for emerging talent.

“This year’s programme epitomises the diversity and dynamism of South Asian cinema, and through films, debates and panel discussions, we will explore topical issues such as gender, identity, mental health and equality.

“We look forward to being joined by two acclaimed figures of Indian cinema: Kamal Haasan and Shekhar Kapur who will take us on their cinematic journey.”

The festival will also welcome the return of the Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition. In contention for the £1,000 prize money, are Mochi (The Cobbler), Marriage Bazaar, Chariot Riders, Angelus Novus, Chhaya and Playgrounds.

Here is the full programme of films and activities for the sixth annual London Indian Film Festival, 2016:

London

PARCHED (Hindi with English subtitles) | OPENING NIGHT | ENGLISH PREMIERE | (15)
Showing: 14 July, 18:00, Cineworld Haymarket | 16 July, 17:30, Cineworld Wembley | 20 July, 20:40, BFI Southbank
Dir. Leena Yadav with Radhika Apte, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Surveen Chawla, Lehar Khan.

OTTAAL (THE TRAP) (Malayam with English subtitles) | UK PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 15 July, 18:30, ICA | 16 July, 16:00, Boleyn | 17 July, 16:00, Cineworld Wandsworth
Dir. Jayaraj Rajasekharan Nair with Shine Tom Chacko, Kumarakom Vasavan, Ashanth K. Sha.

ARSHINAGAR (MIRRORSVILLE) (Bengali with English subtitles) | EUROPEAN PREMIERE | (15)
Showing: 16 July, 20:00, Crouch End Picturehouse | 17 July, 17:30, BFI Southbank
Dir. Aparna Sen with Dev, Rittika Sen, Waheeda Rehman, Jishu Sengupta

NAANU AVANALLA AVALU (I AM NOT HE…SHE) (Kannada with English subtitles) | EUROPEAN PREMIERE  | (12A)
Showing: 16 July, 20:30, BFI Southbank | 17 July, 18:00, Crouch End Picturehouse
Dir. B S Lingadevaru with Sanchari Vijay, Sharada Nani, Kunal Punekar.

JUGNI (FIREFLY) (Hindi/Punjabi with English subtitles) | INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 15 July, 19:00, Cineworld Wembley | 16 July, 18:00, Cineworld Haymarket | 17 July, 20:00, Cineworld O2
Dir. Shefali Bhushan with Sugandha Garg, Siddhant Behl, Sadhana Singh.

MOH MAYA MONEY (IN GREED WE TRUST) (Hindi with English subtitles) | EUROPEAN PREMIERE | (15)
Showing: 15 July, 19:00, Picturehouse Central | 16 July, 20:30, Cineworld Wembley | 18 July, 19:00, Crouch End Picturehouse
Dir. Munish Bhardwaj with Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Devendra Chauhan.
* supported by DESIblitz.com

KUTRAME THANDANAI (CRIME IS PUNISHMENT) (Tamil with English subtitles) | EUROPEAN PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 15 July, 20:00, Cineworld Wandsworth | 17 July, 18:00, Cineworld Haymarket
Dir. M. Manikandan with Vidharth, Nasser, Rahman, Aishwarya Rajesh.

KHAEMAE MEIN MATT JHANKAIN (DON’T PEEK INTO THE TENT) (Punjabi/Urdu with English subtitles) | WORLD PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 17 July, 17:00, Picturehouse Central | 19 July, 20:00, Cineworld O2
Dir. Shahbaz Sumar with Sara Haider, Zia Khan, Mahtab Murad

JEEWAN HATHI (ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM) (Urdu with English subtitles) | WORLD PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 17 July, 17:00, Picturehouse Central | 19 July, 20:00, Cineworld O2
Dir. Meenu Gaur, Farjad Nabi with Naseeruddin Shah, Hina Dilpazeer, Samiya Mumtaz.

FIREFLIES IN THE ABYSS (Nepali/Hindi/English with English subtitles) | UK PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 18 July, 18:30, Cineworld Haymarket | 19 July, 20:00, Crouch End Picturehouse
Dir. Chandrasekhar Reddy with Nishant Rai, Raj Rai, Suraj Subba.

ENEMY (Konkani with English subtitles) | INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 18 July, 20:00, Cineworld Wandsworth | 20 July, 19:30, Cineworld Haymarket
Dir. Dinesh P. Bhonsle with Meenacshi Martins, Salil Naik, Antonio Crasto.
* supported by DESIblitz.com

BRAHMAN NAMAN (English) | ENGLISH PREMIERE | (18)
Showing: 15 July, 20:40, BFI Southbank | 18 July, 20:30, Cineworld Haymarket
Dir. Q. with Shashank Arora, Tanmay Dhanania, Chaitanya Varad.

KALO POTHI (THE BLACK HEN) (Nepali with English subtitles) | UK PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 16 July, 15:00, Crouch End Picturehouse | 17 July, 15:00, ICA
Dir. Min Bahadur Bham with Khadka Raj Nepali, Sukra Raj Rokaya, Jit Bahadur Malla.

A GIRL IN THE RIVER: THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS (Punjabi with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 18 July, 18:30, Picturehouse Central
Dir. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

SONG OF LAHORE (English/Punjabi/Urdu with English subtitles) | LONDON PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 18 July, 18:30, Picturehouse Central
Dir. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

ISLAND CITY (Hindi with English subtitles) | UK PREMIERE | (15)
Showing: 19 July, 18:30, ICA | 20 July, 20:30, Cineworld Wembley
Dir. Ruchika Oberoi with Vinay Pathak, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Chandan Roy Sanyal.

RINGAN (THE QUEST) (Marathi with English subtitles) | UK PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 16 July, 16:00, ICA | 17 July, 17:00, Cineworld O2
Dir. Makarand Mane with Shashank Shende, Saahil Joshi, Suhas Sirsat, Kalyanee Mulay.

CINEMAWALA (Bengali with English subtitles) | EUROPEAN PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 16 July, 18:00, ICA | 17 July, 18:00, Cineworld Wembley
Dir. Kaushik Ganguly with Paran Bandopadhay, Parambrata Chatterjee, Arun Guha Thakurta.

FOR THE LOVE OF A MAN (Tamil/English with English subtitles) | UK PREMIERE | (PG)
Showing: 16 July, 18:00, Boleyn | 17 July, 18:00, ICA
Dir. Rinku Kalsy with K. Hariharan, Uma Vangal, G. Mani.

PREMAYA NAM (DIRTY, YELLOW, DARKNESS) (Sinhala with English subtitles) | EUROPEAN PREMIERE | (15)
Showing: 19 July, 18:30, Picturehouse Central | 20 July, 18:30, Cineworld Wembley
Dir. Kalpana & Vindana Ariyawansa with Shyam Fernando, Samanalee Fonseka, Suranga Ranawaka.

JALALER GOLPO (JALAL’S STORY) (Bangla with English subtitles) | UK PREMIERE | (15)
Showing: 19 July, 18:30, Cineworld Haymarket | 20 July, 19:00, Crouch End Picturehouse
Dir. Abu Shahed Emon with Mohammod Emon, Arafat Rahman, Mosharraf Karim
* supported by DESIblitz.com

RAMSINGH CHARLIE (Hindi with English subtitles) | INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | (PG)
Showing: 19 July, 20:30, BFI Southbank
Dir. Nitin Kakkar with Kumud Mishra, Divya Dutta.

CRD (Hindi with English subtitles) | EUROPEAN PREMIERE | (15)
Showing: 20 July, 19:00, Picturehouse Central
Dir. Kranti Kanade with Mrinmayee Godbole, Saurabh Saraswat, Vinay Sharma, Abhay Mahajan.

SHEKHAR KAPUR: A LIFE WITH ELIZABETH | JULY 16
Celebrated director, Shekhar Kapur will be presented with the Sun Mark Ltd LIFF Icon Award for his outstanding contribution to cinema at BFI Southbank.

KAMAL HAASAN | SCREEN TALK | JULY 17
Writer, poet, filmmaker and actor Kamal Haasan will be speaking about his extraordinary journey and career through Indian cinema and film at BFI Southbank

WOMEN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA: A LIFE LESS ORDINARY| SOUTH ASIAN FILMMAKERS DEBATE | JULY 17
Double Oscar winner Pakistan’s Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Mumbai’s multi-award winning Leena Yadav, documentary filmmaker Rinku Kalsy and other special guests talk about their unique careers and experiences as women filmmakers at BFI Southbank

AN EVENING WITH SHARMILA TAGORE | JULY 15
Sharmila Tagore will share her grace and wisdom with LIFF audiences in conversation with Life Goes On director Sangeeta Datta at Cineworld Haymarket

TOBA TEK SINGH (Hindi/Punjabi with English subtitles) | CLOSING NIGHT | WORLD PREMIERE
Showing: 21 July, 18:00, BFI Southbank
Dir. Ketan Mehta with Pankaj Kapur, Vinay Pathak.

Birmingham

PARCHED (Hindi with English subtitles) | (15)
Showing: 15 July, 19:00, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. Leena Yadav with Radhika Apte, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Surveen Chawla, Lehar Khan.
* Q&A with Director Leena Yadav is sponsored by DESIblitz.com

NAANU AVANALLA AVALU (I AM NOT HE…SHE) (Kannada with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 15 July, 20:30, MAC Cinema Cannon Hill Park
Dir. B S Lingadevaru with Sanchari Vijay, Sharada Nani, Kunal Punekar.

KAMAL HAASAN | SCREEN TALK | JULY 16
Writer, poet, filmmaker and actor Kamal Haasan will be speaking about his extraordinary journey and career through Indian cinema and film at Cineworld Broad Street

BRAHMAN NAMAN (English) | (18)
Showing: 16 July, 20:00, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. Q. with Shashank Arora, Tanmay Dhanania, Chaitanya Varad.

OTTAAL (THE TRAP) (Malayam with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 17 July, 14:00, MAC Cinema Cannon Hill Park
Dir. Jayaraj Rajasekharan Nair with Shine Tom Chacko, Kumarakom Vasavan, Ashanth K. Sha.

JUGNI (FIREFLY) (Hindi/Punjabi with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 17 July, 17:00, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. Shefali Bhushan with Sugandha Garg, Siddhant Behl, Sadhana Singh.

KUTRAME THANDANAI (CRIME IS PUNISHMENT) (Tamil with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 19 July, 19:30, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. M. Manikandan with Vidharth, Nasser, Rahman, Aishwarya Rajesh.

A GIRL IN THE RIVER: THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS (Punjabi with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 19 July, 20:10, MAC Cinema Cannon Hill Park
Dir. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

SONG OF LAHORE (English/Punjabi/Urdu with English subtitles) 
Showing: 19 July, 20:10, MAC Cinema Cannon Hill Park
Dir. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

CINEMAWALA (Bengali with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 21 July, 18:00, MAC Cinema Cannon Hill Park
Dir. Kaushik Ganguly with Paran Bandopadhay, Parambrata Chatterjee, Arun Guha Thakurta.

KHAEMAE MEIN MATT JHANKAIN (DON’T PEEK INTO THE TENT) (Punjabi/Urdu with English subtitles) | WORLD PREMIERE | (12A)
Showing: 21 July, 19:00, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. Shahbaz Sumar with Sara Haider, Zia Khan, Mahtab Murad

JEEWAN HATHI (ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM) (Urdu with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 21 July, 19:00, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. Meenu Gaur, Farjad Nabi with Naseeruddin Shah, Hina Dilpazeer, Samiya Mumtaz.

JALALER GOLPO (JALAL’S STORY) (Bangla with English subtitles)
Showing: 22 July, 18:30, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. Abu Shahed Emon with Mohammod Emon, Arafat Rahman, Mosharraf Karim
* supported by DESIblitz.com

MOH MAYA MONEY (IN GREED WE TRUST) (Hindi with English subtitles) | (15)
Showing: 22 July, 20:30, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. Munish Bhardwaj with Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Devendra Chauhan.
* supported by DESIblitz.com

RINGAN (THE QUEST) (Marathi with English subtitles) | (12A)
Showing: 23 July, 18:00, MAC Cinema Cannon Hill Park
Dir. Makarand Mane with Shashank Shende, Saahil Joshi, Suhas Sirsat, Kalyanee Mulay.

KALPANA (IMAGINATION) | UK PREMIER OF RESTORED VERSION | (U)
Showing: 24 July, 14:00, MAC Cinema Cannon Hill Park
Dir. Uday Shankar with Uday Shankar, Lakshmi Kanta, Usha Kiran, Amala Shankar.

TOBA TEK SINGH (Hindi/Punjabi with English subtitles) | CLOSING NIGHT | (12A)
Showing: 24 July, 18:00, Cineworld Broad Street
Dir. Ketan Mehta with Pankaj Kapur, Vinay Pathak.

Ending London Indian Film Festival on a high is the Closing Night film, Toba Tek Singh. Directed by Ketan Mehta, the emotionally touching story stars Pankaj Kapur and Vinay Pathak.

The celebrated film festival will take place between July 14 and 24, 2016, across two of the UK’s biggest cities, London and Birmingham.

Participating cinema venues for films include Cineworld (Haymarket, O2, Wandsworth, Wembley), BFI Southbank, ICA, Picturehouse Central, Crouch End Picturehouse, and East London’s rustic Boleyn Cinema.

Cineworld Broad Street and Midland Arts Centre (mac) will host the Birmingham leg of the festival.

For more details of the London Indian Film Festival 2016, please visit the LIFF website here.