The Birmingham Press

Birmingham Indian Film Festival comes to Millennium Point

Double bill of strong female voices returns for slice of hybrid film festival.

The Birmingham Indian Film Festival presented by LIFF, UK & Europe’s largest South Asian film event, is back at a new venue, Millennium Point on 20th September to complement the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival which returns for a mini-outing from 17th–20th September at BFI South Bank and Institute Francais’ Ciné Lumière. The Festival is supported by Birmingham City University, Asian Business Chamber of Commerce, Sampad South Asian Arts & Heritage and a BFI Audience Fund Award, awarding National Lottery funding.

This strong female line-up follows the hybridised festival’s successful outing on their own platform, LoveLIFFatHome.com which beholds In Conversation events with top film talent from Oscar nominees Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta, India’s A Listers Shabana Azmi, Anurag Kashyap, Ayushmann Khurana, and crossover talents, Freida Pinto & Adil Hussain (Life of Pi, Star Trek).

The festival runs in accordance with UK government guidelines, with health and safety measures that cinemas have mindfully set up.

The screening at Millennium Point’s giant screen is a double bill of the highly anticipated Busan hit Roam Rome Mein, the directorial debut by Brick Lane actress, Tannishtha Chaterjee, who also stars in it, alongside an Italian cast, and Indian stalwart, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Bollywood star Vidya Balan produced short film Natkhat (The Brat) that she also stars in.

Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE, Executive & Programming Director of LIFF, said, “It’s been an adventure this year to transform Europe’s largest South Asian film festival into both a digital version that continues to attract good audiences and an actual physical film festival and we are delighted to be dipping our toes into cinemas again with the support of our regular cinema partners BFI Southbank and Ciné Lumière and new partner Millennium Point in Birmingham, presenting a power packed all female programme,”

Rajinder Dudrah, Professor of Cultural Studies & Creative Industries at Birmingham City University, added, “Birmingham City University is very pleased to continue its partnership with BIFF as it develops each year. 2020 has been a year of challenges and stories that empower us, help us connect with one another, show our strength of spirit and uplift us at the same time, seem pressing now more than ever. In this respect BIFF’s offering this year is extra special featuring women at the centre.”

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