The London Indian Film Festival rolls back into the capital from 16 to 26 July, getting under way with an opening night UK premiere of Sundance award-winner Umrika. Directed by Prashant Nair, who will attend for a Q&A, it’s a rites-of-passage story in which two brothers leave their tiny Indian hamlet with dreams of a new life in America. All goes well for them in their new country if their letters home to their family are to be believed – but are they?
With screenings at BFI Southbank, the ICA, and Cineworld venues across the city, the festival features many more such premieres. These include The Master, a new documentary about Indian indie filmmaker Shyam Benegal; Nagesh Kukunoor’s magical Dhanak (The Rainbow), a Berlin Film Festival prizewinner; Tigers, a provocative new drama from Oscar-winning director Danis Tanović about corruption in the pharmaceuticals industry; and Sturla Gunnarson’s Monsoon, an awe-inspiring documentary about the rainy season.
Bollywood giant Mani Ratnam (director of Dil Se and Nayakan) will be explaining his golden commercial touch in a rare interview on stage at BFI Southbank, while on 21 July the ICA will screen a full programme of the shorts competing for this year’s Satyajit Ray Short Film Award. The winner will be announced at a closing night gala event, where attendees will also enjoy the London premiere of Death of a Gentleman, the eagerly awaited new documentary about modern cricket.
For full details of the programme, see the London Indian Film Festival website.