Artist Chila Kumari Burman. Photo by Cary Rajinder Sawhney that Movies 21 - 01 Pack a

June

2019 July Punch www.birminghamindianfilmfestival.co.uk www.birminghamindianfilmfestival.co.uk Celebrating our 5th Birthday, Birmingham Indian Film Festival which is part of the UK and Europe’s largest South Asian film festival is literally stuffed to the rafters with a rich assortment of entertaining and thought provoking independent films.

This year’s highlights include Our Film, Power & Politics strand offers a red carpet opening night at a critical insight into the fast moving Cineworld Broad Street with the political changes of South Asia. The exciting premiere of cop whodunit astonishing documentary Reason by Article 15, starring star Anand Patwardhan, Bangla suspense READYTO LAUNCH YOUR CAREER and directed Saturday Afternoon and Gandhian by Anubhav Sinha. Our closing night black comedy #Gadhvi are a few films IN THE FILM INDUSTRY marks the return of , the to look out for. director of with the premiere of Photograph starring the We are expecting a host of special MA Feature Film Development and legendary and guests, including ’s most famous Sanya Malhotra. indie director of MA Film Distribution and Marketing Sacred Games fame. Make sure you buy Our themes this year include the Young your tickets in advance for this one! Now open for applications Rebel strand which literally knocks out www.bcu.ac.uk/nti/courses all the stereotypes with a fist of movies We are delighted to welcome back our exploring younger lives. See director regular partners including Birmingham Rima Das’ award-winning teenage hit City University and welcome our new Bulbul Can Sing. Beautiful and uplifting hotel partner, Malmaison Birmingham. tale, Chuskit based on a true story and Thanks to the BFI Audience Fund and Kattumaram premieres, presenting to our many friends and supporters. young lives taking a stand. More guests will be confirmed Dive deep into our Extra-Ordinary Lives soon so please do check out the strand with amazing documentaries festival website for updates www. and dramas from across South Asia. birminghamindianfilmfestival.co.uk We present charming award-winning or hit @weLoveBIFF #weLoveBIFF FB: romance Sir. Don’t miss tense Kannada Birmingham Indian Film Festival. whodunnit Arishadvarga, or the unforgettably feel-good My Home India Buy tickets via booking links on our and catch Bengal legendary director website, or directly at partner cinemas. Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s magic realist film, The Flight. We look forward to seeing you there!

Cary Rajinder Sawhney Executive & Programming Director 3 MAJOR SPONSOR FUNDED BY PARTNER VENUES

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Patrons : Shekhar Kapur, Tony Matharu, Lord David Puttnam, Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Thanks to Toki Allison, Saqib Batti, James Anderson Brown, Alka Bagri, David Baldwin, George SUPPORTERS Barker, Shyam Benegal, Paul Bowman, Sindy Campbell, Mr S M Chakraborty, Anne Cockitt, Jon Cox, Stuart Crane, Uma da Cunha, Helen Baker, Alper Dervish, Dr Rajinder Dudrah, Dr Rachel Dwyer,

CONSULATE Paul Faulkner, Sima Gonsai, Damian Goom, Gaylene Gould, Ian Francis, Alison Grade, Michael GENERAL OF INDIA Gubbins, Latif Hussain, Shaista Hussain, Francesca Jones, Simon Jones, Alicja Kaczmarek, Lee Kemp, Birmingham Deborah Kermode, Anjum Khan, Sabra Khan, Haseena Lockhat, Heather Maclaurin, Qasim Majid, Sarah-Jane Meredith, Sara Middleton, Bhavna Mistry, Lee Nabbs, Asjad Nazir, Dr Aman Puri, Simi Obra, Khakan Qureshi, Andy Rae, Sridhar Rangayan, Piali Ray, Richard Short, Amy Smart, Stephanie Taylor, Aziz Zeria

4 5 OPENING NIGHT GALA CLOSING NIGHT GALA ARTICLE 15 PREMIERE PHOTOGRAPH PREMIERE 21 June | 19:00 | CINEWORLD BROAD STREET 1 July | 19:00 | MAC BIRMINGHAM RED CARPET FROM 18:30

We are delighted to open our 5th birthday celebrations with the premiere of Anubhav Cannes hit The Lunchbox took the world by storm with box office success in all Sinha’s hard-hitting Article 15. India’s hottest male star Ayushmann Khurrana territories. Its director Ritesh Batra returns to the big screen with this nuanced romance (, Badhaai Ho) plays a police officer from a privileged urban background, between unlikely lovers. Acting legend Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Rafi, a humble street whose first posting is to rural north India, where three teenage girls have gone photographer outside the Gateway of India, . He photographs an attractive missing. His honesty does not sit well with the existing, deeply entrenched corrupt young wealthy woman Miloni, who disappears without paying. Keeping her photo, system where, in 2019, a 1000-year-old practice where human beings are divided on he tries to fob off his marriage-peddling granny by sending her the photo to show his the basis of caste continues. Beginning as a riveting police procedural that is a True success, but impressed, she is soon heading to Mumbai to meet the marriage prospect. Detective-like deep-dive into the Indian bayou, Article 15 soon elevates to a gutsy Rafi manages to track down Miloni and convince her to pretend to be his fiancée, and, exposé of a deeply flawed structure. The film’s title is a reference to an article partly intrigued by rough diamond Rafi’s request and partly because she’s looking for of the Indian constitution that prohibits discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, something extraordinary, she agrees. race or sex. Special guests expected.

Hindi, English with English subtitles. , Gujarati, English with English subtitles India 2019 | 120 Mins India/Germany/US 2019 | 110 Mins

Director: Ritesh Batra Dir: Anubhav Sinha With: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Farrukh Jaffar With: Ayushmann Khurrana, Sayani Gupta, Isha Talwar, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra

Q&A with Director Anubhav Sinha, cast and crew

6 7 SPECIAL EVENT FILMMAKER CONVERSATIONS ARDAAS KARAAN PREMIERE ANURAG KASHYAP 29 June | 19:00 | CINEWORLD BROAD STREET SCREEN TALK 26 June | 19:00 | THE MOCKINGBIRD

Following the mega success of Ardaas, we revisit the story of three elderly men The Martin Scorsese of India. A rare chance to hear the experiences of India’s most who live in Canada with their families, realising that each generation has a different famed cult director. Anurag Kashyap is a unique talent and is India’s best-known conflicting opinion about life. The elderly men believe spending time with each other filmmaker on the global festival circuit. His Netflix seriesSacred Games was a global and communicating may help bridge their gap. But each time the family plans to spend smash hit and is set for season 2. He flits across genres, ranging from edgy, provocative time with each other they end up arguing. One day the elderly gentlemen come across fare like Dev. D, Ugly, Raman Raghav 2.0 to the two-part Godfather-like rural gangland Sehaj and Magic who are full of positivity and agree to help them understand their epic , the political punch of Gulaal and Black Friday, and the families but are given a week to accomplish this. Will Sehaj and Magic manage to find unusual love stories and . Known for his outspoken nature, a common thread for the three differing generations to live together in harmony? How Kashyap pulls no punches on stage, and his deep insights on cinema are valued will they use Ardaas (prayer) to convey their message about life? around the world.

Punjabi with English subtitles India 2019 | 140 Mins

Director: Gippy Grewal With: Gippy Grewal, Mehar Vij, Gurpreet Ghuggi

Q&A with Star and Director Gippy Grewal

8 9 PREMIERE EUROPEAN PREMIERE BULBUL CAN SING CHUSKIT KATTUMARAM YOUNG (CATAMARAN) REBEL 27 June | 18:00 | MAC BIRMINGHAM 29 June | 16:00 | THE MOCKINGBIRD 29 June | 13:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM

Young people challenge and change the world with fresh ideas and open hearts. We present a fist of films that depict young South Asians, some Assamese director Rima Das returns Based on a true story in the mountains of Part of an emerging queer cinema from are joyous and laugh- to BIFF with this groundbreaking Ladakh, we meet Chuskit - a joyous and South India Kattumaram tells of patriarch out-loud while others coming-of-age tale that has swept up strong-minded young girl whose dreams Singaram and his orphaned niece present youth facing prestigious awards at the Berlin, Dublin, of going to school are cut short after an Anandhi, fisher-folk survivors of the real-life challenges in Singapore and Mumbai film festivals. accident leaves her unable to walk. While Tsunami. Beautiful Anandhi teaches in South Asia today. Three teenage best friends in rural Assam, her friends start school she is confined to the local school and has many fishermen northeast India, are forging their distinct life indoors in the company of her strict interested in her, but Anandhi instead personalities, but as the girls secretly grandfather, Dorje, who is adamant she secretly falls for a new female supply teacher. As Singaram finds out and tries to meet boys, they soon come face to face must stay at home. As her battle with come to terms with this revelation, gossip with outmoded cultural traditions that her grandfather intensifies and Chuskit’s about the young women’s relationship challenge their family and place in the hopes are getting crushed the family quickly spreads. Singaram is left facing community, but most importantly their decides on a dramatic path of change. the choice of either defending his beloved bonds as loyal friends. Rima Das made a niece and her partner, or giving sway to global splash with Village Rockstars and the demands of an angry community. Bulbul Can Sing continues to prove her humane, world-class talent.

BSL Signed screening

Assamese, Hindi with English subtitles Ladakhi with English subtitles Tamil with English subtitles India 2018 | 95 Mins India 2018 | 90 Mins India 2019 | 73 Mins

Director: Rima Das Director: Priya Ramasubban Director: Swarnavel Eswaran With: Arnali Das, Manoranjan Das, With: Jigmet Dewa Lhamo, Morup Namgyal, With: Mysskin, Anusha Prabhu, Preeti Karan Bonita Thakuriya, Pakija Begam Yanchen Dolma Q&A with director Swarnavel Eswaran, Q&A with Director Rima Das Q&A with director Priya Ramasubban *Playsactor with Mysskin short & film other Dada cast and the Punjabi Princess, Director: Dr. Chila Kumari Burman 10 11 FESTIVAL CALENDAR

FRI 21 JUNE WED 26 JUNE Opening Night ANURAG KASHYAP SCREEN TALK ARTICLE 15 19:00 | THE MOCKINGBIRD 19:00 | CINEWORLD BROAD STREET (RED CARPET FROM 18:30) THU 27 JUNE

SAT 22 JUNE BULBUL CAN SING 18:00 | MAC BIRMINGHAM SATYAJIT RAY SHORT FILM AWARD FRI 28 JUNE 14:00 | THE MOCKINGBIRD Victoria Square, Birmingham SATURDAY AFTERNOON Saturday 19 October 2019 UROJAHAJ 18:15 | MAC BIRMINGHAM (THE FLIGHT) 16:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM SAT 29 JUNE WIDOW OF SILENCE KATTUMARAM 18:00 | CINEWORLD BROAD STREET (CATAMARAN) 13:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM SUN 23 JUNE CHUSKIT VIVEK 16:00 | THE MOCKINGBIRD (REASON) 16:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM ARDAAS KARAAN 19:00 | CINEWORLD BROAD STREET ARISHADVARGA 19:00 | CINEWORLD BROAD STREET SUN 30 JUNE TOO DESI TOO QUEER The annual Diwali on the Square is a joint venture between MON 24 JUNE 19:00 | MEDICINE BAKERY & GALLERY the Mayor of the West Midlands and the Indian Consul General, SIR coming together to celebrate this event for 18:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM MON 1 JULY a third successive year. TUE 25 JUNE Closing Night Please join us at Victoria Square for this year’s Diwali celebration PHOTOGRAPH MY HOME INDIA 19:00 | MAC BIRMINGHAM 18:30 | CENTRALA #GADHVI 20:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM

Please note that films start at the listed time, as there are no advertisements before them.

12 13 PREMIERE PREMIERE #GADHVI SATURDAY AFTERNOON FILM, POWER & 25 June | 20:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM 28 June | 18:15 | MAC BIRMINGHAM POLITICS

In one of the most rapidly changing political regions of the world, South Asian filmmakers A retired, nondescript widower Ram Winner of two jury awards at the are often at the Nath Gadhvi inadvertently takes on the Moscow International Film Festival, frontline - recording, establishment and suddenly becomes a Bangladeshi auteur Mostofa Sarwar reflecting on and at social media sensation. He begins to take Farooki (No Bed Of Roses) returns with this on Gandhi’s pacifist principles, but is no tense thriller shot in a single take where times questioning ordinary Gandhian, believing he is the terrorists take over an eatery in Dhaka, the powerful brokers reincarnation of the Mahatma itself. In resulting in a siege scenario and multiple and political decision- the process Gadhvi attracts more and deaths. Loosely based on real events, makers. We offer here more followers, but also enemies seeking the riveting film takes a close look at the four films that show to bring him down, including hired- roots of modern day terrorism through gun, Omkar, who has been tasked with political, social and gender implications. different aspects of the suppressing the swelling anger against Adding gravitas to this gut-puncher are a South Asian political the establishment by shattering Gadhvi’s plethora of international stars, including landscape now. delusion and crushing his core beliefs. India’s Parambrata Chatterjee (Shah Gaurav Bakshi’s debut feature is a sharp Jahan Regency), ’s Nusrat social and political satire. Imrose Tisha (Sincerely Yours, Dhaka) and Palestine’s Eyad Hourani (Omar). FOLLOW US ONLINE @WELOVEBIFF #WELOVEBIFF Hindi with English subtitles Bengali, English with English subtitles India 2018 | 109 Mins Bangladesh/Germany/India 2019 | 86 Mins

Director: Gaurav Bakshi Director: Mostofa Sarwar Farooki With: Sanjay Mishra, Rasika Dugal, With: Parambrata Chatterjee, Akshay Oberoi Nusrat Imrose Tisha, Eyad Hourani

Q&A with Director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

14 15 Find us on Facebook Badge CMYK / .ai

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Henry Adebonojo FRI 29 MARCH 8:30PM CBSO CENTRE

THE GRIND LIVE! SAT 6 APRIL 7PM TOWN HALL

Find us on Facebook Badge CMYK / .ai PREMIERE UK PREMIERE VIVEK WIDOW OF SILENCE (REASON) Town Hall Symphony Hall @THSHBirmingham 23 June | 16:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM 22 June | 18:00 | CINEWORLD BROAD STREET ON STAGE thsh_birmingham WITH: townhallsymphonyhall KAIA KATER WED 8 MAY 7:30PM QUEERSYMPHONYTERENCE EYE’S HALL STAGE ©

Raez Argulla TANBLANCHARD FRANCE THU& 20 THE JUNE TOWNE-COLLECTIVE HALL ©

Henry Adebonojo FRI 29 MARCH 8:30PM India’s greatest documentarian, Anand Popular at the Busan and Rotterdam Film CBSO CENTRE Patwardhan, returns with a powerful Festivals, Praveen Morchhale’s drama THE KINGDOM chronicle of contemporary India. He depicts tells of Aasia who works as a nurse in a CHOIR PLUS a country that after decades of relatively hospital to maintain herself, her 11-year- pro-secular democracy, is now increasingly old daughter and her sick mother-in-law. SPECIAL divided by religion, caste and power. She spends her days working, looking GUESTS Patwardhan follows activists, rationalists after her family and trying to obtain a MUSICAL and dissenters, Narendra Dabholkar and death certificate for her husband who FRITHE 10 MAY GRIND 7:30PM Govind Pansare, he broadens his gaze to had been taken away by the police and PICNICSYMPHONYLIVE! – HALL look at critical questions of communism, presumed dead. With her life in limbo, SAT 6 APRIL 7PM caste and freedom of speech. This is a unable to either re-marry, or settle her ROOPA riveting and sobering film that will inform considerable financial debt without a TOWN HALL and frustrate in equal measure. Reason death certificate, a conniving government PANESAR & is a must watch, and is perhaps the most official looks to take advantage, forcing FRIENDS important documentary to emerge from Aasia to make difficult decisions to SAT 22 JUNE India in recent years. overcome her absurd plight. Widow of Silence is a gripping and soulful film with SYMPHONY HALL breathtaking visuals of the Kashmir BOOK ONLINECAFÉ-BAR landscape. Hindi, Marathi with English subtitles Urdu with English subtitles BOOKthsh.co.uk ONLINE:ON THSH.CO.UK STAGE India 2018 | 240 Mins India 2018 | 85 Mins

Director: Anand Patwardhan Director: Praveen Morchhale Funded by WITH:Town Hall renovation also funded by With: Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare With: Shilpa Marwaha, Ajay Chourey, KAIA KATER Bilal Ahmad WED 8 MAY 7:30PM Director Anand Patwardhan in attendance Q&A with Director Praveen Morchhale SYMPHONY HALL 16 STAGE 17 © Raez Argulla

Film Festival ad.indd 1 16/05/2019 17:29 THE KINGDOM CHOIR PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS FRI 10 MAY 7:30PM SYMPHONY HALL

BOOK ONLINE thsh.co.uk

Funded by Town Hall renovation also funded by PREMIERE ARISHADVARGA MY HOME INDIA SIR EXTRA- ORDINARY 23 June | 19:00 | CINEWORLD BROAD STREET 25 June | 18:30 | CENTRALA 24 June | 18:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM LIVES

BIFF showcases independent films, which celebrate depictions of ordinary lives through fiction An aspiring young actor, Anish, who This inspirational documentary will have After its debut at Cannes this film has and documentaries. is doubling as an amateur gigolo, gets you in tears and every Indian glowing been winning hearts and awards the caught up in a sticky situation. Anish’s with pride. The film essentially uncovers world over. A wealthy young Indian This year we screen a dire financial situation is pushing one little-known story of unimaginable man in Mumbai with baggage from him to seek an escape, which he finds humanity, generosity and kindness. the past falls in love with his servant, a selection of films that with an anonymous wealthy female Towards the end of WW2 the Polish widow who dreams of becoming a tailor. show glimpses of real client. Called to her place one day for a ambassadorial team in Bombay, led by As the two take baby steps towards life in the subcontinent rendezvous, he turns up only to be met determined heroine Kira Banasinska and each other, trust is of the essence. Sir and Asian diaspora, with a surprise gift, ‘a murder’. He finds supported by a local Maharaja, dispatched explores the age-old divide between the which are sometimes himself framed for a crime he didn’t a convoy of food relief thousands of miles classes in India and wonders if it can commit with a witness who is convinced to Soviet Siberian labour camps where ever be bridged. Brilliant performances hard, sometimes feel he is the culprit. Arishadvarga is a smart Polish women and children were starving. from Tillotama Shome (Manto) and good, even comic, but and tense neo-noir thriller that will have To the British Raj’s surprise they returned Vivek Gomber (Court) offer a compelling always compelling. you guessing who did it till the very end. with 5,500 women and children who on screen chemistry in this charming found refuge and welcome in India. Over romance. 70 years later a number of now elderly Polish people return to a town South of Mumbai where they were able to find safety and discover the joys of childhood.

Kannada with English subtitles English, Polish with English subtitles Hindi, English, Marathi with English subtitles India 2018 | 135 Mins India/Poland 2019 | 45 Mins India/France 2018 | 99 Mins

Director: Arvind Kamath Director: Anjali Bhushan Director: Rohena Gera With: Mahesh Bung, Sudha Belawadi, Avinash With: Tillotama Shome, Vivek Gomber, Geetanjali Kulkarni

Q&A with Director Arvind Kamath & Cast Q&A with Director Anjali Bhushan Q&A with Director Rohena Gera

18 19 EUROPEAN PREMIERE UROJAHAJ (THE FLIGHT)

22 June | 16:30 | MAC BIRMINGHAM

Legendary Bengali filmmakerBuddhadeb Dasgupta, who has a magic realist style akin to Guillermo del Toro, attends the festival to present one of his finest films. An idealistic villager discovers a wrecked WW2 Japanese warplane deep in a ghostly forest. Seeing passenger planes overhead, his dream has always been to fly. He sets about secretly repairing the plane, but as he starts enquiring about an engine, the military find out and he is soon considered a national threat. Dasgupta’s films are often subtly laced with a pressing politic of the ordinary man pitted against the all-powerful state.

FOLLOW US ONLINE @WELOVEBIFF Bengali with English subtitles India 2018 | 82 Mins #WELOVEBIFF Director: Buddhadeb Dasgupta With: Chandan Roy Sanyal, Parno Mittra, Sudipto Chatterjee

Here for your journey Q&A with Director Buddhadeb Dasgupta

21 SATYAJIT RAY SHORT FILM AWARD 22 June | 14:00 | THE MOCKINGBIRD

The festival’s annual Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition and Award is a rare chance to see the works of talented, emerging filmmakers, who are exploring themes of South Asian Experience. The competition’s final shortlisted films will be screened at the festival and the winner of the 2019 award will be announced on the Closing Night of the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival.

NOOREH U USHACHA Dir. Ashsih Pandey | 22 mins | Urdu Dir. Rohan Kanwade | 21 mins | Marathi A young girl living on the India/Pakistan A young farm labourer finds herself border discovers that gunfire stops if she drawn to a local primary school teacher At Air India, we acknowledge the stays awake at night. in ways she never thought possible. continuous support and trust our ALIEN CULTURE KARK Iesh Thapar | 16 mins | English Dir. Pawan K. Nayak | 26 mins | Hindi passengers have been reposing in Southall 1979 with tensions running A young woman hopes her monotonous us time & again. Our endeavour high, a young man thinks his brother is life will take a turn after meeting a to improve your flying experience in trouble but the truth is far from what stranger and falling in love he imagined. through our path breaking RAMMAT GAMMAT THESE SILENCES ARE Dir. Ajitpal Singh | 17 mins | Gujarati innovations and thoughtful ALL THE WORDS Two young boys friendship is tested initiatives shall continue. Madhia Aijaz | 15 mins | Urdu when a pair of football boots goes A poetic essay on the public libraries missing. AIR INDIA...TRULY INDIAN of Pakistan

Mixed Programme Various Languages with English subtitles. Total running time 117 mins. TOO DESI TOO QUEER 30 June | 19:00 | MEDICINE BAKERY & GALLERY

The event includes a dynamic range of recent LGBTQ+ shorts from South Asia and the UK, followed by a panel debate exploring community empowerment and looking after individual wellbeing, with high profile speakers following by a networking social. For updates on the short film programme please check out the festival website. All are welcome but please be respectful that this is an LGBTQ+ space.

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