Europe’s largest South Asian film festival, the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF), celebrates its 15th birthday this year with a power-packed programme of features, shorts, series, gaming and XR across six UK cities – London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford and Liverpool.
The festival, supported by BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, and major partner the Bagri Foundation, opened this week with the European Premiere of US indie tear-jerker ‘Paper Flowers’, directed by Mahesh Pailoor. Audiences can expect a heart-pounding finale with a closing night offering a special preview of Lionsgate’s ‘Kill’, produced by Bollywood icon Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.
LIFF CEO and Programming Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said: “It's been an incredible journey marking 15 years this year and we are delighted to expand into new UK cities, welcoming Bradford and Liverpool into our six-city reach.
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“It's also personally exciting to have such a talented team and innovative partners, as we push ahead to explore new frontiers of South Asian gaming and XR scenes and continue our mission to showcase and celebrate emerging and established filmmakers, diversifying our offer to UK audiences.”
After successfully launching web series premieres last year, the festival brings the first three episodes of Canadian series ‘Late Bloomer’. Audiences in the UK will be one of the first to watch this hilarious and heartfelt comedy, created by and starring social media star Jus Reign, which follows the adventures of a young Sikh millennial struggling to navigate the complexities of life while balancing his Eastern roots with Western ideals.
A captivating lineup of documentaries promise a cinematic journey through untold South Asian stories: ‘Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen’ celebrates the trials and achievements of India’s greatest female filmmaker and UK-India co-production ‘Tight: The World of Indian Bodybuilding’ gets its world premiere.
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The festival’s pioneering LGBTQIA+ film showcase, Too Desi Too Queer, returns with a fresh selection of groundbreaking and thought-provoking queer films. From heartwarming love stories to inspiring documentaries, these eye-opening shorts celebrate and amplify the voices of South Asian queer individuals.
