London
Indian Film Festival: 15th - 20th July 2010
 A
new Indian Film Festival launches from 15th- 20th July in London with
a range of cutting-edge movies from some of India's hottest independent
talents. The festival covers a wide range of themes from family dramas,
coming-of age tales to twisted urban romance. What pervades through
many of these movies is a more assured Indian 'cool', experimention
with cinematic styles, new technology and themes both East and West,
which has helped them win favour with the young cinema goers Mumbai.
The London Indian Film Festival opens at Cineworld (Haymarket) on
15th July with the UK premiere of the challenging 'Love, Sex Aur
Dhokha', (Love, Sex and Betrayal), by director, Dibakar Banerjee.
Through three intertwined tales, this controversial film explores
sexuality, voyeurism, love and betrayal in modern India. The film
has un-known actors, but its radical revision -challenging the romantic
Indian fairy-tale romance was a big box office hit when it was released
in India in March.
India
is the largest film producing country in the world producing up
to 1,000 films a year, out stripping Hollywood, but apart from mainstream
Bollywood, very few of these films are seen in the UK. Festival
Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney explains: "Apart from just showing
great movies, we also aim to help get these film talked about and
screened more broadly in cinemas in the UK. London of course has
a huge Asian audience for these movies, but many Brits would also
like to see what's going on in the 1.2 billion strong India today
and cinema is a great way to do this".
Other
highlights in this festival include the high-impact 'City of Gold',
by the maverick director Mahesh Manjrekar, about the forgotten history
of mill workers of Bombay whose livelihoods were crushed when the
mills were converted into the glitzy shopping malls and five star
hotels. Meanwhile, 'Last Chance Mumbai' is a sophisticated multi-strand
ensemble exploring the connective lives of the city's inhabitants
over a 24 hour period by acclaimed director, Saeed Akhtar Mirza.
'Road
to Sangam' directed by Amit Rai, explores ideas of Nation India
and sometimes conflicting religious identity. It tells the story
of one Muslim man's desire to help take Mahatma Gandhi's remaining
ashes to the holy river and explores how many Muslims in India see
themselves 60 years after independence. The closing movie is the
UK premiere 'Vihir' (The Well) by award winning director Umesh Kulkarni
which is stunningly filmed amongst the grandeur of the rolling Indian
plains of two adolescent friends who inspire each other's journey
to manhood.
London
Indian Film Festival Schedule
| Thursday
15 July Opening Night UK Premiere @ 7.00pm |
|
 Love,
Sex Aur Dhokha (Love, Sex & Betrayal), followed by
Q&A with director, Dibakar Banerjee
Running time 150 mins approx, Release 2010
Hindi with English sub-titles
Cineworld Haymarket
Tel: 0871 200 2000 www.cineworld.co.uk
Tickets: £9.50 (conc.: £7.50)
Shocking
and gripping, this international version of hit film Love,
Sex Aur Dhokha pulls no punches as it introduces us to the
surveillance crammed world of today's mega-city India. Deftly
told through 3 inter-twinned stories, Banerjee takes us on
a roller coaster ride of twisted tales of young love, soaked
in betrayal.
|
| Friday
16 July @ 3.00pm |
|
Nehru
Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF
www.nehrucentre.org.uk
FREE but RSVP essential
e: rsvp@nehrucentre.org.uk
Tel: 020 7491 3567
3.00pm
Satyajit Ray Foundation's Short Film Award nominees screening
at Nehru Centre
|
| Friday
16 July @ 8pm |
|
 Dev
D
Dir. Anurag Kashyap / Script Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag
Kashyap / with Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin / 2009
Hindi with English subtitles
Watermans, 40 High Street, Brentford, TW8 0DS
Box Office: 020 8232 1010, www.watermans.org.uk
Tickets: £7.50 (£6.00 conc.)
Trailblazer of a younger generation of Indian directors Anurag
Kashyap brings a brilliant, luxuriantly visual re-telling
to the classic story of Devdas, who treats his girlfriend
in the wrong way and ends up the broken hearted lover.
|
| Friday
16 July @ 7.00pm & Sunday 18 July 7.00pm |
 City
of Gold
Dir.
Mahesh Manjrekar
Running Time (142 mins)
Release April 2010, with Seema Biswas.
Hindi with English subtitles
Genesis Cinema
93-95 Mile End Road, London E1 4UJ
020 7780 2000 www.genesiscinema.co.uk
Ticket Prices:
Mon-Thurs Full price £6.00, Student/ Concessions £5.00
Weekend Full price £7.50, Student/Concessions £5.00
Other ticket prices available for senior, children and families.
This
is a powerful tale about the untold story behind today's Mumbai
- regarded by many as the 'City of Gold'. The Dhuri family
of mill workers, headed by their strong-willed mother, played
by Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen), live on the edge of the slums.
They struggle to survive the abyss of poverty as Mumbai's
great mills are struck down by political corruption and commercial
greed, to make way for glittering new shopping malls and five
star hotels.
|
| Saturday
17 July Barbican Cinema @7.45pm |
|
 Last
Chance Mumbai
Dir. Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Running time 120 mins approx, Release 2009
Hindi with English subtitles
Tickets: Standard: £7.50 online (£9.50 full price)
Barbican Members: £6.50 online (£7.50 full price)
Concessions: £7.50
Tel: 020 7 638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk/film/festivals.asp
'Monsoon
Wedding' actor Vijay Raaz leads an impressive cast of characters
in this multi-strand ensemble, set in the megalopolis of modern
Mumbai, that explores the connected lives of the city's varied
inhabitants over the same 24 hour period. Raaz (a thief),
sparks a sequence of events that bring all our characters
lives into head long collision.
|
| Saturday
17 July @ 8pm |
|
Love
Sex Aur Dhokha (Love, Sex And Betrayal)
Running time 150 mins approx, Release 2010
Hindi with English sub-titles
Watermans
40 High Street, Brentford, TW8 0DS
Box Office: 020 8232 1010, www.watermans.org.uk
Tickets: £7.50 (£6.00 conc.)
Shocking
and gripping, this international version of hit film Love,
Sex Aur Dhokha pulls no punches as it introduces us to the
surveillance crammed world of today's mega-city India. Deftly
told through 3 inter-twinned stories, Banerjee takes us on
a roller coaster ride of twisted tales of young love, soaked
in betrayal.
|
|
Sunday
18 July @ 7pm
|
|
Last
Chance Mumbai (Ek Tho Mumbai)
Dir. Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Running time 120 mins approx, Release 2009
Hindi with English subtitles
Watermans
40 High Street, Brentford, TW8 0DS
Box Office: 020 8232 1010, www.watermans.org.uk
Tickets: £7.50 (£6.00 conc.)
'Monsoon
Wedding' actor Vijay Raaz leads an impressive cast of characters
in this multi-strand ensemble, set in the megalopolis of modern
Mumbai, that explores the connected lives of the city's varied
inhabitants over the same 24 hour period. Raaz (a thief),
sparks a sequence of events that bring all our characters
lives into head long collision.
|
|
Sunday 18 July Eastern Eye Gala at Barbican @ 3.45pm
|
|
 Road
to Sangam
Writer /Dir. Amit Rai
Running time (135 mins), Release 2010
With English subtitles
Tickets: Standard: £7.50 online (£9.50 full price)
Barbican Members: £6.50 online (£7.50 full price)
Concessions: £7.50
Tel: 020 7 638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk/film/festivals.asp
A last urn of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes are discovered and have
to be taken to the confluence (Sangam) of the holy rivers.
A Moslem mechanic is tasked to prepare Gandhi's vehicle but
inter-religious strife lead to him being torn between his
morals. Featuring a cameo appearance by Tushar Gandhi (grandson
of the Mahatma) with Indian cinema greats, Paresh Rawal and
Om Puri (East is East).
|
| Monday
19 July @ 7.00pm |
|
Road
to Sangam
Writer /Dir. Amit Rai
Running time (135 mins), Release 2010
With English subtitles
Genesis Cinema
93-95 Mile End Road, London E1 4UJ
020 7780 2000 www.genesiscinema.co.uk
Ticket Prices:
Mon-Thurs Full price £6.00, Student/ Concessions £5.00
Weekend Full price £7.50, Student/Concessions £5.00
Other ticket prices available for senior, children and families.
A
last urn of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes are discovered and have
to be taken to the confluence (Sangam) of the holy rivers.
A Moslem mechanic is tasked to prepare Gandhi's vehicle but
inter-religious strife lead to him being torn between his
morals. Featuring a cameo appearance by Tushar Gandhi (grandson
of the Mahatma) with Indian cinema greats, Paresh Rawal and
Om Puri (East is East).
|
| Tuesday
20 July @ 7.00pm |
|
Satyajit Ray Foundation's Short Film Award announced &
closing Night film
 Vihir
(The Well) Q&A with director, Umesh Kulkarni and producer
Girish Kulkarni after screening
Running Time (117 mins), Release 2010
Language: Marathi with English subtitles
Cineworld Haymarket
Tel: 0871 200 2000 www.cineworld.co.uk
Tickets: £9.50 (conc.: £7.50)
A
wonderfully moving coming of age tale, stunningly filmed amongst
the grandeur of the rolling Indian plains. Two adolescent
best friends inspire each other as they grow up, until one
makes a fateful decision that will change the others life
forever.
|
|
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A
new Indian Film Festival launches from 15th- 20th July in London with
a range of cutting-edge movies from some of India's hottest independent
talents. The festival covers a wide range of themes from family dramas,
coming-of age tales to twisted urban romance. What pervades through
many of these movies is a more assured Indian 'cool', experimention
with cinematic styles, new technology and themes both East and West,
which has helped them win favour with the young cinema goers Mumbai.
