Birmingham Indian Film Festival returns with huge programme across 11 days

Birmingham Indian Film Festival (BIFF), part of Europe’s largest South Asian film festival, returns to the Midlands with an exciting programme of screenings and events for 11 days from 27 June to 7 July, 2024.

BIFF venue partners for 2024 include mac Cinema & Theatre, Cineworld Broad Street, Mockingbird Cinema, Light Cinema, Walsall, BOM and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire at Birmingham City University. 

The festival is supported by BFI, awarding National Lottery funding and major partner Bagri Foundation.

The festival features Midland premiere screenings, a wide range of post-show talks with directors and cast members, an internationally programmed film competition, an LGBTQIA+ film showcase, and cutting-edge XR experiences.

This year, the festival is also pleased to provide more BSL screenings than ever before.

The opening night gala at mac Theatre is the Midlands premiere of US indie tear-jerker drama Paper Flowers, starring Deadpool’s Karan Soni as well as a stand-out young cast.

Audiences will want to stay after the credits, as the evening ends with a post-show Q&A with director Mahesh Pailoor.

Audiences can expect a heart-pounding special Midlands preview of Lionsgate’s Kill. Produced by Bollywood icon Karan Johar (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) of Dharma Productions, and Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga (The Elephant Whisperers), this operatic action thriller will have viewers on the edge of their seats.

After successfully launching web series premieres last year, the festival is excited to be screening the first three episodes of Canadian series Late Bloomer.

The festival will also present two breakthrough feminist pieces, Sthal and Wakhri. The Marathi language film Sthal, which won one of the top awards at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows a young woman's quest for education and empowerment.

Acclaimed filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal, meanwhile, presents Wakhri, a tale inspired by real-life figures like Qandeel Baloch (Pakistan’s first social media celebrity).

The 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, Aparna Sen, and offers a retrospective of her illustrious six-decade long filmmaking career.

The festival’s features programme is brimming with innovative and unmissable films including Kannada language award-winner Mithya and Gujarati language Shunya, which are both tender yet powerful coming-of-age stories following child protagonists as they navigate a rapidly changing society.

The festival’s pioneering LGBTQIA+ film showcase, Too Desi Too Queer, returns with a fresh selection of groundbreaking and thought-provoking queer films.

The festival continues to champion a new generation of emerging South Asian filmmakers with both the internationally programmed Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition and the New Brit-Asian Shorts.

The competition, which was inspired by the humanist work of the legendary Indian filmmaker, offers five short films to be judged by a distinguished jury, with the winner receiving a £1,000 cash prize supported by Civic Studios.

Closing the Festival at Lighthouse Cinema, Walsall is Queen of my Dreams, directed by Fawza Mirza and starring Amrit Kaur, Hamza Haq, and Nimra Bucha.

In this colourful and song-soaked delight of a film, young Pakistani woman Azra lives an alternative lifestyle with her white female friend in Toronto, which is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother’s traditional values.

Speaking on the growth of BIFF, CEO and programming director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said: “It's personally exciting to have such a talented team and innovative partners, as BIFF push ahead to explore new frontiers of South Asian XR scenes and continue our mission to showcase and celebrate emerging and established filmmakers, diversifying our offer to Midlands audiences with continued support from Film Hub Midlands and Birmingham City University.”

Click here for full programme listings and information on how to book.