This year’s Birmingham Indian Film Festival (BIFF) is aiming to bring the very best of South Asian film to audiences in the Midlands, as it celebrates its 11th year in the city with short films connected to local filmmakers, Q&As with creatives, and feature-length offerings of universal appeal. Dharmesh Rajput, head of the Birmingham festival, here offers insight into this year's programme...

Forming part of Europe's largest Indian and South Asian film festival alongside branches in London, Manchester and Yorkshire, BIFF is combining work from directors in India, Europe and the UK with screenings at Midlands Arts Centre between Thursday 17 and Wednesday 23 July.

The festival kicks off with Little Jaffna, a gritty police drama set in Paris, screened on Thursday 17 July, then features a series of eight Brit-Asian shorts on Friday 18th. Screened on Tuesday 22 July, Boong tells the heart-warming tale of a young boy’s endeavours to find his father, before the festival concludes with Pyre on Wednesday 23rd, a reflection on love and the loss of community.

Head of Birmingham Indian Film Festival Dharmesh Rajput says the festival, which also includes Q&As with film makers, aims to bring new narratives and experiences to the city.

“It’s a sharing of stories. The more people can understand other communities through their stories and having a window into their lives the better. I think it helps us all to become more cohesive and understanding of a different perspective.

“Also a lot of these stories are not specific to the Asian community. If I talk about Pyre for example, which is a really beautiful film, it’s about changing environments. 

“It’s an elderly couple’s love story at the top of the Himalayas which could quite easily be in a village in the Malverns - because people are moving out of these spaces to find work in cities. And then what happens to the elderly and to those communities who can’t move and are left behind? I think the stories are specific to the regions, but also reach out much further.”

Lakshmipriya Devi’s Boong too has universal themes, says Dharmesh.

“Boong is a fun film. You’ve got a cheeky mischievous little boy as the central character and from the start he wins you over, you love him and you understand his story. He lives with his mum but his father is estranged and all he wants to do is bring his dad back and make his mum happy.  

“So, he goes off in search of his father, but the journey isn’t quite what he expected. And how true is that for all of us? We set out with certain aspirations but often face challenges that are beyond our control and have to adapt.”

The festival launches with Little Jaffna set in the Parisian district of La Chapelle which is familiarly known as Little Jaffna due to the number of Sri Lankan Tamils who have made it their home. Lawrence Valin is both director and lead actor as the rookie cop who goes undercover to infiltrate a Tamil gang but is forced to question his own loyalties.

“You can look at it as the small community that they are and their issues, or you can take it to the wider topic which is about identity,” says Dharmesh. “When you’re a migrant and you’re trying to fit into another country and work out your identity as an Asian versus your identity as a member of the host country. There are universal themes in that about identity.”

The festival, which celebrates its 16th year in London and its 11th year in Birmingham, has always aimed to be as wide-ranging as possible. Films feature a range of languages including French, Tamil, Manipuri, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi with English subtitles, while many of the short films are in English.

While the productions will take audiences from India to Myanmar and from France to Sri Lanka, many of the shorts also have a strong Birmingham connection.

“The Visit is directed by Parmjit Gill who is a Birmingham filmmaker and Sara Saini’s In The Wake of Remembering features the Burnsall Strike in Smethwick.

“Ever since we’ve started doing British Asian short films there has always been a Birmingham connection. It’s really exciting for me that there are Brummie film makers creating quality short films - the potential for talent in the city is huge.”

The screening of Little Jaffna will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director of photography Maxence Lemonnier while Pyre is expected to be followed by a Q&A with its director Vinod Kapri. The British Asian Shorts event will feature a Q&A with film makers including Parmjit Gill.

This provides the chance for audiences to meet those involved in making the films - always an essential element of the festival. 

“They give people a touchpoint to not just see the film but find out more about it. It’s an environment where you can talk to each other, raise issues, talk about the film, the way it was made, the constraints the film makers faced - because independent cinema is a different beast from mainstream cinema. To understand from the film makers’ perspective is a unique thing that only a film festival can normally bring.”

All the screenings this year take place at Midlands Arts Centre.

“It’s a beautiful cinema, and also the other visual arts and performances that take place there mean we’ve got a built-in audience of people that already attend - and then we bring new audiences to the MAC and I think that is really important.”

BIFF will continue that relationship with MAC into the summer and autumn by screening additional films to complement the arts centre’s exhibition The Offbeat Sari.

“Our series of screenings called the On-Screen Saree will be looking at iconic saris and women’s stories and women’s empowerment,” explains Dharmesh. 

“We’ve already got four films slated for that. We have WOMB which follows the story of Srishti Bakshi who walks the entire length of India meeting the women of India. That will be followed by a live streamed Q&A with her. 

“We’re doing an outside screening of Devdas which has the most iconic saris and dancing and we’re working with Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage on a dance workshop for that. We’re showing English Vinglish which stars the late Sridevi. And we’ll be showing Pink Saris, which is about a group of women in India who wear pink saris and fight the patriarchy.”

For Birmingham-based Dharmesh, bringing the festival to his home city is a joy.

“I got involved because I used to sit in Birmingham and see this lovely festival in London that I couldn’t go to and think ‘why does everything happen in London?’ 

“I’ve always watched independent films and international films at places like MAC, the Triangle and The Electric and there is less of that now. For me to be able to have a part to play in bringing that to the city with BIFF is really exciting. 

“And I’m really happy that we get so much sponsorship and support here from Birmingham City University, the Consulate General of India in Birmingham, Sampad South Asian Arts, Royal Television Society Midlands and Create Central in the city.”

Now Dharmesh is urging audiences to also support the festival.

“There’s such a rich offering of culture across the city which is so exciting but, even in difficult financial times, we need audience support while it’s here. If not, it won’t work and then it might be gone so come and enjoy - let’s grow what Birmingham has to offer!”

By Diane Parkes

For more information and bookings see birminghamindianfilmfestival.co.uk and for more information on On-Screen Saree keep an eye on Midlands Arts Centre’s website.