The summer sun was out in full force for the opening night of the UK Asian Film Festival, one of the premier festivals that center some of the most fantastic South Asian cinema of the past year.
Moving film My Melbourne kicked off proceedings with a star-studded red carpet. The Australian-Indian co-production celebrated four aspects of diversity, as producer Mitu Bhowmick Lange was proud to present.
“The film showcases the four pillars of diversity: disability, gender, race and sexuality,” she said. “We all like to talk about diversity, but it doesn’t need to be a catchphrase, it needs to be a way of life.”
The film boasts well-known names from the world of India cinema, such as Imitiaz Ali and Onir, with the latter being one of the first directors attached to the project.
“I was one of the first filmmakers that was approached for the film,” he explained. “I think what really excited me was that it was a film that celebrates diversity and inclusion.”
With his film, Nandini – a beautiful story about a queer gay Indian man – as the first film in the anthology, Imitaz Ali’s equally moving offering Jules was the second of the four stories told in this cinematic tapestry of Melbourne life.
“The story of human beings is not a static story,” said the prolific director, in reflection of the many members of the diaspora highlighted during the film. “The story of people that are in a different geography is even more dynamic, and there is a greater sensitivity that rests in the hearts of those people that have made the journey.”
Other stars such as popular TV actor Karan Tacker and BBC presenters Sunny and Shay Grewal also made appearances during this celebration of South Asian cinema.
“Pan-India is massive,” reflected Tacker. “… as an Indian I’m just really happy that it’s reaching globally now.”
The festival, now it its 27th year, as become one of the best places to go during the festival season for those keen to learn more about the best and most thought-provoking South Asian cinema and creativity in the world. It is an endeavour that has been a long and hard-fought process for the festival.
“Giving a platform to British-Asian artists is important,” said festival director Pushpinder Chowdry. “There are a lot of things [here] for everyone.”
My Melbourne was the perfect festival to kick off this roster, with its deep and meaningful messages about how and why it is so important to ensure there is also space for new voices and their experiences.
If the festival has started as it means to go on, it is set to be another fantastic eleven days of some of the finest South Asian cinema the world has to offer.
As said by Mitu Bhowmick Lange, “I don’t think there has been a better time for our shared stories.”
The UK Asian Film Festival runs until the 11th of May, 2025. More information can be found here.
