Indian Film Festival returns to Birmingham

The Birmingham Indian Film Festival (BIFF) is set to span eleven days, hosting screenings across six different cinemas.

As part of the largest platform in the UK and Europe for independent films from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, the festival also extends its reach to London, Manchester, and Yorkshire.

Cary Rajinder Sawhney, the Programming Director, said that BIFF is persistently striving “to showcase and celebrate emerging and established filmmakers.”

The festival kicks off at the Midlands Arts Centre, commencing with the Midlands premiere of the US indie drama, Paper Flowers, starring Deadpool’s Karan Soni. This will be followed by an interactive session with the director, Mahesh Pailoor.

Paper Flowers is a film inspired by the real-life story of a Gujarati American who was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

The festival will also present a collection of LGBTQIA+ films, host a film competition, and offer several British Sign Language screenings.

The event will take place in various venues, including Cineworld Broad Street, Mockingbird Cinema, Light Cinema, Walsall, Birmingham Open Media, and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire at Birmingham City University.

BIFF, backed by the British Film Institute, is scheduled to run from June 27 to July 7.