Eight movie premieres to headline Channel 4 South Asian Film Festival
Channel 4 has revealed the line-up for its upcoming South Asian Film Festival, featuring eight network premieres from filmmakers across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The festival, launching this September, will offer an eclectic mix of drama, thriller, documentary, and social realism, exploring themes of class, race, politics, and gender.
Curated by longstanding season consultant and Indian cinema expert Nasreen Kabir, the festival showcases a diverse range of cinematic voices, shining a light on underrepresented stories from the South Asian subcontinent. Each of the films will make their network debut on Channel 4 and be available to stream on All 4 after broadcast.
The season begins on Sunday 8th September, with the Indian film ‘Joram’. This tense drama stars acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpai as Dasru, a tribal villager forced to flee with his infant daughter, Joram, after his wife is brutally murdered. Bajpai’s gripping portrayal of a man on the run sets the tone for a season of thought-provoking storytelling.
On Tuesday 10th September, the Pakistani film ‘Kamli’ will air, telling the intersecting stories of three women: Hina, a young and beautiful woman; Sakina, her blind sister-in-law; and Zeenat, an artist struggling with marriage and alcoholism. The film delves into complex relationships and the struggles of women in conservative societies.
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Next in the line-up is ‘Bhagwan Bharose’, set to broadcast on Thursday 12th September. This film follows two impressionable young boys, Bhola and Shambhu, as they navigate religious indoctrination and scientific education in a small Indian community. Their journey, shaped by tales of gods and demons, takes a dark turn as their childhood games lead to unsettling consequences.
‘Barir Naam Shahana’, airing on Friday 13th September, offers a moving exploration of identity and independence. Directed by Leesa Gazi, the film follows Dipa, an independent Muslim woman, as she is reluctantly married to a Bengali widower living in the UK. It highlights the complexities of balancing tradition and personal freedom.
The festival continues with ‘The World Is Family’, scheduled for Thursday 19th September. The season will also feature ‘Something Like An Autobiography’, ‘Paradise’, and ‘Kottukkaali’, though their broadcast times are yet to be confirmed.
Keep it with BizAsiaLive.com for more.
