5 films you need to see at this year’s London Indian Film Festival

In July, the London Indian Film Festival returns for its 17th edition with another compelling and diverse set of films from across South Asia. And the ‘London’ bit is just part of the story, because the festival also unspools in Birmingham and Manchester over three packed weeks. There are newly restoration gems, indie features, shorts, documentaries and the odd get-together to chew over some of the best Indian storytelling on screen. Indian cinema aficionados and curious newbies alike will be spoiled for choice.

But with dozens of films on the programme, it can be hard to know where to start. To help narrow things down, festival programmer Najrin Islam has picked five films to look out for at the festival. Ticket are on sale now, so get booking and don’t miss out.

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1. 52 Blue

As football fever grips the world, this uplifting coming-of-age drama offers a heartfelt story about dreams, ambition and self-discovery. The film follows a young Messi devotee with an overprotective father whose greatest wish is to see his hero at the World Cup in Qatar. When an unexpected opportunity takes him from his Kerala home to Qatar, he’s left navigating a strange and unfamiliar world. It’s a tense, gripping story that strikes a rare balance between mainstream appeal and arthouse sensibility. 

6.10pm, Thu Jul 9 (BFI Southbank)
7pm, Fri Jul 10 (MAC Birmingham)
6pm, Sat Jul 11 (Showroom Cinema, Sheffield)
6.30pm, Fri Jul 17 (Forest Cinema, Walthamstow)

2. In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones

Written by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy (who also stars in the film), this semi-forgotten gem from 1989 has achieved cult status thanks to its sharp wit, rebellious energy and enduring relevance. It captures the restless, probing conversations among of the irreverent students of a Delhi architecture school as they become disillusioned with their studies. Those reflections are explored in a film that feels close to life. The new 4K restoration will premiere in the UK nearly four decades after the film first aired on Indian telly.

6pm, Tue Jul 14 (HOME Manchester)
8.20 pm, Wed Jul 15 (BFI Southbank)

3. White Snow

A topical story of censorship, this quiet arthouse film is set against the striking landscapes of Kashmir. When a young filmmaker is arrested by a local religious leader for making a short film on childbirth, his elderly mother sets off on an arduous journey with her yak, an ageing cathode television, and a DVD player to show the film in villages across the Himalayan mountains. A deceptively simple meditation on freedom and resilience, this under-the-radar film is one of the festival’s most rewarding discoveries.

6.15pm, Fri Jul 10 (BFI Southbank)
7.30pm, Sat Jul 11 (MAC Birmingham)

4. A Mosquito in the Ear 

Adapted from Andrea Ferraris’s celebrated graphic novel and inspired by a true story, A Mosquito in the Ear centres on the complications of caregiving when a four-year-old girl refuses to leave her orphanage guardians for the interracial couple that has travelled to India to adopt her. The film zooms in on the cultural barriers of adoption, offering a sincere portrait of trust-building. Look out for The White Lotus’s Jake Lacy and Homeland’s Nazanin Boniadi as the wannabe adopters in a lump-in-the-throat drama about becoming a family.

4pm, Sun Jul 12 (Regent Street Cinema)

5. Master

This timely political drama from Bangladesh explores the corrosive effects of power, patronage, and bureaucratic control. Tracing the gradual transformation of a high school teacher from hopeful reformer to reluctant participant in the very system he once sought to change, the film offers a rich study of ambition, disillusionment, and moral decline. LIFF screened director Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s debut feature The Salt in Our Waters. This one promises another gripping, incisive look at provincial life.

4pm, Sun Jul 12 (ICA)
8pm, Thu Jul 16 (MAC Birmingham)

When does the London Indian Film Festival start?

The festival runs July 9-19. Head to the festival website for full programme info and to book tickets.