The London Bengali film festival, which is an annual celebration of films from or about the Bengali Diaspora will begin from today at London.
The festival will feature seven feature films and three short films in Bengali and Hindi languages from Bangladesh, India and beyond. It will also feature special guest and talks, followed by a red carpet film awards ceremony.
The event will launch with the UK Premiere of 64-year-old Muhammad Quayum's poignant debut feature, "The Golden Wings of Watercocks"--following the livelihoods and struggles of the peasants, living in the marshland regions of Bangladesh--followed by a Q&A session with the director.
Additional UK Premieres include "A Holy Conspiracy", directed by Saibal Mitra, a powerful courtroom battle between science and religion starring India's two most renowned actors, Naseeruddin Shah and Soumitra Chatterjee. The Paoli Dam starrer, coming-of-age story, "The Terrace". Amitabh Chaterji's ethnographic docu-style Indian feature "Into the Mist"; Barnali Ray Shukla's Hindi romantic drama "Joon" and Raja Ghosh's magic-realist drama "The Keysmith" will also be screened at the festival.
The short film programme includes a children's quirky adventure comedy, from Bangladesh, "Kathal"; a human narrative on mental health. "After the Threshold" by US-based filmmaker Tanni Chaudhuri and another short from Bangladesh, "The Unfinished Poem". The festival's closing night will screen "An Angel's Kiss"--a moving drama following the story of Lokkhi, a newborn girl with four arms--from award-winning Indian director Kaushik Ganguly.
According to Munsur Ali, British-Bangladeshi film-maker and the founder and CEO of the London Bengali Film Festival, "Our goal is to get the under-represented Bengali films to the mainstream audience and onto the international platform, while also showcasing the rich, artistic, historical and modern culture of Bengal and Bengali experiences on the big screen."
