Film festival focuses on South Asian cinema

Sthal (A Match) is among six films to be screened across West Yorkshire as part of the film festival

Members of the "large South Asian community" based in places other than London are the target for a major film festival in Yorkshire, its organisers have said.

The Yorkshire Indian Film Festival, which runs between 27 June and 2 July, will see movies screened in cinemas in Bradford and Leeds.

The festival, which is returning for a second year and is thought to be the largest of its kind in Europe, showcases feature films, shorts and documentaries.

Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE, the event's director, said it aimed to "engage with the diverse audiences around Yorkshire - not just in London".

Films, documentaries and shorts are all part of the festival's programme

Featuring six films in its line-up, both the Bradford Alhambra Studio and the Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds are involved in the festival.

Films being shown include Toronto International Film Festival winner Sthal (A Match), which is a debut feature for director Jayant Digambar Somalkar.

According to organisers, it chronicles "the journey of a young woman striving for an education and a brighter future in a patriarchal society, where arranged marriage is presented as the only option for self-betterment".

Meanwhile, the world premiere of director Haider Zafar's Before Nikkah will take place at the Bradford Alhambra Studio.

Set in London, it follows two British Pakistanis who go on a blind date as they prepare for a prospective arranged marriage.

Tight: The World of Indian Bodybuilding, a documentary directed by Elliott Gonzo, is also being screened.

It follows a young bodybuilder from South India and his preparations to be crowned "Mr India".

Tight: The World of Indian Bodybuilding will be screened at the Bradford Alhambra Studio

The films would be in English, Marathi, Urdu, Kannada and Tamil, organisers said.

Mr Sawhney said it was important to show films that were in "home languages, not just Hindi".

He added that he wanted to bring a diverse range of film to places beyond London.

"The passion is to bring South Asian Cinema, which isn't Bollywood.

"We picked films that show realistic images of South Asia today - they're not glamourised."

The aim was to "celebrate India and all the neighbouring countries, showing the best of South Asian independent cinema", Mr Sawhney said.

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