Throughout July and August, join us for an array of screenings and partnership events around South Asian Heritage Month 2025, which is themed ‘Roots to Routes.’ Including restored classics, contemporary cinema, short films, live music, expert introductions and discussions. From Nepal to Sri Lanka, these films celebrate identity, connection, and community, as well as the power of cinema as a medium for self expression, protest, and joy.
Guest curator Anupma Shanker has selected three classic titles whose routes of influence have significantly impacted cinema: the BAFTA winning Merchant Ivory classic Heat and Dust (preceded by live Sitar performance), Bengali auteur Ritwik Ghatak’s hauntingly beautiful, elegiac saga A River Called Titas, and the UK premiere of Nidhanaya, directed by Dr. Lester James Peries, who was widely regarded as the father of Sri Lankan cinema.
Our members’ choice during the season is Prem Kapoor’s pioneering melodrama and India’s first queer film, Badnam Basti, which was originally thought to be lost for many years, until its accidental rediscovery in an archive.
Reborn India presents Manthan (The Churning), a potent, political landmark of Indian independent filmmaking which was famously funded by 500,000 farmers.
Gurindher Chadha’s debut documentary I’m British But… examines what it meant to be a young British Asian in the 1980s. The screening will be followed by an open discussion exploring the film’s themes.
As for contemporary titles, we bring you Min Bahadur Bham’s breathtaking Shambhala, the first Nepalese film to screen in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in 2024.
Lotus Visual Productions will be showcasing a selection of their critically acclaimed and award-winning LGBTQ+ short films.
The Cannes prize-winning documentary The Cinema Travellers takes viewers on an intimate and emotional journey following the travelling cinemas of India, while Movies, Memories, Magic depicts a vibrant picture of how iconic South Asian films screened in renowned cinema halls across London.
