UK Asian Film Festival Celebrates 20 Years – with F-Rated Theme and Feminist Content Film Curation marking 100 years of Women’s Right to Vote in the UK

Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences at the BFI says, “We are pleased to support the 20th anniversary of the festival, enabling it to expand to reach more people across the UK and to engage audiences with a broad range of South Asian cinema.”

Illuminating unsung female hero of UK Suffragette Movement, Sophia Duleep Singh

Opening gala dinner on 14^th March at The May Fair Hotel to welcome pioneering Indian cinema veteran and talk show hostess, Simi Garewal and Pakistan’s biggest superstar, actress Mahira Khan. The evening will feature an awards presentation honouring heroines that have challenged stereotypes, pushed boundaries and broken barriers to make a difference. It will also feature an In Conversation with actress Mahira Khan. tickets for the Opening Gala are available on: www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/227891

Mahira Khan will be conducting a Q&A with audiences at Phoenix Cinema, Leicester on 15^th March and at Regent Street Cinema, London on 16^th March, following the screening of Verna, a film based on social issues.

Filmhouse, Edinburgh (22^nd – 25^th March); HOME, Manchester (25^th March); Phoenix Cinema, Leicester (15^th March extended to 31^st March); and various venues across London (14^th – 25^th March) will play host to a carefully curated season of film screenings and events that celebrate female stories, talent and creatives on celluloid. The festival will also be honouring Anita Anand, broadcaster, journalist and author of Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary, for shining light on the story of Sophia Duleep Singh, a prominent figure and activist of the UK Suffragatte movement although largely absent from popular narrative.

Full Festival Programme and Bookings via: www.ukasianfilmfestival.com