Launching Leicester Asian Film Festival
Phizzical Productions presents the 1st Leicester Asian Film Festival
Leicester is due to host a brand new cultural event as the very first Leicester Asian Film Festival (LeAFF), will run from the 16 – 19 March 2017 at Phoenix Cinema and Art Centre.
The film festival will showcase a range of South Asian independent cinema exclusively to Leicester audiences through UK premieres, special screenings with Q&A sessions presented by producers, directors and actors.
Over the last decade films from and about South Asia have been making a name on the international circuit as well as garnering praise at festivals. LeAFF aims to programme films from this region in order to inspire, enrich and expand our understanding of the South Asian community and cater for a demographic in the city interested in cinema culture from this region.
Phizzical Productions and Phoenix Cinema have joined forces with De Montfort University to put the LeAFF together. It is funded by the Film Hub Central East as part of the BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN), and will be produced in association with Tongues on Fire, London Asian Film Festival.
Samir Bhamra of Phizzical Productions said: “We are happy to be working alongside such creative organisations for the very first Leicester Asian Film Festival. The festival boasts a varied programme of carefully curated high quality, independent Asian cinema.”
Dr Pushpinder Chowdhry from Tongues on Fire, London Asian Film Festival commented “We are excited to partner with Phizzical and Phoenix Cinema to develop Leicester Asian Film Festival. It is a strand of world cinema that we have championed for almost twenty years and it is a real honour to have the opportunity to share these amazing films with the people of Leicester.”
Dr Acciari of De Montfort University said “The scope is to bring back South Asian communities to the cinema and enjoy a film together. It’s important for audiences to be able share experiences and be exposed to world cinema where film-makers are creating new images, new paradigms and defining their own images. This is important especially with the South Asian Diaspora living here in the UK.”
For the full programme and to book visit: www.leicesterasianfilmfestival.com
About Phoenix
From micro-budget foreign pictures to the latest Hollywood blockbuster, every month, Phoenix programmes the best new films from around the world, alongside classic movies chosen from the history of moving pictures.
On a visit to Phoenix you can expect a warm welcome from friendly staff, comfy seats, fairly priced tickets and flawless projection from the in-house team. Whether it’s in crystal-clear digital format, 3D, or glorious 35mm, Phoenix cares how the image looks on screen. Phoenix is truly independent, with complete control over what is shown.
In its two modern cinema screens Phoenix shows everything from micro-budget independent films to the latest Hollywood blockbusters, and regularly organises festivals and events.
About De Montfort University
DMU is a vibrant, multicultural hub of learning, creativity and innovation that never surrenders to convention. DMU is a great place to study and, being based in Leicester, it is a great place to live.
Our success is built on a fantastic student experience coupled with award-winning teaching and world-class facilities that help develop the skills and attitudes employers demand. Little wonder then that DMU has been placed in the top 50 universities with the best outcomes for graduates for three years running.
We provide a supportive learning environment in which our students are encouraged to hone their skills, be creative and defy the odds. To ensure they succeed, more than 20,000 students at DMU are fully supported by nearly 3,000 staff.
About Film Hub CE
Film Hub Central East is led by Broadway Nottingham as part of the BFI Film Audience Network, an initiative developed by the BFI to enable organisations and film experts in the independent cultural exhibition sector to work in partnership to boost film audiences across the UK, particularly in the areas of specialised and independent British film.
About BFI Film Audience Network (FAN)
The BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) is a ground-breaking initiative that gives audiences across the UK the opportunity to see a broader range of films in a cinema setting. For filmmakers, getting films onto cinema screens is a highly competitive business, particularly for specialised films which includes archive, documentary, independent and foreign language films.
With £8.7 million of Lottery funding over four years (2013-2017) the BFI FAN works with cinema exhibitors, film festivals, educators, film societies, community venues, film archives and other organisations in their regions or nations to boost audiences for film across the UK.
The film hub partners which drive audience engagement across the UK comprise: Broadway Cinema Nottingham; Chapter, Cardiff; HOME, Manchester; Film London; Film Scotland; Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast; The University of Brighton; Showroom Sheffield; and Watershed, Bristol.
