Phizzical is delighted to announce that it has secured funding from Film Hub Midlands to deliver Shared Futures, the Midlands edition of the UK Asian Film Festival — alongside a programme of year-round community activity in Leicester and Coventry.

The award backs a bold season of South Asian independent cinema, bringing UK and international premieres to Midlands audiences and extending them well beyond the festival through Filmwallahs, a community-led, WhatsApp-connected film club that invites audiences to help shape what they see on screen.

In awarding the funding, the Film Hub Midlands panel praised the strength and ambition of the proposal, commenting that it “presents a culturally relevant programme with a strong selection of South Asian titles spanning contemporary, heritage, and LGBTQIA+ cinema.” That breadth is at the heart of the season, which pairs new indie gems and boundary-pushing anthologies with heritage screenings that celebrate the cinema that shaped generations — including a landmark restored screening of the National Award-winning film Umrao Jaan, one of South Asian film’s defining moments.

Across screenings in Leicester and Coventry, plus a series of Q&As, discussions and community events, the programme is built around the two cities’ evolving communities. By involving diverse communities of all faith and non-faith backgrounds, the activities will prioritise under-served audiences like South Asian women and families, Gujarati and other language-speaking communities, Muslim and working-class audiences, students, and LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent film lovers — with accessible, low-cost ticketing that keeps cinema within reach during the cost-of-living crisis.

Artistic Director Samir Bhamra says: “This year’s films are brilliant, funny and joyous, yet also daring and deeply political. They bring astonishing clarity and invention to the screen, offering fresh perspectives on identity, memory and belonging. From intimate family dramas to fearless new voices in South Asian cinema, our selection captures life in all its complexity. These films remind us that storytelling is not just entertainment — it is a way of seeing each other again. At a moment when division is growing louder across our societies, the festival is an invitation to come together, listen deeply and rediscover the solidarity that will carry our communities through whatever lies ahead.“

Delivered at the Phoenix, Warwick Arts Centre and community venues including Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, the season is powered by a growing network of partners spanning De Montfort University, the University of Leicester, Lyca Radio, local community curators and grassroots venues, with Phoenix’s touring equipment taking films directly into neighbourhoods and care settings.

More than a festival, Shared Futures is about making cinema-going a shared habit again — a participatory, community-led movement that ensures South Asian stories continue to be seen, discussed and celebrated across the Midlands.

For more information, contact Phizzical at info@phizzical.com.