J'AIME JUNE 2019

cinema.
“But the parallel cinema - which is the independent
side of Indian cinema, the offbeat films which are
more narrative-based and often with a social message
- marks 50 years this year, so it’s not all about the
masala films.
“The festival helps to open audiences up to different
cinema from India, and make them realise there’s
more to it.”
A particular theme running through this year’s
festival is the work of female directors, whose voices
are becoming increasingly prominent in India’s
traditionally male-dominated film industry.
“It’s happening worldwide that, at last, women
filmmakers are getting funding and profile,” says
Cary.
“It’s interesting to see just how fresh and strong
women filmmakers’ stories are and this is the reason
we are selecting them, not for some tokenistic gesture.
The work speaks for itself. Another new strand in
India in particular is LGBTQ+ themes which seem
to be all the rage this year after India legalised
LGBTQ+ relationships and, once again, there are so
many fresh stories about these communities coming
to the fore.”
After five successful years, the Birmingham Indian
Film Festival shows no signs of slowing down,
becoming a firm fixture on the city’s festival calendar.
“The future is bright and we continue to expand in
Birmingham and perhaps next year we will dip our
toes in other nearby Midlands towns,” says Cary.
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR CARY
RAJINDER SAWHNEY
“We are also expanding this year in Lancashire
and Yorkshire and Birmingham is a hub that can
connect very widely across the UK wherever Asian
communities are.
“Of course, Indian filmmaking continues to grow so
there is no shortage of great films.”
Birmingham Indian Film Festival screenings
will be subtitled in English. Ticket details
for all films will be available at www.
birminghamindianfilmfestival.co.uk as they
go on release.
Five minutes with Rima Das
Acclaimed director Rima Das is bringing
her third feature film Bulbul Can Sing to
Birmingham Indian Film Festival, following
the success of her film Village Rockstars
which premiered in Birmingham last year.
Tell us about Bulbul Can Sing - where did the
idea for the film come from?
Bulbul Can Sing is a story of three teenagers, their
carefree friendship, experience of first love, loss
and finding oneself in the midst of it. I feel the raw
emotions of teenage are under-explored in Indian
cinema and I wanted to tell their story. During
teenage years, an individual experiences a lot of
physical and psychological changes. From having
all the freedom as a child, suddenly there are a lot
of restrictions imposed, particularly for girls. They
experience a dilemma where they want to do a lot of
things but there have to adhere to societal pressures.
Then there is a communication gap that exists
between these youngsters and adults. They feel adults
don’t understand them. Bulbul Can Sing is a voice of
these teenagers.
Village Rockstars had its premiere in
Birmingham last year - what was that
experience like?
The response Village Rockstars received at
Birmingham was overwhelming. It only went on to
reiterate my belief that a human story transcends
geographical and cultural barriers. Interacting
with the children at the festival was a very different
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