Wednesday 25 Oct
Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music
The Carlton Club : 20:00
Thursday 26 Oct
FORMAT
Impossible : 18:00
Friday 27 Oct
Berlin
Vue : 19:30
Saturday 28 Oct
Satyajit Ray
Short Film Comp
Soda : 14:00
Sunday 29 Oct
Monday 30 Oct
Joram
Everyman : 19:45
The Pink Shirt
Ducie Street : 19:30
Cultplex : Women’s Only Screening : 13:30
Wednesday 1 Nov
Padatik
Everyman : 19:45
Go Goa Gone
Cultplex : 19:30
Thursday 2 Nov
Too Desi, Too Queer
The Carlton Club : 20:00
Friday 3 Nov
Privacy
Ducie Street : 19:30
Saturday 4 Nov
Brit-Asian Shorts
Soda : 14:00
Kennedy
Vue : 19:00
Mutiny : Asians Storm British Music
Wednesday 25 October 20.00 | The Carlton Club
An absorbing and thrilling account of the contribution of Asian musicians to British pop in the 1990s. Over the course of seven years, Vivek Bald captured the rise and fall of what was always imperfectly described as the ‘Asian Underground.’ This documentary was shot with virtually no budget in a style that mirrored the ethos of legendary artists such as Asian Dub Foundation, Talvin Singh and Fun^Da^Mental. Part music documentary and part social history, Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music is a unique time-capsule about the music culture of the British Asian second generation.
Dir: Vivek Bald | 83 mins | 2003 | UK | Cert 12A
English
Includes a Q&A hosted by Ladybeige (The Social Service) with Nirav Chande (Daytimers), Ruby Swallow (Eves’ Drop) & more TBA.
*please note The Carlton Club is not wheelchair accessible
FORMAT – South Asian Games Corner
Thursday 26 Oct 18.00 | Impossible
This year, MIFF is venturing into the gaming universe by joining forces with Manchester’s biggest gaming and nightlife event, FORMAT. Together with our partners Tulsea and Manchester Metropolitan University, we’ll be shining a spotlight on a new generation of innovative Indian games at FORMAT, with the brand new South Asian Games Corner. Don’t miss out – join us on Thursday 26th October at Impossible, 36 Peter Street, Manchester.
Fishbowl | Developer name: imissmyfriends
Kurukshetra: Ascension | Developer name: Studio Sirah
Mumbai Gullies | Developer: GameEon Studios
Raji: An Ancient Epic | Developer: Nodding Heads Games
Down & Out* | Developer: Zatun
Sniper Rust* (VR) | Developer: Zatun
*Please note that the developer ‘Abhi’ of Down and Out and Sniper Rust will also be present at the event
Get tickets here
25% Discount Code: FRM_25
Berlin
Friday 27 Oct 19.30 | Vue
Probably the most cleverly-constructed Indian film of 2023, writer-director Atul Sabharwal’s compelling spy thriller is set in the Delhi of the early 90s, where Indian government security factions competed for supremacy ahead of the Russian President’s visit. Sign language teacher Pushkin Verma, played by Aparshakti Khurana (Jubilee) is lured into the dark world of espionage. He finds himself forced to interrogate – in sign language – a deaf man, Ashok Kumar played by Ishwak Singh (Rocket Boys) who’s been accused of spying. However, as the seemingly innocent Ashok gradually exposes that he has been a witness to information dealing and murders that could bring down the heads of security forces, Pushkin’s life is very quickly turned upside down, and he becomes a pawn in the game of violent secrets that emerges.
Dir: Atul Sabharwa | Starring: Ishwak Singh, Aparshakti Khurana, Kabir Bedi, Rahul Bose
Run time: 124 mins | Recommended Certificate: PG | Year: 2023 | Country: India | Language: English, Hindi with English subtitles
Satyajit Ray Short Film Comp
Saturday 28 October 14.00 | Soda
The festival’s annual Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition is a rare chance to see the works of talented and emerging filmmakers exploring themes of South Asian experience, while reflecting the humanist ideals of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The winner will be announced on 4th November 2023.
Joram
Monday 30 Oct 19.45 | Everyman
Following a violent incident, Dasru (Manoj Bajpayee) and his wife escape rural Jharkhand to struggle in the big city. When they are recognised by Phulo Karma, a visiting tribal leader from their past, Dasru is forced to go on the run with his three-month-old baby, Joram, before deciding he must eventually return to his village to bargain for their lives with Phulo Karma. Cradling his baby in a makeshift sling and trying to avoid the police, Dasru makes it back to Jharkhand, where he is confronted by a reality that could lead to a brutal endgame. Powered by a spine chilling performance from Simta Tambe as the ice-blooded Phulo Karma, Joram is a heart-thumping survival thriller with a hard political edge.
Dir: Devashish Makhija | With: Manoj Bajpayee, Smita Tambe, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Tannishtha Chatterjee
138 mins | 2023 | India | Cert: 15 | Hindi with English subtitles
The Pink Shirt
Monday 30 October 19.30 | Ducie Street
Monday 30 October 13.30 | Women's Only Screening @ Cultplex
In a special presentation, the Manchester Indian Film Festival is bringing the first three episodes of Pakistani drama The Pink Shirt to the big screen. Realising that their relationship is no longer working, Sophia (Sajal Aly) and Sameer decide it is best to part ways. Sophia tries to keep busy by running a daily series of errands in order to forget the haunting memories of her ex. On one of these errands she bumps into Umer (Wahaj Ali), a handsome young businessman, and sparks fly. As Sophia struggles to cope with the fallout from her broken relationship, she begins to wonder if the best way to move on is to jump straight into a new romance.
With: Sajal Aly, Wahaj Ali | 95 mins | 2023 | Pakistan | Cert 12A | Urdu with English subtitles
Padatik
Wednesday 1 November 19.45 | Everyman
Director Srijit Mukherji returns to the festival with this biopic of one of India’s greatest directors, Mrinal Sen, which is guaranteed to leave no dry eyes in the house. We follow him from his early days around the time of India’s independence, where he was a struggling political idealist with an all-consuming hunger for cinema but unable to feed himself or his young wife, to 1950s Calcutta, where (alongside Satyajit Ray) he helped start the Indian New Wave cinema movement. Mukherji deftly delves in the heart and spirit of a cinematic genius, with glimpses of Sen’s iconic films like Bhuvan Shome – which propelled him to international fame while his own family were left to suffer. Lovingly crafted, with brilliant performances from an ensemble cast, this film is a delightful and fitting tribute to Sen on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Dir: Srijit Mukherji | With: Akshay Kapoor, Chanchal Chowdhury, Korak Samanta
125 mins | 2023 | India | Cert 12A | Bengali with English subtitles
A Q&A follows the film.
Go Goa Gone
Wednesday 1 November 19.30 | Cultplex
Come and celebrate Halloween with LIFF, and catch our special 10th anniversary screening of India’s first zombie-comedy horror, Go Goa Gone. A group of friends looking to get high take a road trip to Goa, desperate to attend a party being thrown by the Russian Mafia. Getting there is easy enough, but getting off the island turns into a hilariously horrifying experience as a new drug turns partygoers into bloodthirsty zombies. Propelled by endlessly quotable one-liners, an infectious soundtrack – and an unforgettable cameo by Saif Ali Khan as a blond-haired, vodka-swigging Russian gangster – Go Goa Gone is a trippy, fun-fuelled ride that can sit alongside classics like Shaun of the Dead.
Dir: Krishna D.K & Raj Nidimoru | With: Vir Das, Kunal Keemu, Saif Ali Khan, Anand Tiwari
108 mins | 2013 | India | Cert 15 | Hindi, English with English subtitles
Too Desi, Too Queer
Thursday 2 November 20.00 | The Carlton Club
A festival highlight of last year’s Manchester Indian Film Festival, Too Desi Too Queer returns with a new collection of short films. We explore the lives, loves, experiences and well-being of South Asian LGBTQIA+ communities throughout the subcontinent and diaspora with this dynamic and thought-provoking selection of recent LGBTQIA+ shorts.
Includes a Q&A hosted by writer, actor, model, gay activist & feminist Lucky Singh + more TBA.
*please note The Carlton Club is not wheelchair accessible
Full short film listing line up on event brite ticket link
Privacy
Friday 3 November 19.30 | Ducie Street
Sudeep Kanwal’s debut feature is a fascinating neo-noir social thriller that asks the question, how much access to someone’s private life is okay? Roopali (Rajshri Deshpande from Netflix’s Trial by Fire), is an ambitious police officer confined to monitoring CCTV footage of the bustling streets of Mumbai. After a burglary takes place on her watch, Roopali becomes troubled and ignores protocol to investigate the incident. As she delves deeper into the investigation, her obsession with the CCTV surveillance grows, leading Roopali down a dark path from which she may not be able to return.
Dir: Sudeep Kanwal | With: Rajshri Deshpande, Nishank Verma, Sandesh Kulkarni
85 mins | 2022 | India, USA | Cert 15 |Hindi with English subtitles
Brit-Asian Shorts
Saturday 4 November 14.00 | Soda
Support your local filmmaker! This is your chance to see the work of exciting and diverse emerging filmmakers from across the UK. From award-winning dramas to insightful documentaries, we’re showcasing a rarely-presented slice of life of Asian Britain today. Expect a discussion with young filmmakers on stage.
Full short film listing line up on event brite ticket link
Kennedy
Saturday 4 November 19.00 | Vue
The Tarantino of India, Anurag Kashyap, is back with one of his hardest hitting movies since Gangs of Wasseypur. Kennedy opened in Cannes earlier this year, to a standing ovation. It tells the grisly tale of a cop, played by Rahul Bhatt, who goes too far and has to go into hiding. Presumed dead, he is kept on the police payroll as a hitman, employed to execute criminals. After losing his police job and his family, Kennedy becomes unhinged and takes a sadistic delight in dispatching his targets, but as non-criminals also soon become his victims, the police realise they have a homicidal maniac on their hands. Expect stunning performances from Bhatt and Sunny Leone, playing a gangster’s moll.
Dir: Anurag Kashyap | With Rahul Bhatt, Jennifer Piccinato, Sunny Leone, Abhilash Thapliyal
142 mins | 2023 | India | Cert 18 | Hindi with English subtitles
A Q&A follows the film.
