These are ten films you shouldn’t miss at the UK Asian Film Festival which will take place from May 4 – 15, 2022 in various cinemas in London.

Modan returns home after spending the prime of his life in prison for a murder he committed to avenge his father’s humiliation over land disputes. His brothers have prospered in his absence, his new wife is already a mother to an infant, and Modan is forced to live with his mother in their dilapidated ancestral home. Despite Modan’s honest attempts to forget the insults of the past, suppressed anger manifests itself in renewed violence. (UKAFF 2022)

Screening Date:
May 10, 2022 | Tuesday | Genesis, London | 9:00 pm

Trailer:

An elderly man, Ananda, is a pornography addict. In their conservative village, he and his friends gather to secretly watch rented porn films. One day, they come across a Goddard film mistakenly rented as pornography. While his friends are unimpressed, Goddard finds a fascination with Goddard’s work. He initiates the idea of hosting a film festival in Goddard’s honour, much to the alarm of the locals. Known for his surrealist style, Bhattacharyya makes a surprising shift to a linear narrative feature that contrasts with Goddard’s own formalism.

Screening Date:
May 7, 2022 | Saturday | Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry | 6:00 pm
May 11, 2022 | Wednesday | BFI, London | 6:20 pm

Trailer:

Told through the stories of four participants from Black and Asian backgrounds, this documentary reveals the impact of the evolving ‘hostile environment’ – a term used by the UK government in 2012 to illustrate the atmosphere they wanted to create for migrants, with the intention of provoking them to leave of their own accord. Hostile explores how the lives of international students, members of the Windrush generation and ‘Highly-Skilled Migrants’ have been affected. After decades of hostile immigration policies, Britain has reached a crisis point. With Brexit, the Points Based Immigration System and the Nationality and Borders Bill taking effect, the film asks: once the ‘hostile environment’ has targeted all migrants, who will it extend to next?

Screening Date:
May 6, 2022 | Kiln Theatre, London | 3:30 pm

Trailer:

Delhi’s  inhabitants fight to survive the dangers of climate change. Told through striking images and eye-opening accounts from everyday citizens, Invisible Demons delivers a visceral new look at one of the world’s  mega cities. A handful of Delhi’s 30 million inhabitants share how they are  facing the climate emergency. Through his magnifying glass on Delhi, Jain reshifts our focus to see the climate reality as part of our present, not our future.

Screening Date:
May 11, 2022 | Wednesday | Rich Mix, London | 8:50 pm

Trailer:

A group of criminals have taken over an abandoned housing block in Singapore. A newcomer arrives in the night and acts as a catalyst that changes the relationships within the gang. In his debut feature, Leonard Yip creates a mystical dystopian landscape where the darkness of the night is a character in its own right. Malam questions whether it is possible to find light in a world that enmeshed in shadows.

Screening Date:
May 5, 2022 | Thursday | Genesis, London | 8:50 pm

Trailer:

In the remote village of Chennuru in Telangana, Muthayya dreams of acting in movies before he dies. He shares all his joys and sorrows with his best friend Malli, a 24-year-old guy who runs a cycle repair shop in the same village. As the story unfolds, Muthayya tries to exhibit his acting skills through every possible medium including short films and TikTok videos, but the obstacles he faces in the process leaves him heartbroken.

Screening Date:
May 7, 2022 | Saturday | Phoenix Cinema, Leicester | 2:00 pm

Trailer:

Rehana is an assistant professor at a medical college. One evening, she witnesses a student storm out of a male professor’s office, crying. She begins to wonder what happened. Soon after, she receives a complaint about her daughter’s behaviour from the school. Rehana begins to spiral out of control as she tries to seek justice for both this student and her daughter.

Screening Date:
May 5, 2022 | Thursday | Genesis, London | 6:30 pm

Trailer:

Headstrong and feisty street dancer Rani works hard to care for her  daughter. Reclusive weaver Shahdab discovers a new world in his friendship  with an Israeli tourist. These two inhabitants of Varanasi show the diversity  and richness of human life that makes up the city’s population.  Writer-director Ritesh Sharma explores the conflicts and divisions that exist  within Indian society and presents an ideal where the city is united.

Screening Date:
May 13, 2022 | Friday | Norden Farm, Maidenhead | 4:45 pm

Trailer:

Set in West Bengal in 1993, two young eight year olds become concerned with the growing tension between Hindu and Muslim communities in India. Their friendship is threatened by societal divisions and the two boys must find a way to overcome the hatred they are taught to have of each other. With its lead cast of non-professional actors, Two Friends presents an authentic and challenging story well worth witnessing.

Screening Date:
May 8, 2022 | Sunday | Rich Mix, London | 5:30 pm

Trailer:

Bhavitavya, a philosophy student, is full of questions about life. When his favourite philosophy professor passes away, Bhavitavya embarks on a journey of self-discovery. He starts wondering who he is and what his life means. Shot on the banks of the Narmada River, Who Am I is a picturesque examination of the human condition.

Screening Date:
May 12, 2022 | Thursday | Rich Mix, London | 8:15 pm

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