LONDON: Celebrated film-makers Karan Johar and Asif Kapadia have been amongst these honoured with an Icon Award at the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) for his or her contribution to cinema.
Johar, the producer-director of a number of Bollywood box-office hits, and Kapadia, the Oscar-winning director of the documentary on British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, have been amongst these to obtain awards at the conclusion of LIFF 2021 final week.
The competition, backed by the Bagri Foundation and British Film Institute (BFI), was staged in a hybrid type this yr amid the continuing coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
“It’s a testomony to a robust crew that we’ve got been capable of pull off a dynamic competition on-line and again in cinemas towards appreciable challenges and we particularly thank the cinemas which have helped us discover revolutionary advertising methods to draw audiences again,” stated Cary Rajinder Sawhney, LIFF Executive and Programming Director.
“Our highlighting of British Asian filmmakers, I’m happy to say, has created an actual buzz with youthful South Asian folks eager to have a good time our contribution to British cinema and humanities. Other new strands like Save The Planet, have additionally attracted new audiences exploring ecology within the Indian Subcontinental context. Excited to be rising once more,” he stated.
Some of the opposite awards of the yr included Outstanding Achievement Awards for Bollywood actors Shruti Haasan and Janhvi Kapoor.
The competition opened with a function documentary for the primary time, with Ajitesh Sharma’s ‘W.O.M.B’ (Women Of My Billion), which attracted standing ovations from audiences.
The movie, focussing on the social and political points confronted by girls in several elements of India, additionally went on to win the Audience Award of the yr in London and Birmingham.
“Our purpose is to share this daring, uncommon and compelling movie with the widest audiences potential and hope that we will improve consciousness on this heartbreaking and really actual situation that’s confronted by hundreds of thousands of girls not solely in India however world over,” stated Apoorva Bakshi, the producer of ‘W.O.M.B’.
The competition stated its common suggestions was that audiences have been excited to be again in cinemas, many for the primary time because the very first UK extensive lockdown in March 2020.
Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences at the BFI, stated: “LIFF screenings and talks with British Asian expertise at our personal BFI Southbank had stable attendance and we have been additionally happy to supply a collection of Great British Asian movies, co-curated with LIFF, on the BFI Player for audiences throughout the UK.”
Alka Bagri, Trustee of the Bagri Foundation, added: “We at the Bagri Foundation have this yr focussed our help on LIFF’s on-line screenings and I’m happy to say that the standard and variety of programming has been fairly distinctive.
“In line with the Bagri Foundation’s ethos, LIFF has showcased the easiest of South Asian arts and tradition. We are significantly happy that the competition has now developed its first yr spherical programme on-line at LoveLIFFatHome.com, reaching audiences UK-wide.”
