The 5^th anniversary of Birmingham Indian Film Festival opened with Director Anubhav Sinha walking the red carpet at Cineworld, Broad Street for his hard-hitting thriller ‘Article 15’ (out now on global general release) and ended this week with a sold-out screening of Ritesh Batra’s ‘Photograph’ at MAC Birmingham.

The Festival was part of the Bagri London Indian Film Festival which together is the UK and Europe’s largest South Asian Film Festival.

Eleven days of 16 screenings and events took place in five venues across Birmingham and showcased a number of high profile and emerging women film-makers films, Q&A’s with Directors as well as a rarely seen documentary and special screenings of LGBTQ+ shorts attended by a diverse audience. The Festival’s first Screen Talk took place at The Mockingbird Cinema with India’s leading cult iconic Director Anurag Kashyap.

Other guests at screenings during the festival included investigative journalist and activist, Anand Patwardhan, legendary Bengali director, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Kannada actress Anju Alva Naik and directors Praveen Morchhale and Gaurav Bakshi.

This year’s inaugural BIFF Audience Award went to the charming romance ‘Sir’, directed by Rohena Gera which took the Cannes film festival by storm in 2018.  The award, which has been running at the Bagri London Indian Film Festival for 7 years, marks the first time it has been presented to a female director.

Rohena Gera said: “I am truly delighted that ‘Sir’ has won the Audience Award in Birmingham. It means a lot to me that the film connects with the audience at the heart of the UK. I am honoured to be their favourite.”

The Satyajit Ray Short Film Award went to Rohan Parashuram Kanawade for U Ushacha who was presented with £1000 from the Satyajit Ray Foundation at the closing night of the London festival.

Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE, Executive and Programming Director said: “I’m delighted that we have showcased our strongest film selection ever for the 5^th anniversary of Birmingham Indian Film Festival, helmed by the Birmingham premiere of politically daring film ‘Article 15’.  Continuing to push boundaries of diversity, I’m pleased that our women protagonist led and LGBTQ+ themes have seen audiences flocking to them, redefining images of Indian and South Asian Culture in the media.”

Dharmesh Rajput, Head of Cinema, Birmingham added: “It’s been fantastic to have an increase in diverse audiences attending the festival this year and to have ended on a high with a sold-out screening of Ritesh Batra’s ‘Photograph’ which was well received by the audience. I’m proud that the festival platforms independent South Asian films which wouldn’t necessarily be seen here in the UK and that we’ve been able to interact with directors at Q&As.”

They thank Birmingham City University and Asian Business Chamber of Commerce who share the Festival’s passion for Asian arts and culture and new hotel partner Malmaison Birmingham. Thanks also to the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, for their ongoing support, plus our many other supporters.

The Festival also thanks its partner venues Cineworld, Birmingham, MAC Birmingham, The Mockingbird Cinema, Centrala and Medicine Bakery and Gallery.

Birmingham Indian Film Festival will be announcing details of further screenings this year.

Born into the great line of Kouyate Griot in Southern Senegal, Kadialy Kouyate’s kora playing and singing style, both as a soloist and in different ensembles, have been appreciated in many prestigious venues including the Royal Festival Hall, the 02 Arena, the National Theatre, the Royal Albert Hall and Clarence House.

Bringing his successful piece of West African afro-pop with a message, he has also played venues and festivals across the world, touring to Europe, Australia and North America. Since his arrival in the UK, Kadialy has played a significant part in enriching the London musical scene with his griot legacy.

He has taught the kora at SOAS, University of London, for the last decade and he has also been involved in countless musical projects both as a collaborator and a session musician. He has toured with the RSC’s production of Julius Caesar, other theatre projects including working at the London Globe Theatre on a show called ‘We the People’ as well as touring three children theatre projects with the renowned Oily Cart. In 2015 he took part in the remaking of the TV series Roots as a musician, cultural consultant and dialect coach.

Kora virtuoso/singer Kadialy has released several albums – also with collaborations include Rafiki Jazz and Adriano Adewale Group - and makes regular radio and television appearances.

He plays the following live dates this summer:

• July 18 Kansas smity’s
• Aug 03 WILLOWFARM ARTS FESTIVAL Oxford W/Rafiki Jazz
• Aug 04 RIVERSIDE FESTIVAL Nottingham W/Rafiki Jazz
• Aug 25 Shambala Festival with Millie

Academics at Birmingham City University are set to host a free workshop this week for 14-21 year-olds who are keen to take their first professional steps into the music industries.

Music industry lecturers Dr Iain Taylor and Matt Grimes will deliver the ‘Making Money from Music’ session at the University’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on Saturday 6 July, where attendees will be tasked with investigating and exploring the opportunities to create and protect revenue streams within the music industries.

News of a music industry rift has dominated media headlines this week, after it emerged that pop star Taylor Swift is unable to own the rights to her own music because of a record deal she signed at the age of 15.

“The ‘Making Money from Music’ workshop is aimed at young artists and we’ll be introducing them to the main sectors of the music industries, including how digital developments are creating new opportunities to make money,” said Matt Grimes, Degree Leader for Music Industries at Birmingham City University’s School of Media.

The workshop forms part of Music For Youth’s national ‘Frequencies’ event, offering young artists and groups the chance to perform, collaborate and meet with other music professionals and industry experts.

For more information and to book tickets, visit www.mfy.org.uk/events

The Be At One Band has raised £2000 for Help Musicians UK. The group has been touring the UK performing at a number of Be At One bars, raising money for the charity.

Following an online call for singers on the Be At One website to find the very best talent, the Be At One Band was formed and then rehearsed with trained choreographers and a sound coach ahead of its UK tour.

From Don’t Stop Believing to Sister Act, the choir has performed in the following locations: Be At One Hammersmith, Be At One Birmingham and Be At One Liverpool.

Suzanne Baker, Commercial Director of Stonegate Pub Company, said: “It is fantastic that the Be At One Band has fundraised so much for Help Musicians UK and they have had fun along the way. It is such a wonderful cause and it has been great to showcase the amazing talent of some of our customers.”

Belinda Dee, Director of Fundraising of Help Musicians, said: “We at Help Musicians would like to thank Be At One and everyone involved in the choir for donating their time to fundraise and for making this very generous donation, which will allow us to continue doing our vital work for musicians in need.

“For almost a hundred years, Help Musicians has been providing a broad spectrum of help, support and opportunities to empower musicians of all ages, genres and at any stage of their career, from times of great need to times of opportunity. We appreciate that the nature of a musician’s life can be precarious, with many complex challenges that can leave them uniquely vulnerable. 2018 saw a larger than ever demand for our services across both creative development and health and welfare and thanks to the generous support of donations, we can continue to make a meaningful difference to the lives of musicians.”

Following the release of his debut Billboard #1 Top 200 Album ‘Bad Habits’, Punjabi-Canadian rapper, and producer NAV announces a headlining show at O2 Forum Kentish Town, London with support from fellow XO Records duo, 88Glam on 20 August 2019 ahead of his debut performance at Reading and Leeds Festival. 88Glam has clocked in over​ 200 million streams globally​ and recently produced the breakout track​ ‘Price On My Head’​ featuring T​he Weeknd​ on B​ad Habits.

The first time Nav ever stepped foot on a stage was as a surprise guest at the O2 Forum with label mate The Weeknd back in 2017, the same year Rolling Stone placed his Coachella debut among the year’s best performances with praise from the likes of Pitchfork, Hypebeast, Complex and The Fader.

Nav has hit almost 200M streams in the UK to date, and 3+ Billion streams globally. Having co-produced the GRAMMY Award-nominated ‘Back To Back’ for Drake and platinum-selling ‘beibs in the trap’ for Travi$ Scott’s blockbuster Birds In the Trap Sing McKnight, NAV rides hypnotic trap beats with his wavy sing-rap flow, crafting a sonic blend that draws upon styles similar to contemporaries such as Post Malone and Drake, quietly arrived as one of rap’s most innovative and infectious voices.

NAV’s self-titled mixtape appeared in early 2017, and it was chock-full of his by-now-trademark silky vocals and slick beats. The lead single preceded the release ‘Some Way’, which also featured the Weeknd. That same year, he also put out the Perfect Timing mixtape, on which he collaborated with Atlanta-based producer Metro Boomin. NAV’s single ‘Wanted You’, which features Lil Uzi Vert, charted on Billboard’s Top 100 and he followed up in early 2018 with the solo single ‘Freshman List’. Both tracks were featured on his debut studio album, Reckless, which was released on XO and Republic in May of that year. Landing in the U.S. top ten, the set featured guests Quavo, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, and Gunna. Less than a year later, NAV made a quick turnaround with sophomore follow-up Bad Habits, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. BET debuted his latest release, Tap ft. Meek Mill in Times Square which has already garnered 90 million global streams.

U.K. Tour Date:  

20 August 2019 - London, U.K.  O2 Forum Kentish Town

NAV will also perform at Reading and Leeds Festival Friday 23 August – Sunday 25 August 2019.

Jim Jefferies, one of the most popular and respected comedians of his generation, has announced his biggest UK tour to date. Taking in 5 key arenas across the country ‘The Night Talker Tour’ starts on Tuesday 3rd December at the O2 Arena and culminates on Friday 13th December at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena.

Jim has been entertaining audiences across the globe with his provocative and thought-provoking comedy for the best part of twenty years. 2018’s The Unusual Punishment Tour was a complete sell out around the world and received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. “Gleefully gobby and brutally honest” Evening Standard.

He recently signed a deal with Comedy Central for a first look on content development in television and digital media. Additionally, Jim’s eponymous Comedy Central series, The Jim Jefferies Show debuted its third season this March. As a strong voice in late night, the weekly show features Jim traveling across the globe to tackle the top news stories and controversial issues of the day.

He also heads up The Jim Jefferies Show Podcast, this includes interviews and discussions with a variety of guests discussing current events and politics, as well as providing a more in-depth focus on the topics and opinions featured on the TV series - with less filters.

In 2018 he starred in his third Netflix comedy special Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now’, which was recorded at the Eventim Apollo in London. The year before, he released his fifth major stand up special in seven years, Freedumb.

The special was Jim’s second to air on Netflix, and followed the huge success of the first, Jim Jefferies: BARE, in which he delivered a now iconic routine on guns and gun control in the United States. In addition, Jim created, wrote, produced, and starred in the critically acclaimed FX series Legit, which ran for two seasons and has since gained a cult following. He has also appeared in the films Killing Hasselhoff and Punching Henry. Jim currently lives in Los Angeles.

DECEMBER

Tues 3rd LONDON - O2 Arena

Thurs 5th BIRMINGHAM - Resorts World Arena

Fri 6th MANCHESTER - Arena

Thurs 12th GLASGOW - The Hydro

Fri 13th NEWCASTLE - Utilita Arena