The film features a brilliant score from Oscar-winning Indian composer A R Rahman. London Indian Film Festival Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said, “We are delighted to have Disney’s Million Dollar Arm at the heart of the festival, the film has loads of energy with a huge feel-good factor. Some great performances by young men Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal and of course Jon Hamm is a definite attraction.”
Now in its fifth year, the London Indian Film Festival is the largest South Asian Film Festival in Europe.
The Festival will open with the European premiere of hard-hitting film ‘Sold’ which tells the story of a young Nepali girl’s struggle for survival after being sold into prostitution.
Gillian Anderson plays a photographer who tries to rescue her and other young women who are in similar position. “Working on this sensitively told film and with young women who have themselves experienced the unbelievable trauma of abduction and trafficking has opened my eyes to the horrors these young people face on a daily basis,” Anderson said.
The Emmy-award winning actor is also expected to participate in a Q & A during the film’s opening night.
The executive producer of the film is the much-loved actor Emma Thompson.
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“It is wonderful to have our film premiered at London Indian Film Festival, to raise awareness towards
child-trafficking. We hope that this film will make people think,” she said.
Other films which will be screened at the festival include ‘Hank and Asha’, a modern romance for the digital age that brings two people together on opposite sides of the world.
Family drama ‘Barefoot to Goa’ has also been a hit with audience, dealing with the strong ties that bind families
together and the middle class dilemma of what to do with older parents.
It sees a group of urban children set off on a cross-country adventure to visit their grandmother in rural
Goa. The eight day festival will come to an end with ‘Hemalkasa’, starring Indian actor Nana Patekar, on July 17.
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Some of the outstanding films to be screened during the festival include Kannada film ‘Ulidavaru Kandanthe’, Tamil films: ‘An American in Madras’ and ‘Ilai’, Malayalam film ‘Kanyaka talkies’ and the beautiful ode to Satyajit Ray’s ‘Apu trilogy’ in Bengali as well as films in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi languages.
Indian actor Farhan Akhtar, who will be one of the guests at the festival, said, “At its heart, Cinema is about sharing ones culture with the world. Be it on screen or in representation of ones work, I look forward to sharing my experiences, memories and motivations.”
Akhtar will also discuss his career that includes ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, ‘Don’ and ‘Rock On!!’ at the British Film Institute South Bank on July 16.
During the festival, Santosh Sivan, India’s celebrated cinematographer and successful director whose credits include ‘The Terrorist’, ‘Bride and Prejudice’ and ‘Roja’, will deliver a rare masterclass at the British Film Institute on July 11.
Mittal, who came to limelight in Oscar-winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, will participate in an exclusive Question and Answer session alongside producer Mark Ciardi after the film’s premiere at the Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue on July 14, the organisers said.