Documentary Film Screening

Movies, Memories, Magic celebrates the hybrid cinematic and cultural heritage sculpted by London’s South Asian communities across time and space. Cinema has served as a vital bridge between cultures and countries, for South Asians in Britain. This documentary is the culmination of a year-long Heritage-Lottery-funded South Asian heritage project – Memories Through Cinema, led by the UK Asian Film Festival in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London. Harmonising with the UK-India Year of Culture 2017 and the 70th anniversary of Indian independence, this cinematic journey uncovers a treasure trove of memories, capturing multiple South Asian voices that have enriched the cultural symphony of this grand global cosmopolis. The film paints a vibrant picture of how iconic South Asian films screened in renowned cinema halls, from the winding alleyways of Brick Lane to the bustling streets of Southall, galvanised cultural conversations and shaped trends in music, food, fashion and politics. From cinema stalwarts such as Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, film classics such as Mother India and Sholay and the razzmatazz of Bollywood, to the bold and bravura brand of new Indian Indie cinema, the film’s inter-generational contributors reminisce about how cinema spaces and viewing practices have transformed over time. This film is testament to how the magic of movies and the indelible memories they inscribe have catalysed a hyphenated cultural identity - rooted in local London and blended with global South Asian culture.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A conversation led by Dr Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram, Queen Mary University of London

In association with Tongues on Fire.