Stories

BFI Distribution is excited to announce the release of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner, All We Imagine as Light (2024), written and directed by Payal Kapadia, in UK and Irish cinemas on 29 November 2024. A BFI Blu-ray and BFI Player release will follow in early 2025.

Featuring Kani Kusruti (Prabha) Divya Prabha (Anu) and Chhaya Kadam (Parvaty) in the lead roles, All We Imagine as Light was the first Indian film to be selected in an Official Competition at Cannes in three decades. Payal Kapadia also made history as the first female Indian filmmaker ever to have a film in this prestigious section of the festival. After dancing down the red carpet, the director and her cast saw the film receive an eight-minute standing ovation; worldwide critical acclaim and 5-star reviews followed.

An Indian feature with the look and feel of a European arthouse classic, exploring the complexities of female friendship, this beautiful, sweeping, emotional film brilliantly captures the frantic pace, the vibrant colours and the heady atmosphere of modern Mumbai. In Mumbai, thoughtful Nurse Prabha’s routine is upset when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger, flightier and rebellious roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her secret boyfriend.

Their colleague Parvaty fights to stay in her home without any requisite paperwork left by her late husband. A trip to a beach town allows them each to find a space for their desires to manifest. Payal Kapadia is a Mumbai-based filmmaker who studied Film Direction at the Film & Television Institute of India. Her short films, Afternoon Clouds (2017) and And What Is The Summer Saying (2018), premiered at the Cannes Cinéfondation and the Berlinale respectively.

Her first feature film, A Night of Knowing Nothing (2021) premiered at the 2021 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, where it won the Golden Eye Documentary Prize.

Kapadia has commented:
“Although All We Imagine as Light is my first fiction feature, it’s still very important to me that
fiction and documentary can exist together. What I try to do is approach fiction in a
non-fiction way. I find the juxtaposition of the two very interesting and I strongly believe that it
makes the non-fiction more fiction and the fiction more non-fiction.”

All We Imagine as Light is a France-India-The Netherlands-Luxembourg co-production. The producers are Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff of Petit Chaos in Paris, and Zico Maitra of Chalk & Cheese Films in Mumbai. Additional partners are Arte France Cinéma, Baldr Film (Netherlands), Another Birth (India), Les Films Fauves (Luxembourg) and Pulpa Film (Italy). European development funds, including Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals grant and the Cannes Cinéfondation Residency, enabled Kapadia to reside in Europe and develop the film with her French producers, before beginning production in her native India.

You can watch the trailer here:

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT will be released in UK & Irish

Peccadillo Pictures is proud to announce that it will release Fawzia Mirza’s award-winning feature directorial debut The Queen Of My Dreams in UK cinemas on 13th September. The film, which features outstanding performances from the entire cast, is joyful, funny and affecting.

The Queen Of My Dreams is a semi-autobiographical film by writer/director Fawzia Mirza about her experiences as a queer Canadian woman of south Asian heritage.

1999, Azra (Amrit Kaur) travels from Toronto to Karachi after her father Hassan’s (Hamza Haq) sudden death, forcing her to confront her complicated relationship with her mother Mariam (Nimra Bucha).

The film flashes back to 1960s Karachi, portraying a booming, groovy period where the young Mariam (also played by Kaur) rebelliously pursues her own path in life. When a chance meeting with Hassan occurred, it was love at first sight.

In the modern-day storyline, Azra must navigate mourning her idealised late father while trying to understand her equally complex living mother. The film explores the dangers of putting loved ones on pedestals rather than seeing their full humanity. It’s a story about intergenerational divides, culture clashes, and the messy reality of mother-daughter relationships.

While paying homage to the classic Bollywood film and song “Meri Sapno Ki Rani” (literally The Queen of My Dreams), the movie’s heart lies in Mirza’s very personal look at her own family dynamics and quest for self-discovery. It’s an insightful, comedic, and moving examination of South Asian identity.

Fawzia Mirza says, “The Queen Of My Dreams is a dramedy spanning 30 years in the life of a Pakistani-Canadian family. It’s an exploration of the intergenerational connections between mothers and daughters, East and West, home and away, infused with humor, romance, music and Bollywood fantasy. Inspired by personal experiences, some of my mother’s stories, intertwined with Pakistani history and collective memory. The film shows the expansive journey of women, seeking to define and decide their own paths, while simultaneously learning – and remembering – how to love. And it explores the question I find myself asking in all my work, “How do we become who we are?”

To answer that question, I turned to my conservative mother, a woman who seems so different from me, and yet, we are so similar. She told me some stories of her past, which made her sound like a movie star, like the iconic actress Sharmila Tagore. But the past still felt like a mystery. I wanted to know more. I found myself nostalgic for her youth in 1960s Pakistan, ‘The Golden Era’ of the country. That was a place I’d never been, but I found myself yearning to visit. It didn’t sound anything like the Pakistan I knew. And I just wanted to understand my mother better. It’s why the 60s was such an important era in this film. Who I am is impacted by who my mother is, but also who she was. And who her mother was – our intergenerational connection. Inspired by this, and the South Asian cinematic device of “doubling,” I made the creative choice to cast the same actor who plays Azra at 22 to play her mother at the same age in 1969.

Music evokes memory and nostalgia and the music throughout the film is intended to do just that. In fact, the film’s title is inspired by the 1969 Sharmila Tagore hit film, “Aradhana” and one of its classic songs, Mere Sapnon Ki Rani (The Queen of My Dreams). It’s a song about a man finding the love of his life, the queen of his dreams. I grew up in a heteronormative patriarchal society, so I always fantasized some man would sing this to me. When I came out as queer, I thought the song no longer applied, or rather, maybe a woman would sing it to me. But I realized I am the queen of my own dreams. And in Azra’s journey in the film, she realizes she has the agency to step out of the generational mistakes made by her mother and her mother before her. Azra is the queen of her own dreams.

This film is my way of traveling to the past, to imagine a world my mother might have lived in. A world that blends genres — rich, technicolor, heightened scenes inspired by Mere Sapnon Ki Rani amidst the realities of grief and loss. This film folds those ideas into the storytelling through flashback, comedy, fantasy sequences, qawaali-inspired music set in the places that I’ve romanticized through memory: 1969 Karachi, Pakistan and 1989, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Much like our lives, making this film has been a journey. It began in 2012 as a short film (also titled) The Queen Of My Dreams and then a play Me, My Mom and Sharmila in 2014, after which I worked on the screenplay for seven years, in various iterations and collaborations, before entering pre-production, Summer 2022.”

The Queen Of My Dreams explores not putting loved ones on pedestals and the reality of navigating mother-daughter relationships. It examines intergenerational divides, culture clashes and self-realisation.  The film’s heart lies in writer/director Fawzia Mirza’s personal look at her family dynamics and her journey as a queer Canadian woman.  It’s an insightful and humorous examination of South Asian identity.

Watch The Queen Of My Dreams distributed by Peccadillo Pictures set to release in the UK cinemas on 13th September.

Bollywood heartthrob Vicky Kaushal and Punjabi sensation Ammy Virk set the Pink City ablaze with their charisma and energy as they visited Jaipur to promote their much-anticipated film, Bad Newz. The star-studded promotional event, held at the iconic Rambagh Palace, drew fans from all corners of the city, eager to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars.

The duo arrived in Jaipur to a grand welcome, with traditional Rajasthani music and dance performances adding a cultural touch to the festivities. Vicky Kaushal, known for his versatile acting and dynamic screen presence, expressed his excitement about the film and the warm reception from Jaipurites. Ammy Virk, making waves with his transition from Punjabi cinema to Bollywood, shared his thoughts on the film and the city’s vibrant culture.

During the event, the stars interacted with fans, answered questions from the media, and shared intriguing behind-the-scenes stories from the making of Bad Newz. The film, a thrilling drama with unexpected twists and turns, promises to be a cinematic treat for audiences nationwide.

Watch the trailer here:

Directed by Anand Tiwari, Bad Newz is presented by Amazon Prime and Dharma Productions, in association with Leo Media Collective, distributed overseas by Moviegoers Entertainment. Save the date for the only ‘Bad Newz’ to leave you in absolute splits, delivering in theatres near you on 19th July 2024!

If you’ve seen any of the promotional materials of Kill claiming it to be India’s goriest and most violent film – believe it.

I went for the UK press screening for Kill and I honestly didn’t have any expectations especially because I’m not a huge action film buff and the trailer didn’t excite me much.

But boy, was I wrong!!

Kill had me hooked from the minute go, leaving me breathless, gasping for air, grabbing the edge of my seat, waiting for the nightmare to end, but also wanting more.

A little bit of background – Kill, directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, revolves around Amrit (Lakshya Lalwani), a commando in the Indian army who’s traveling on Rajdhani Express train to stay close to his girlfriend Tulika (Tanya Maniktala). What begins as an uneventful journey soon takes a drastic turn when it’s hijacked by a gang of extremely aggressive and merciless bandits, led by the leader Fani (Raghav Juyal).

What follows is about an hour and half of intense adrenaline rush of excessively graphic bloodshed, gory train ride pack with violence and constant action.

And just when you think it’s over – BAM – it gets worse, and it’s bloody good!

You cannot watch a film like Kill and not commend the extremely well crafted and choreographed fight sequences with the punch, kicks, throat slashes, and brain smashes (yes, you read that right).

Each move is so meticulously designed by Action Director Se-Young Oh and Action Director Manager Seung Hyun Joey Kim in a confined setting of a narrow train. Remember when I mentioned earlier that I felt breathless during the screening – that is the desired effect because that’s how each character feels at every second; The film doesn’t allow the audience any time to process the shock, just like the characters holding onto their dear lives to survive on that train.

On that note, a film like this deserves the biggest theatre screen because the collective experience of watching it in a community makes it a thousand times more enjoyable. There were gasps, screams, cheers, slight giggles, and even applause.

You may not enjoy it on a small screen, watching it alone in your home.

Popcorn Rating:   [4/5]

Overall, don’t expect to watch Kill for the plot or a marvellous story – there are evident flaws. But if a film can keep you engaged and entertained throughout its runtime, despite its flaws – it’s a job well done!

After a spectacular launch of the fifth hero, Bujji, the first-ever life-sized futuristic vehicle in Indian cinema from the sci-fi epic, Kalki 2898 AD, the makers are set to give the audience an unprecedented introduction into the film’s world through a two-episode animated series, B&B: Bujji & Bhairava. Exclusively premiering on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide on May 31 in Telugu, English, Hindi, and Spanish, the animated series features Prabhas’ character, Bhairava, and his best friend, the futuristic vehicle, Bujji.

The pioneering series is another milestone for one of the highly anticipated films of 2024, which releases worldwide on June 27, making it the first Indian film to launch an animated prelude. Recreating his likeness in an animated form and lending his voice to his impressive character, Prabhas’ Bhairava and Bujji in the series give an unfiltered glimpse into the origins of their friendship, which evolves into an unbreakable bond. Creating an extraordinary visual spectacle complemented by an unparalleled audio experience, the brilliant animation uses cutting-edge technology to bring to life a captivating story of friendship and adventure.

Sharing his thoughts on the same, C. Ashwani Dutt, producer of Kalki 2898 AD and B&B: Bujji & Bhairava stated, “Vyjayanthi Movies has completed 50 glorious years. All these years, we have done larger-than-life spectacle movies like Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari and small-scale movies like Yevade Subramanyam, which have always created a benchmark for Telugu cinema. My daughters have worked on television, digital films, and series. For the first time ever, ‘B&B’, an animation series, a prelude to Kalki 2898 AD, is being launched even before the release of the film. This is the most innovative idea, and I am glad it is happening in Vyjayanthi. I am quite excited about this and am certain that it will entertain audiences of all ages.”

Adding to the same, director Nag Ashwin further said, “Bujji & Bhairava is a pure work of joy, just exploring the story of these two characters in Kalki that I enjoyed writing. It introduces audiences to the world and allows us to know more about these characters than the movie allows.”

“We are thrilled to exclusively stream and showcase B&B: Bujji & Bhairava on Prime Video. The two-episode animated series is a fitting precursor to the expansive and enthralling world of Kalki 2898 AD, a magnum opus that promises to leave the audience awestruck,” said Manish Menghani, director, content licensing, Prime Video India. “At Prime Video, we take immense pride in the synergistic collaborations and partnerships, such as this one with Vyjayanthi Movies, that endow us with the ability to build an enviable slate of content that includes the likes of Sita Ramam, Jathi Ratnalu, Mahanati, and many more. B&B: Bujji & Bhairava builds on the enormous scale and fandom amassed by Kalki 2898 AD and its star-studded ensemble cast, making it an exciting prelude that will further accentuate the experience of our customers while getting them involved and invested in the film, even before they watch it.”

B&B: Bujji & Bhairava is a fascinating prelude to Kalki 2898 AD, which features a stellar cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani in key roles, made waves after its groundbreaking debut at San Diego Comic-Con last year, earning massive global acclaim.

Directed by Nag Ashwin and Produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, Kalki 2898 AD is a multilingual film, a mythology-inspired sci-fi spectacle set in the future which will release worldwide on June 27, 2024.

Production images have been released from Wise Children and the RSC’s adaptation of Hanif Kureshi’s The Buddha of Suburbia, adapted by Wise Children Artistic Director, Emma Rice, with Kureishi. The production runs at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) as part of Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey’s inaugural season as Co-Artistic Directors.

Rice directs Dee Ahluwalia, Ankur Bahl, Raj Bajaj, Tommy Belshaw, Rina Fatania, Natasha Jayetileke, Bettrys Jones, Simon Rivers, Lucy Thackeray and Ewan Wardrop. The production opens on 30 April, with previews from 18 April, and runs until 1 June.

Emma Rice, Artistic Director of Wise Children said, “I’m honoured and excited to be part of Tamara and Daniel’s inaugural season as Co-Artistic Directors at the RSC. It’s magic to be returning to The Swan stage – and in such a thrilling way! There’ll be no iambic pentameter here, oh no! Expect party poppers, lawn mowers, bean bags and balloons!

“Hanif Kureishi’s debut novel The Buddha of Suburbia is a messy, joyful, and angry love letter to family, theatre and music. Funny and tender in equal measure, this landmark story fizzes with rebellion, confusion, love and acceptance.

“I couldn’t be more delighted to be working with my hero Hanif Kureishi on transforming his literary masterpiece into a joyful theatrical whoop. As the dawn of a new era shines upon the Swan stage, Buddha promises to be dashing, dirty, devasting and hopeful – just as theatre should be!”

Hanif Kureishi said today, “I am absolutely thrilled that Emma Rice is adapting my novel for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Emma has a uniquely theatrical imagination, which, in combination with my own theatre background and the novel’s partial setting in the theatre, will result in a vibrant and provocative production.”

Set Designer: Rachana Jadhav; Costume Designer: Vicki Mortimer; Sound and Video Designer: Simon Baker; Lighting Designer: Jai Morjaria; Composer: Niraj Chag; Choreographer: Etta Murfitt; Fight Director: Kev McCurdy; Casting Director: Matthew Dewsbury CDG

An irresistible, heart-breaking and joyful exploration of family, friends, sex, theatre and, ultimately, belonging. Emma Rice adapts the award-winning 1990 novel, The Buddha of Suburbia with Hanif Kureishi in a major new co-production with Wise Children and the RSC.