| Bite the Mango, Europe's leading festival of Black and Asian Cinema, kicks off on September 21st in Bradford, UK. Opening Night Gala is Bollywood Calling, an English language look at the Indian film industry. It tells of Pat Stormare, an out of luck American B-movie actor, who is paired with ageing Indian star Manu Kapoor in the film-within-a-film Maut. Leading Indian actor Om Puri - last seen in East is East, and described by a US critic as 'a talent that equals or surpasses that of Morgan Freeman or Al Pacino' - will attend the UK premiere and will also be interviewed on stage. Seven of his films are shown in a retrospective - Soul of India. Closing the festival is the European premier of It Was An Accident staring Thandie Newton and James Bolam. The fast paced comedy thriller from Oliver Parker (Othello, An Ideal Husband) follows Nicky Burnett, fresh from prison, and desperately trying to go straight. Other film highlights include Jinnah starring Christopher Lee and James Fox, screened for the first time in Europe in its director's cut. Director of Jinnah, Jamil Dehlavi gives a live talk after the screening. A particular coup for festival organisers is the attendance of one of Bollywood' largest stars, actress Karisma Kapoor. Three of her films will be shown at the festival, and Kapoor will also be giving a rare live talk. Also screening are the English premieres of In The Mood For Love, Audition, Girlfight and Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps. There is a John Singleton retrospective screening five of his films from 91's Boyz 'n' The Hood to this year's Shaft, which is screened alongside the 1971 original. Three short film programmes showcase at the festival, under the titles of Slices of Mango; Men: Image and the Reality; and the Best of British Awards, which culminate in an awards ceremony on Friday 29th September. Organised by the National Museum of Film, Photography and Television and screened in the state-of-the-art Pictureville, IMAX and Cubby Broccoli cinemas in Bradford, this year's festival looks like the best yet. With an excellent range of films, a good line-up of talent, and even a drive-in screening at the local supermarket car-park, Bite The Mango has plenty of appeal - not just for Bradford's huge Asian population - but for world cinema lovers nation-wide. |
