South Asian Heritage Month at The Garden Cinema

Throughout July and August, The Garden Cinema presents an array of screenings to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month, which is themed ‘Free to Be Me.’

From Bhutan to Bangladesh, the 13 films weave tales of resilience, identity, and personal freedom with a special focus on music, female voices and queer stories. Highlights include preview screenings of Fawzia Mirza’s vibrant debut ‘The Queen of My Dreams’, from Pakistan, and Shuchi Talati’s Sundance winning ‘Girls Will Be Girls’, from India.

Nida Manzoor’s exuberant feminist action comedy, ‘Polite Society’, will be followed by a Q&A with lead actor Priya Kansara. You can also catch Bhutan's first ever Oscar nominee, ‘Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom’.

On 28th July the UK Asian Film Festival are raising money for LGBTQ+ charities in India with a special fundraiser screening of the poignant trans drama ‘Blue Sunshine’, followed by a Q&A with the director Samyuktha Vijayan.

On 9th August there will be a traditional sitar and tabla performance by Jonathan Mayer and Dhanraj Persaud, followed by a screening of the newly restored ‘Shiraz: A Romance of India’.