Movies, Memories, Magic (2018) 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 result of a year-long Heritage Lottery-supported South Asian heritage project – Memories Through Cinema, led by the UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF) in collaboration with Queen Mary, University of London. The project received a Queen Mary University Community Engagement Award in November 2018.

The film paints a vibrant picture of how iconic South Asian films screened in renowned cinema halls in London, 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 (1957) and Sholay (1975) 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.

Join us for a special free screening at the Cinema Museum, followed by Q&A with the film’s contributors and director Dr Ashvin Immanuel Devasundaram. This screening is part of the 21st UK Asian Film Festival – UKAFF 2019.

Official trailer: https://vimeo.com/307265314

Doors open at 13.00, for a 14.00 start.

Refreshments will be available in our licensed cafe/bar.

TICKETS & PRICING

Free admission. Places are limited, so please register via the Eventbrite webpage.