British Indian film festival To Focus On Women

 As part of its tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema, the annual London Asian Film Festival (LAFF) will focus on the journey of women in film. The 15th instalment of the festival organised by Tongues on Fire Limited will kick off with an opening gala screening of 'Listen... Amaya' - written and scripted by Geeta Singh - at the British Film Institute here on March 7. "The entire focus of this year's line-up is on the woman's gauge. We were keen to look at the centenary of Indian cinema through the eyes of women, both behind and in front of the camera," said festival director Pushpinder Chowdhry. "From the very first film, Raja Harishchandra - which had no female actors - to the modern day, it has not been an easy ride. But it is in spite of all the hurdles that women have made their mark and this year's festival is a celebration of that journey," she added. The wide selection for LAFF 2013 offers a mix of new independent films, recent thought-provoking ones and some old classics. A retrospective thread from March 11 at the Nehru Centre will include a director's workshop with Gauri Shinde, the debutante director of 'English Vinglish'. As part of its annual Beyond Borders theme, films from the US, Sri Lanka, Assam, Pakistan and Britain are also among those being showcased alongside entries from India. The highlight in the Pakistani segment is the UK premiere of 'Seedlings (Lamha)', with lead actress Aamina Sheikh and producer Meher Jaffri engaging with the audience in a Q&A. London-based Pakistani plastic surgeon Dr Mohammad Jawad's journeys to Pakistan to perform reconstructive surgery on survivors of acid violence as part of the documentary 'Saving Face' takes the debate further to violence against women and the search for equality and empowerment. The festival closes on a lighter note on March 17 with filmmaker Anurag Basu's award-winning 'Barfi!'