‘Little Jaffna,' ‘Mahabharata' Lead London Indian Film Festival Lineup (EXCLUSIVE)
Directed by Lawrence Valin, the film, which he also co-wrote and stars in, explores the Tamil diaspora experience in France through the prism of gang culture in the area of central Paris known informally as Little Jaffna, named after the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war, which ravaged the island nation from 1983 to 2009. The film has had considerable festival play including at Venice and Toronto.
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The festival's central gala will be the restored version of Peter Brook's legendary interpretation of Indian epic 'The Mahabharata.' The screening at BFI Imax aligns with the 100th birth year of Brook, with expectations that some of the original cast will attend from France.
Director Rima Das returns to the festival with Busan debuting 'Village Rockstars 2,' continuing her exploration of rural Indian life through the story of an Assamese teenager who clings to childhood dreams while confronting contemporary challenges facing young people in rural India, from flood threats to family responsibilities.
The program also features Lakshmipriya Devi's 'Boong,' which tells the story of a disobedient schoolboy in Manipur who naively risks his safety crossing into Myanmar to search for his missing father in an attempt to mend his broken family. Set against the Himalayas, Vinod Kapri's 'Pyre' offers a sumptuously photographed narrative about an elderly couple deeply in love but struggling to survive in a changing mountain society.
Beyond film screenings, the festival will celebrate emerging British Asian talent through a new industry event developed in collaboration with RIFCO Theatre. The initiative aims to encourage more U.K. South Asians to enter the film industry while exploring co-production opportunities. This professional component will be accompanied by the festival's popular program of British-Asian shorts.
The London Indian Film Festival runs July 16-23 at BFI Southbank and BFI Imax. The Birmingham Indian Film Festival runs July 17-23 at the Midlands Arts Centre.
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USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
She's 109 and still loves when the motorcycles roar at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA – At the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, it's not all bikinis and debauchery. Some just come to feel the omnipresent rumble, to wave to the bikers and to take in the smell of fried food and fuel. And they come back for it year after year (after year). This year's 85th annual rally is expected to bring in a record number of guests, surpassing 700,000 bikers who will crowd Main Street in Sturgis, South Dakota Aug. 1-10, filling the campgrounds, mingling at the Buffalo Chip, looping through the Black Hills and screaming along with ZZ Top, Gene Simmons, Nickelback, Jason Aldean and Marilyn Manson. Some of them may pass by the home of a local woman who won't make it this year, but has been a part of Sturgis lore since the beginning. 'Fascinated' by motorcycles since 1938 At 109 years old, Hazel (Bush) Baumberger is the oldest living South Dakotan and a longtime admirer of the rally. She was there for the first one in 1938, when she and her husband, Art, heard about dirt track races in the Black Hills and choked on dust for a few days. Local Indian Motorcycle dealer Clarence 'Pappy' Hoel founded the rally with nine stuntmen bikers in 1938. Before that, Sturgis hosted horse races in the 1870s. Hoel continued to evolve what began as the Black Hills Motor Classic, from racing and stunts to live music, bike shows and rides through the Black Hills. According to the City of Sturgis, demographics for the rally today hover around 62% male riders and 37% female, around ages 45 to 65. The city sees up to 20 times more traffic, especially during the second and third day of the rally, and top visitors come from New York, Texas, California, Wyoming and Colorado. Baumberger, though, doesn't own a motorcycle. She doesn't wear leather. And, no, she never made it to one of the infamous rock concerts at The Buffalo Chip outside of town. What to know about the rally: Bikers head west for Sturgis' milestone anniversary But you would've seen her on Lazelle Street, and she'd always don a rally T-shirt with a Harley-Davidson pin on her lapel. 'Motorcycles fascinated her,' said Sandra Griese, Baumberger's 79-year-old niece who still spends time her with 'Annie' every week. 'I don't even know why, but she loves the chrome, and she loves the noise," Griese said. And the rally came to love her. Hells Angels and temporary tattoos Baumberger was recently named the South Dakota Centenarian of the Year, a title she bestowed last year as well. She's the longest-serving member of the South Dakota Health Care Association's Century Club, and she's still a chatty and chipper resident at Peaceful Pines Senior Living in Fort Pierre, South Dakota. 'She manages to amaze us every day here,' said Jalen Bame, executive director of Peaceful Pines. Baumberger has been living there since it opened last year. But she has so many stories to tell, how could she idle? More: Donald Trump at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally? Sen. Mike Rounds extends the invite Her last visit to the rally was in 2015, when she rode in on the back of her great nephew's Harley-Davidson at 99 years old. 'It was the most wonderful day I ever had,' Griese recalled Baumberger saying then. But, oh, the other wonderful days she had. Her nephew Jim Bush lives in Sturgis and served as the city's police chief from 1990-2016, a safe guide for Baumberger through the chaos. On one of her annual trips to the rally, Bush told her the Hells Angels motorcycle club was riding through town, and she insisted on having a look. He drove her and her sister, Rose – a longtime travel companion – downtown and told them to stay on the sidewalk. 'But ... they wanted as close to those motorcycles as they could get,' Griese said. Her great niece, Michelle Kohn, said Baumberger was once asked if she would've gone on a ride with one of them had they offered. 'Hell, yeah!' Baumberger said. 'She's fearless,' said Kohn, who plans to attend the rally this year with her Honda Rebel. Her nephew, the former police chief, often threw her in the back of his police cruiser to parade her through town. She'd roll down her window and wave at all the passersby. 'You know,' she told Bush, 'I bet everyone thinks we're drunk and going to jail.' And she loved the attention nonetheless. Baumberger was likely the most innocent darling of the rally. She never really drank beer, never camped, maybe gambled in a bit a bit just to pull down the lever and hear the jingle of the machines, and only managed a fake tattoo on her arm. 'But she did try to convince her friends at coffee that she and Rose got a real one,' Griese said. 'They had a bang out of that.' Someone get her some leather Baumberger was a farm girl, first in rural Onida, South Dakota, and then helping her husband on his farm with cattle and labor. She still owns their farmland today. She never had any children but her 14 nieces and nephews would take turns driving her to the rally after she couldn't drive herself anymore. She never remarried after Art died, but she led an annual Bush family reunion for nearly 90 years. Griese said she was 'very flashy,' dressed well and always pressed her jeans 'with the crease down the middle.' But she never donned a Harley-Davidson leather jacket (although the company did send her some swag once, many stickers of which adorn her walker at Peaceful Pines). Last year, her family organized a 'Rally for Hazel,' inviting bikers to stop by Peaceful Pines so she could see the motorcycles and maybe share stories. There was cake, lemonade and poker chips. There are no plans for another drive-by for Baumberger this year, but perhaps the centenarian will listen for the growl of a hog still, her lullaby as she rides toward yet another decade. Angela George is a trending news reporter for the USA Today Network. She'll be covering the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills through Aug. 8. Email ageorge@ with tips.
Eater
3 days ago
- Eater
Highly Anticipated Restaurant Openings in Charleston
is an editor of Eater's South region, covering Atlanta, Nashville, Miami, New Orleans, and the Carolinas. She has been writing about the food scene in the Carolinas and Savannah for 12 years. Erin has resided in Charleston, South Carolina, for the past 20 years. Here are some of the most exciting restaurant openings planned around the city this season. Seafood-focused Indian cuisine coming to downtown Devotees of Mount Pleasant's Spice Palette will be overjoyed to hear that owner Sujith Varghese is expanding to a downtown space, but it's not going to be a copy-and-paste situation. Forthcoming restaurant Rivayat will focus on seafood with regional dishes from southern India. Located at 210 Rutledge Avenue, Rivayat will offer dishes like lobster moilee, described as 'succulent lobster tail simmered in a fragrant coconut moilee sauce, delicately spiced with turmeric, curry leaves, toasted mustard seed, and fresh black pepper. A coastal classic that captures the essence of South Indian flavors.' The bar at Rivayat will also utilize Indian spices, featuring drinks like the Aam Panna mojito with green mango foam, a Punjab Old Fashioned with garam masala, and a dirty chai espresso martini topped with a toasted cardamom pod. More room for Filipino fare at Kultura's new address Filipino restaurant Kultura, named a Eater Best New Restaurant 2023, has outgrown its Cannon Street space and will move further up the peninsula to 267 Rutledge Avenue (the former Chasing Sage spot). This move allows for a bigger kitchen, a spacious dining room, and a full liquor license. The original location at 73 Spring Street will remain open until the transition is complete. The official opening date for the new spot will be announced later this summer. Pasta, wine, and olive brine Restaurateur and cocktail creator Joey Goetz (of Bar George and Last Saint) and chefs Mason Morton and James Ostop (of Bar George and Lupara) will open neighborhood restaurant Ok Donna later this summer. Located at 1117 King Street, the restaurant will serve fresh pastas, pizzas, and seasonal vegetable specials. Goetz told Eater, 'It's not going to be your traditional red-sauce restaurant,' which, if you've been to Bar George or Last Saint, you know his projects are anything but traditional. Expect it to be cool and unexpected. New restaurant with a big lawn and an ice cream shack in Mount Pleasant This summer, hospitality group High Tide Provisions will open a restaurant/event space named Frank & Jack's at 1434 Ira Road in Mount Pleasant. Frank & Jack's will feature a massive outdoor space, a walk-up bar, an ice cream shack, and 'nostalgic' fare. In an interview with Post & Courier, culinary partner Jonathan Rohland said that the opening menu might offer dishes such as 'short rib poutine, pot pie, moules-frites, and pizzas.' The Instagram account for the restaurant gives off an air of Frank Sinatra meets a Dirty Shirley. Could this spot make Mount Pleasant hip?
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Queensboro Dance Festival celebrates borough's culture and community
The diverse culture of Queens is on display at the Queensboro Dance Festival. A mechanic by day, Felix Perez sits at the sewing machine after work, turning traditional Mexican fabrics into dresses and skirts. The garments are costumes for Manhatitlan, a dance group made up of his family and friends. "When I see the ladies and my daughters dancing with these garments, I feel so happy," the Puebla native said. Focusing on regional Mexican folkloric styles, Manhatitlan brings generations together. "We don't get to go to Mexico as often as we would like to, and so with this, we bring a little piece of home to our home," daughter Jazmin Perez-Carvente said. "My parents helped us with it, and my sister, she was like the brains of the whole project." The sisters recruit new members through church, school and work. "It's a project, but it's also a community," daughter Karla Perez said. "Everybody's welcome," mother Rosalba Perez said. Manhatitlan is one of 21 groups in this year's Queensboro Dance Festival, a series of free shows ranging from Indian classical to Chinese contemporary, popping up at plazas and in parks across the borough all summer long. "We wanted to be a platform that represented the underrepresented dance cultures here," festival founder Karesia Batan said. "We are reflecting the cultures in every neighborhood that we're in as a point of connection but as well as a place for cultural exchange." Jazmin Perez-Carvente says the festival has helped Manhatitlan grow. "The Queensboro Dance Festival gives us exposure to whole other communities, and they find interest," she said. Sharing her culture through dance has brought her closer to her roots. "I feel more alive and proud," she said. The festival began June 7 and runs through Sept. 13. To find out more about performances, visit You can email Elle with Queens story ideas by CLICKING HERE.
