A DIRECTOR made his way down the red carpet for the world premiere of his film.
Pravesh Kumar, who wrote and directed his debut movie Little English, watched his creation on the big screen at the Blue Orchid London Indian Film Festival at the BFI on June 24.
The cast and crew were joined by Slough’s MP Tan Dhesi, BBC radio presenters Sunny and Shay Grewal and Bend it Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha.
Produced by Resource Productions and filmed in Slough, Little English follows the story of Simmy, a newly imported bride from India, whose husband has done a runner but discovers an unlikely ally in her brother-in law Harry.
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The premiere saw 450 audience members watch the film, which was followed by a special Q&A with Mr Kumar.
Mr Kumar said: “Slough is a character in my film, a concrete town with a big diverse community.
“I wanted to lift the shadow of bad press it gets. My mother, an immigrant who spoke Little English, came to a new land, left her family and single handily bought up four children.
“She gave us the confidence to be who we are and go out and fulfil our dreams.”
Mr Kumar added the film received an “incredible outpouring of love” from the audiences.
He said: “It’s not often that we get to see our authentic selves on screen and feel truly represented, seen from our own lens.”
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Dominque Unsworth, of Resource Productions, said: “We are thrilled that Little English has been such a huge success on the festival circuit, consistently selling out venues across the country and proving that there is a huge appetite for homegrown, British South Asian films that tell authentic stories from within the community.
“We managed to build the production into a unique training programme for diverse talent, enabling over 200 under-represented actors, craftspeople and technicians to take on new roles, with many working on their first feature.
“I’m so proud of everything that has been achieved by the cast and crew, bringing the film to life from script to screen in less than 12 months, especially considering the challenges of the pandemic.”
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