“South Asian Heritage Month runs from 18th July to 17th August every year. It seeks to raise the profile of British South Asian heritage and history in the UK through education, arts, culture and commemoration, with the goal of helping people to better understand the diversity of present-day Britain and improve social cohesion across the country. It had its inaugural year in 2020.  The Month is a grassroots movement that has been driven by the lived experiences of the founders and others in being British South Asian.

South Asian Heritage Month is about reclaiming the history and identity of British South Asians. People need to be able to tell their own stories, and this is an opportunity to show what it means to be South Asian in the 21st century, as well as look to the past to see how Britain became the diverse country it is today. “

More information about the month, its founders and activities can be found here. 

Read below for ideas on screenings and films.

South Asian Heritage Month LGBTQIA Special

Rianne Pictures – Women X

Inclusive Cinema spoke to Rianne Pictures founder Caris Rianne and team member  Sophie Duncan on their approach to implementing the toolkit Dismantling Structural Inequality in Your Cinema by Sadia Hameed. How did you hear about the toolkit? Caris: We came across it, I think it was around January time, and it was on my to … More

Document

Founded in 2003 by Mona Rai and Paula Larkin, Document is one of Glasgow’s longest running homegrown film festivals, occupying a unique space in the Scottish festival landscape through its historical links with grassroots art and activist organisations, and through its commitment to stimulating programming that bridges cinema, visual cultures, politics and human rights.  The … More

Birds’ Eye View – Covid Community Fund

Why the project matters The pilot challenges barriers to cinema and film faced by wider communities, and takes a bespoke approach to meeting needs which heighten the barriers during COVID. It ensures that during a time of desperation for survival in the exhibition industry, that already marginalised communities do not continue to be neglected. Aims … More

The Exclusion Act

The Exclusion Act is a report that uses data driven research to share insight & evidence to the film industry on where inclusion of British East & South East Asians [BESEA] is failing. The headline findings of this study shows that in the past ten years, 0.8% or only 9 out of 1077 British films … More