‘The Filme Shilmy Show’: ‘Little English’ Director Pravesh Kumar Among Names Set For UK-Based South Asian Film Talk Show
EXCLUSIVE: The UK has a new South Asian-focused film talk show.
UK-based film company ReelN, founded by Aman Dhillon, has teamed up with online entertainment website Filme Shilmy to launch The Filme Shilmy Show. The show will feature South Asian talent – both independent and established names – who will appear to promote projects and discuss their journeys as storytellers. The show’s producers said today that they aim for the show to bridge the gap between South Asian artists and UK audiences.
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South Asian station ROQ RAW has been set as the official radio partner, with sponsorship from the State Bank of India UK (SBI) and Nashtaa Cafe. Rich Mix cinema in Shoreditch, East London, will be the venue of the show’s first edition, which takes place on September 22. Headlined as A Spotlight On British-Asian Filmmakers, the episode will feature filmmakers Pravesh Kumar (Little English), Nathalia Syam (Footprints On Water), and Dr Parvinder Shergill (Kaur).
Kumar is Rifco Theatre Company’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive. His first feature Little English, a family dramedy, was released last year with support from BFI. Shot during the Covid pandemic, the film is the story of a dysfunctional Punjabi family in the pressure cooker life of a terraced suburban home in Slough. He is currently in pre-production on his next project, a musical titled Frankie Goes To Bollywood, set for Spring 2024. Syam made her feature debut with Footprints On Water, the Adil Hussain and Nimisha Sajayan starrer that focuses on illegal immigration nexuses within the underbelly of Birmingham. Shergill is the co-producer and lead actor of the short Kaur. The short premiered on ITVX and is now being adapted into a feature.
Entertainment journalist, presenter, and former Deadline journalist Anuj Radia will moderate the event. Topics will focus on the process of making cinema that is “rooted and reflective of ethnic lives within the Western world.”
“We at ReelN are excited to be working with Filme Shilmy and Anuj Radia, who has been promoting independent talent and new releases through his platform for the last few years. After becoming a well-known and sought-after journalist, it seems fitting to now develop this as a show with a live audience,” said Dhillon. The company continues to support new, emerging talent and new releases, and this new show concept enables audiences a unique opportunity and immersive experience with talent and gives talent a platform, which is often not available.”
Radia added: “I am absolutely thrilled to be launching The Filme Shilmy Show. As far as we’re aware, there has not been a consistent talk show which celebrates and promotes South-Asian talent by a host of that heritage. With this venture, we would like to encourage more independent and established creative talents to help bridge this gap and make the cross-cultural representation an authentic one. It is high time that independent content creators and storytellers themselves become the mainstream front of entertainment.”
The second edition of The Filme Shilmy Show takes place on February 23, 2024.
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