It's pretty ambitious of the British Film Institute to organise an event which aims to be as varied and well-populated as the continent whose films it celebrates. The eight-month, multi-venue ImagineAsia endeavours to do justice to a thriving, many-stranded cinematic culture that, despite break-out successes such as the recent footie comedy Bend It Like Beckham, gets comparatively little attention in this part of the world.
Concentrating on South Asian cinema, the festival launches tomorrow night at the National Film Theatre with a gala screening of Asif Kapadia's well- received Hindi movie The Warrior (see tomorrow's Metro for a chance to win tickets to both the film and the opening night party).
From there, it goes nationwide with screenings, events and exhibitions looking at everything Bollywood, from a touring show of 1950s posters, photos and film clips to the current output of British-Asian filmmakers.
Mira Nair, director of the enchanting Monsoon Wedding, will participate in a Guardian Interview at the NFT after a screening of her latest film, Hysterical Blindness starring Uma Thurman (May 4, 6.30pm). There is also the Asian women's festival, Tongues On Fire (Fri to May 4), and - venturing further back in time - a comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the late, great Indian director Satyajit Ray running through July and August. These are both at the NFT, but other venues are also involved: a programme of classic and contemporary Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan films will tour the country and international festivals from London to Edinburgh will also offer ImagineAsia programmes.
With such fierce advocacy, it seems most film fans will find themselves on a cinematic trip to South Asia at some point this year.
Tomorrow until Nov 23, National Film Theatre, South Bank SE1, and other venues, various times, dates and prices. Tel: 020 7957 4836 www.bfi.org.uk/imagineasia Tube: Waterloo/Embankment
