Resources of note

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A list of resources of note discussing British South Asian diaspora representation and/or depictions specifically related to film. Where indicated (*) links direct to a resource behind a paywall.

 

This is an ongoing project where we encourage engagement and community, if you have any recommendations, please submit them via Contribute.

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Watch

• BFI Player, South Asian Britain On Film

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​Books

• Jigna Desai (2004), Beyond Bollywood: The Cultural Politics Of South Asian Diasporic Film

• Barbara Korte and Claudia Sternberg (2004), Bidding For The Mainstream? Black And Asian British Film Since The 1990s

• Sarita Malik (2001), Representing Black Britain: Black And Asian Images On Television

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Online reads

• Focus Features (2023), Focus Features, A Letter From Filmmaker Nida Manzoor About Polite Society

• Soma Ghosh (2023), Little White Lies, Nida Manzoor: ‘As South Asian Women, We Don’t Get To Rage’

• Ammar Kalia (2023), The Guardian, Director Nida Manzoor: ‘For Teenage Girls, Everything Feels So Intense It’s Almost Violent’

• Rebecca Mead (2023), The New Yorker, Nida Manzoor’s Complicated Muslim Women

• Annya Pabial (2023), Jore, The Best South Asian Diaspora Films And Shows Of 2022

• Anuj Radia (2023), Filme Shilmy, The Current Resurgence Of British Asian Cinema

• Dilan Tulsiani (2023), Brown History, The Problem With British Asian Cinema

• Polly Dunbar (2022), The Telegraph, Gurinder Chadha: ‘People Get Defensive About The British Empire But It’s Our Shared History’*

• Tom Jones (2022), BFI, 10 Great Films About South Asian Britain

• Maia Flora (2021), FGIRLS CLUB, I’m Still Looking For South Asian Role Models In Films

• Annya Pabial (2021), Jore, Growth Of South Asian Representation In Western Media and Its Significance

• Manori Ravindran (2021), Variety, ‘I Was Told To Sound ‘More Asian, But Asia Is A Continent’: Daring U.K. Survey Sheds Light On Racism In Casting (EXCLUSIVE)

• Nile Sharma (2021), The Courier, The Sound Of Metal And Representation In Modern Cinema

• Lanre Bakare and Rhi Storer (2020), The Guardian, ‘It’s Those Invisible Lines’: Midlands Film-Makers On Lack Of Diversity

• Hamish Mèk Chohan (2020), Film Stories, Wild West: The 1992 British Movie That Refused To Adhere To Expectations

• Tara Joshi (2020), The Guardian, ‘Beyond Bend It Like Beckham’: Why Never Have I Ever Is A Win For Asian Representation On Screen

• Octavia Spencer (2020), Interview, Riz Ahmed And Octavia Spencer On The Burden Of Representation

• Lou Thomas (2020), BFI, Riz Ahmed On Mogul Mowgli: “It Was Like A Curb Your Enthusiasm Moment Put Through A Muslim Filter”

• Anushka Chaudhuri (2019), The Everyday, Constructing South Asians On-Screen

• Sharlene Gandhi (2019), Brown Girl Magazine, Representing The Underrepresented: In Conversation With British South Asian Actress Seyan Sarvan

• Yasmeen Khan (2019), The Guardian, We Need Way More Asian Leads On Our Screens. Here’s How To Get Them

• Sarfraz Manzoor (2019), The Guardian, My Film Is Bridging Cultural Divides. This Gives Me Hope In Such Polarised Times

• Sadhana Narayanan (2019), Voice, There Should Be More British-Asians In British Media

• Jason Pham (2019)​, NBC News, For Beatles-Singing Star Himesh Patel, ‘Yesterday’ Represents The Future Of Film

• Piya Sinha-Roy (2019), Entertainment Weekly, Yesterday Star Himesh Patel On The Beatles, Ed Sheeran, And Color-Blind Casting

• Ananya Wilson-Bhattacharya (2019), The Norwich Radical, Blinded By The Light, Yesterday, And British South Asian Representation In Cinema

• Salma Haidrani (2018), Little White Lies, Bend It Like Beckham Remains A Vital Portrayal Of British Asian Adolescence

• Kaleem Aftab (2017), i, Gurinder Chadha: ‘I’m The Only Female, British Asian Film Director. It’s Lonely’

• Asian Culture Vulture (2017), Asian Culture Vulture, BFI India And British Asian Films Old And New Online - Treasure Trove Of Retro Films And Early Works Of Star Filmmakers...

• Rajpreet Heir (2017), The Atlantic, Bend It Like Beckham And The Art Of Balancing Cultures

• Tara Joshi (2016), The Quietus, No Longer Outsiders? On South Asian Representation In UK Culture

• Sarfraz Manzoor (2015), Criterion, The South Asian Britain Of My Beautiful Laundrette

• Deborah Sathe (2015), British Council, Why Are There Hardly Any Films For British Indians?

• Sarfraz Manzoor (2011), The Guardian, British-Asian Cinema: The Sequel

• Cary Rajinder Sawhney (-unknown-), BFI Screen Online, Asian-British Cinema