Greenwich and Bexley

The three day film festival called Bombay Mix - takes place at the Greenwich Picture House. It will show seminal classics by well known directors as well as short films from up and coming film makers.

The festival has been organised by Meena Khatwa. She has attracted celluloid contributions from the UK, India and the US. “The films are all tied into India’s history and past present and future,"  she told BBC London.

The timing of the festival is also very significant  in the week India and Pakistan celebrate 60 years of Independence and remember the horrors of partition.

Festival director Meena says partition is not often discussed among a younger generation of British Asians and it's not widely taught in British schools.

“Partition is still a hidden history," she told BBC London. "It's something we don't really talk about because its raw and quite upsetting."

"Younger generations don't have that connection with their elders. They don't know the sacrifices they made in order to come to Britain in the 60’s and 50’s," she added.

Some of the films showing at the festival will explore the upheaval partition brought to Indian people.

Deepa Mehta's film Earth

One such offering is Earth, an epic tale from director Deepa Mehta which looks at the the fight to gain independence from the British through the eyes of a little girl.

On the Saturday an eclectic mix of short films will be shown. They include a documentary about Ilford in Redbridge,  a film about bonded labour and the conflict in Kashmir.

Afterwards there will be live music and Kathak dancing, a DJ and Indian style food and cocktails.

The Greenwich Picture House has also been decorated with Indian art from Deptford based artist  Deepa Chudasama. She stresses modern Indian cinema  is a lot more relevant to British Asians than it used to be. 
"Its not just people singing in top of a mountain anymore, she told BBC London. "It’s a really valid cultural way of talking about ideas, political issues that are happening  to people like me."

The Bombay Mix Film festival  takes place at the Greenwich Picture House on Greenwich High Road.  It runs from Friday 17th - Sunday 19th August.

For more details look online at http://www.bombaymix.org/