Rentals
South Asian Britain on Film
Discover a rich history reaching back over a century as we celebrate South Asian communities and culture across Britain.
From local news to feature film, through home movies and TV documentaries, this collection showcases South Asian Britons in front of and behind the camera. The contribution of colonial troops is illuminated through the earliest newsreels, while hardhitting current affairs programmes highlight the struggles faced in the 1960s, 1970s and beyond. Public information films produced for South Asian audiences feature alongside Hindi-language films made in Britain and interviews with prominent Asian-British figures. A bold wave of British Asian filmmaking in the 1990s is represented through early works by the likes of Gurinder Chadha and Asif Kapadia.
Wild WestWild West
Comedy199284 minsDirector: David Attwood
Defying opposition from his conservative Pakistani family, Zaf Ayub dreams of becoming Southall's greatest gift to country & western.
YesterdayYesterday
Comedy2019116 minsDirector: Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle's winning, escapist fantasy images a world where nobody remembers the Beatles' songbook except a struggling singer-songwriter.
Blinded by the LightBlinded by the Light
Comedy2019118 minsDirector: Gurinder Chadha
In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher's Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.
A Private EnterpriseA Private Enterprise
Drama197472 minsDirector: Peter K. Smith
The trials and tribulations of Shiv, a South Asian entrepreneur trying to set up a business in industrial Birmingham
This Question of ColourThis Question of Colour
Documentary196529 minsDirector: William Brayne
Dcumentary about race relations in Britain from a US standpoint, including a report on the 1964 election in Smethwick.
Brothers in TroubleBrothers in Trouble
Drama1995103 minsDirector: Udayan Prasad
Udayan Prasad's perceptive 1995 drama follows Amir (Pavan Malhotra), a Pakistani immigrant living in England and adjusting to his new life - including meeting an Irish girl who moves into his boarding house.
Bride & PrejudiceBride & Prejudice
Musical2004107 minsDirector: Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Chadha’s Bollywood retelling of Austen’s classic romance is an all-round joy, adding colour and song to Austen’s evergreen wit.
Oh for the Wings of a DoveOh for the Wings of a Dove
Documentary1972 minsDirector: Nick Gifford
The vibrancy of rural Pakistan is transported to Balsall Heath, Birmingham in this intimate family portrait.
East Is EastEast Is East
Comedy199997 minsDirector: Damien O'Donnell
Damien O'Donnell's charming comedy-drama about Zaheed Khan (Om Puri), the patriarch of a Pakistani-British family whose children begin to reject their heritage and embrace UK life.
Bhaji on the BeachBhaji on the Beach
Comedy1993101 minsDirector: Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Chadha's charming and critically acclaimed comedy about a group of British Asian women from Birmingham who bond during a day-trip to Blackpool.
Bend it Like BeckhamBend it Like Beckham
Sport2002112 minsDirector: Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Chadha’s smash hit about an Asian girl with an undying love for football.
Viceroy's HouseViceroy's House
Drama2016106 minsDirector: Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Chadha channels David Lean for this sweeping romance set during the last days of the Raj, with Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson as Lord and Lady Mountbatten.
The WarriorThe Warrior
Crime200187 minsDirector: Asif Kapadia
Irfan Khan stars in this stately swordplay epic from director Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna) which earned critical comparisons with Kurosawa.
Diego MaradonaDiego Maradona
Documentary2019124 minsDirector: Asif Kapadia
The supreme football superstar is the latest subject for acclaimed filmmaker Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna), as he deftly explores the complicated dynamic between Diego the man and Maradona the icon.
I Can't Think StraightI Can't Think Straight
Drama200879 minsDirector: Shamim Sarif
The story of an affair between a Palestinian woman and her British Indian friend, from the same team behind The World Unseen.
MajdharMajdhar
Drama198478 minsDirector: Ahmed Alauddin Jamal
Abandoned by her husband through an arranged marriage, a young Pakistani woman decides to make a life in England
SikhsSikhs
196627 minsDirector: James Butler
Follow 'the great adventure of emigration' from Delhi to London.
Circle of GoldCircle of Gold
Documentary198850 minsDirector: Uday Bhattacharya
Calcutta where myth, religion and folktales co-exist with aspirational life-style adverts
All in Good TimeAll in Good Time
Comedy201194 minsDirector: Nigel Cole
A pair of newlyweds endure a honeymoon staying with the groom's parents in a comedy from East Is East writer Ayub Khan-Din.
Welcome to BritainWelcome to Britain
Documentary197673 minsDirector: Ben Lewin
Ben Lewin’s 1976 film captures a moment in Britain's evergreen immigration debate, focusing on new arrivals at Heathrow as they wrestle with immigration law.
Sixth HappinessSixth Happiness
Biopic199794 minsDirector: Waris Hussein
Funny, acerbic and moving story of a young man's sexual awakening as family life crumbles around him.
My Pure LandMy Pure Land
Drama201798 minsDirector: Sarmad Masud
Britain's 2018 submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar was this Pakistan-shot western with a feminist twist, centring on a bitter land dispute between an extended family.
More South Asian Britain films in our Free collection.