The London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) will return for its 17th edition with a star-studded line-up featuring Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and a reunion of the cast of the iconic British comedy series ‘Goodness Gracious Me’.
The festival, which also includes the Birmingham Indian Film Festival and Manchester Indian Film Festival, will be held across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Bradford. It is supported by the ‘BFI Audience Projects Fund’, awarding ‘National Lottery’ funding.
LIFF will open with the European premiere of ‘52 Blue’, directed by Ali El Arabi of ‘Captains of Zaatari’ fame. The coming-of-age drama stars Adil Hussain and Neha Dhupia and will screen at BFI Southbank on July 9 before travelling to Birmingham, Sheffield and Greater London.
One of the major attractions of this year’s edition is ‘Aamir Khan in Conversation’ at BFI Southbank on July 16, marking the 25th anniversary of his Oscar-nominated period sports drama ‘Lagaan’. The film will also be screened at BFI IMAX on July 12.
Khan will speak about the making of the 2001 film and reflect on his journey from child actor to one of India’s biggest stars. “As ‘Lagaan’ completes 25 years, it’s hard to put into words what this journey has meant. We made the film with a lot of belief, passion and honesty, never imagining the kind of love it would receive and continue to receive all these years later,” Khan said.
“I’m truly delighted that this milestone is being celebrated with a screening at the BFI. To see ‘Lagaan’ still connect with audiences across generations and across geographies is very special,” he added.
The festival’s Central Gala will reunite the cast of the groundbreaking ‘BBC’ sketch comedy series ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ on July 11. Actors Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia and Kulvinder Ghir, along with writer-producer Anil Gupta, will come together to revisit the show’s enduring impact on British television and South Asian representation.
LIFF will also host ‘India’s AI & Film Future’, billed as Europe’s first showcase of Indian films incorporating AI and emerging technologies into the creative process. The event, scheduled for July 11 at BFI Southbank, will feature short films selected by an international jury headed by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.
Among the UK premieres at the festival is ‘In Search of the Sky’ by Jitank Singh Gurjar, which follows a young man with disabilities and his elderly parents as they travel to the Kumbh Mela seeking answers and hope.
Bangladeshi cinema will also have a strong presence through the UK premieres of ‘Master’ by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit and ‘Roid’ by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, both of which screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026.
Other highlights include Neel Dutt’s family drama ‘All About Weddings’, Priyankka Saha’s ‘Anmol: Lovingly Ours’ and the UK premiere of the 4K restoration of Pradip Krishen’s cult classic ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’, written by and featuring Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy.