Preview: Bite The Mango, National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford
A filmic feast to make your mouth water
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Your support makes all the difference.Bradford is fast becoming an unlikely trailblazer in world cinema. Its National Museum of Photography, Film and Television is the only venue in Europe enabled to screen every film format under one roof, and this month it plays host to the seductively named Bite the Mango film festival.
Bite the Mango was inspired by the Bollywood and South Asian film industries, but, now in its 12th year, it showcases films from every corner of the globe. Addy Rutter, the festival director, describes it as "a cultural education": "We aim to highlight world issues and explore cultural differences. People won't see these films in the mainstream, so it's a chance to see how people in other countries live. Nothing similar is on offer anywhere else in the UK."
The festival opens with Little Box of Sweets, a film set in India, directed by and starring the London-based Meneka Das. "There's also a strand of South African films that focus on post-apartheid issues, while the film of Luis Moro's Love & Suicide is the first to be made in Cuba by an American," says Rutter. It's a timely spotlight on Cuba as Castro starts to lose his grip.
Rutter chose Singapore, the only Asian country invited to showcase at this year's Cannes festival, as the festival's Country in Focus. "Singapore has only found a voice independent from the Malaysian film industry in the last 12 years. Given its history, a lot of the film is post-independence-oriented - aimed at food, the economy and money-making. Singapore is seen as a very strict and clean city in the media, but these films highlight the non-touristic gritty side."
As well as the screenings of 120 films, the week also includes talks, Q&A sessions, and an industry networking weekend for aspiring actors, directors and producers. And for a little light relief, Bite the Mango also features the UK premiere of Jackie Chan's New Police Story, the highly acclaimed fifth film in the Police Story series.
22 to 28 September (08707 010 200; www.bitethemango.org.uk)
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