ABOUT
The London Bengali Film Festival (LBFF) is the UK's leading showcase for Bengali-language cinema and the largest Bengali film festival in the world outside of Bengal itself.
Founded in 2016 by British Bangladeshi filmmaker Munsur Ali, the festival was built on a simple but powerful idea: that the stories of the Bengali diaspora deserved to be seen, celebrated, and brought to a mainstream audience. Nine editions later, that mission is more urgent than ever.
Each year, LBFF curates a programme of feature films, documentaries, and shorts drawn from Bangladesh, West Bengal, and the global Bengali diaspora — films that speak to the more than 10 million Bengalis living outside South Asia. We are a unifying platform for both Bengals, a space where the cinemas of Dhaka and Kolkata sit side by side, and where British Bengali stories find the audience they deserve.
The festival runs across five days of screenings, talks, and special events, culminating in a red carpet awards ceremony. Our programme is selected by Festival Director Subidita Bhattacharya and Programme Director Dilruba Yasmeen Ruhee, under the leadership of Founder & CEO Munsur Ali.
“LBFF is more than a film programme. It is the unifying voice of both Bengals — a rare space where the cinemas of Dhaka and Kolkata speak to each , and to the millions of Bengalis who call cities like London, New York, and Toronto their homes. Our audiences are diasporic, our films are global, and our conversation is long overdue.”
-Munsur Ali, Founder & CEO
Our Team
mUNSUR ALI
Founder & CEOMunsur Ali is a British Bangladeshi film producer and social entrepreneur. A Council Member of the City of London Corporation, he serves as immediate past Chairman for Culture, Heritage and Libraries, sits on the board of the Barbican Centre, and is a board member of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
His debut feature Shongram (2019) was the first British film simultaneously written, produced, and directed by a British Bangladeshi. He is the founder of the Limelight Film Awards and the Chairman of Moringa Productions and an Honorary Fellow at Queen Mary University of London.
Subidita BHATTYACHARYA
Festival DirectorAs Festival Director of the London Bengali Film Festival for the past three years, Subidita Bhattyacharya brings extensive expertise in film exhibition, programming, and cultural event delivery. She holds an MA in Film Marketing & Distribution and also programmes for Raindance. Her career spans international sales at Cannes and production management on a Netflix docu-series. She is currently serving as Producer for an ACE-funded dance-theatre R&D centered on neurodiversity and South Asian girlhood.
Dilruba Yasmeen Ruhee
Programme DirectorDilruba Yasmeen Ruhee is a Bangladeshi actress, model, and Fashion Designer.
Born in Dhaka, Ruhee built her career across television, film, and fashion in Bangladesh and West Bengal, working with major brands and appearing in productions spanning both Dhallywood and Tollywood. Her film credits include Shongram, Glamour opposite Parambrata Chatterjee, and several acclaimed Bangladeshi features. She made her television debut in an adaptation of a Rabindranath Tagore story.
Arafat kirty
Technical directorArafat Kirty is a sound designer and mixing engineer working across feature films, television and digital media, with over a decade of experience in audio post-production. He has contributed to multiple Bangladeshi feature films, including projects recognised at the Bangladesh National Film Awards, specialising in soundtrack mixing, sound design and final audio delivery. Now based in London, and serves as Technical Director at the London Bengali Film Festival, overseeing film assets and technical coordination for screenings.