The 13th Bite the Mango festival will open with a special preview of the film ‘Partition’ which will be introduced by director Vic Sarin. Set against the backdrop of the political and religious events in India following the Second World War, 'Partition' is a love story that develops during the upheavals caused when India is granted independence. Starring Jimi Mistry (The Guru, East is East) and Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), the film tells the story of two people from different religious backgrounds and how their tolerance isn’t shared by everyone.

Now in its 13th year the festival, which runs from Friday 21st September to Thursday 27th September, promises a packed schedule of guest appearances, UK premieres and previews and a full weekend of industry talks and workshops. Over 80 films will be screened from around the world including Canada, India, Taiwan, the United States, South Asia and the Far East as well as the best home-grown talent from the UK. There will be a focus on the 60th Anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan and a series of films from Iran and South America.

The festival will play host to a number of premieres which include 'Anuranan', the first Bengali film to be shot in the UK and featuring breathtaking scenery of the different locations in both India and the UK, British film 'Crossing Bridges' directed by Mark Norfolk in which a suicidal man meets an angel and 'Manorama Six Feet Under', director Navdeep Singh pays homage to the film noir genre with story about a government engineer who dreams of writing detective fiction.

The films of the finalists and winner of the Satyajit Ray Foundation’s Short Film Competition, in association with The British Council and the British Film Institute, will be screened at the festival. The competition is aimed at encouraging UK based film makers to explore the cultural diversity and experiences of South Asians, either within those countries, the UK or the Diaspora.

Award-winning director Jamil Dehlavi is set to attend Bite the Mango as part of a retrospective of his work featuring five of his films including 'Infinite Justice', the story of an American reporter held hostage by a fundamentalist group in Karachi in protest against the release of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Other works to be shown include 'Jinnah', 'Immaculate Conception' and 'Passover'.

Another highlight is Slices of Mango, a collection of short films made by new and budding film makers from around the world screened as part of the festival, many of which will be introduced by their directors.