Gurinder Chadha’s It’s A Wonderful Afterlife
The international cast includes the legendary Indian actor, Shabana Azmi (Fire, Godmother, Arth, Madame Sousatzka), Golden Globe winner, Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes), BAFTA-nominated Zoë Wanamaker (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), Jimi Mistry (East Is East, The Guru, RocknRolla), BAFTA-nominated Sanjeev Bhaskar (The Kumars at No. 42), Mark Addy (The Full Monty), Ray Panthaki (Eastenders) and Goldy Notay making her film debut. The film also reunites the cast of Bend it Like Beckham including Shaheen Khan (Britz), Ash Varrez (Bhaji on the Beach) and Adlyn Ross (Shifty).
Gurinder Chadha comments: "What a huge treat to be working with such a great ensemble of actors. Nothing excites me more as a director than to take a group of actors from such different places and put them all in the same movie with very funny and quite moving consequences."
Chadha's body of work, including Bhaji On The Beach, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Bride & Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham, has found her international acclaim and made her a popular household name around the world.
Billed as My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Shaun Of The Dead, It's A Wonderful Afterlife will be produced and directed by the BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated Chadha, who has also written the screenplay with her longstanding writing partner and husband, Paul Mayeda Berges.
The film is being co-produced by the AIM-listed The Indian Film Company (TIFC) and Bend It Films in association with Studio 18, India's leading motion picture company.
HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales and distribution.
About The Indian Film Company:
The Indian Film Company (the 'Company') is a specialist film investment company which was admitted to trading on the AIM market in June 2007 and raised GBP 55 million in order to invest in a diverse portfolio of Indian films targeted at the Indian audiences across varying genre, language and budgets. The Company is managed by Film Investment Managers (Mauritius) Ltd., which is jointly and equally owned by Viacom Inc. and BK Media Mauritius PVT. BK Media Mauritius PVT is owned by Raghav Bahl, the founder and controlling shareholder of Network 18.
About Bend it Films:
Since founded in 2001 by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges, Bend It Films has gone on to produce the internationally acclaimed and box office successes, Bend it Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice. Bend It Films was established to develop and produce a slate of distinctive British comedies that have worldwide box office appeal. It's a Wonderful Afterlife headlines this current exciting slate, with three further films currently in development.
About HanWay Films:
Leading British independent HanWay Films was founded in 1998 and quickly established itself as a respected international sales, distribution and marketing company, delivering a diverse range of high-profile, quality films for worldwide distribution. The company arranges financing, sales and distribution for films from Jeremy Thomas’ Recorded Picture Company (RPC) as well as third-party producers and directors. HanWay Films' current slate includes Jon Amiel’s Creation starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly’ from Recorded Picture Company, Gurinder Chadha’s It’s A Wonderful Afterlife, Scott Hicks' The Boys Are Back starring Clive Owen, from Tiger Aspect, Danis Tanovic’s Triage starring Colin Farrell, and Harry Brown starring Michael Caine, which is being produced by Matthew Vaughn's MARV Films. The company also manages extensive film collections, including libraries by the BFI, Merchant Ivory, Peter Weir, Wim Wenders as well as the RPC and HanWay Libraries.