MUMBAI: The annual London Asian Film Festival that opened last Friday at the British Film Institute will honour a range of films from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh that have made waves on the international film festival circuit.

Leading stars of Bollywood and Independent Cinema who are likely to attend the ten- day festival are Manisha Koirala, Sanjay Suri, Ajay Naidu, Heather Burns and Karsh Kale among others.

The festival will screen a few cutting edge independent films like Ajay Naidu’s Ashes, Onir‘s I Am and Sanjay Gupta’s Pankh.

The highlights of this year’s festival include a ‘Costume Design’ master class at BAFTA with Academy Award winner and Indian cinema’s well-known costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, screening of Peepli Live and talk by its director Anusha Rizvi, Hollywood actor Heather Burns screening her film Ashes and a short film competition showcasing the remarkable work of aspiring filmmakers.

The festival will stay till 27 March.