'Our queer feature film puts region on the map'

An independent feature film created by a Wolverhampton-based company about queer love and South Asian culture will be shown in cinemas, after being picked up by a major distributor.

A Teacher's Gift was co-produced by New Lion Films, based in the city, and was shot in the Midlands, India and Portugal.

It will be released in selected cinemas later this year by Peccadillo Pictures, a UK-based distributor of art house, gay and lesbian, independent and world cinema.

"It means a lot to know that there's a connection with Wolverhampton and the West Midlands on a feature film basis... it doesn't happen very often," said Arun Kapur.

Kapur and his brother, Gurjant Singh, run the Wolverhampton Film Festival and own New Lion Films.

The deal marks an important moment for them as local filmmakers.

"We want to encourage more that can be done here," Kapur said.

"We're trying to support local filmmakers, we're trying to support an audience that can feel they can relate with a queer love story, either universal or British South Asian or South Asian, trying to support also the teacher community as well."

The story centres around Rohan, a Hindi teacher in London who faces pressure to marry an Indian woman.

He meets an older Englishman over a mutual passion for books and cricket, and their relationship pushes both men to face who they are, examining their identities, belonging, and the ties between generations within Britain's South Asian community.

"It's a queer love story, it deals with difficult subjects while being warm, romantic," said Kapur.

"It very much covers the areas of arranged marriage, family expectations, friendship, love, as well as touching on the importance of a teacher within communities as well.

"For us, it's important, because these are the kind of stories that need to be told - we're in 2026 and these are conversations that we should still be able to have... we shouldn't be able to consider these things as a taboo."

The film was shot in 2023, and after that began being shown at film festivals around the globe.

"It won best British Asian film at the UK Asian Film Festival in 2025," Kapur said.

"It's been at Iris Prize, the Indian Film Festival, and Tribeca Lisboa.

"It's also screened at the IFFI Goa and Guadalajara in Mexico."

The film returns to this Midlands on Saturday, with a showing at the Ford Film Festival.

Kapur added: "It's the notion of being from this region, we can go around and make this happen."

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