Sunny & Shay at the Cannes Film Festival (with us)

May 12 2014

BBC LONDON94.9FM presenters Sunny & Shay are on the way to the most glamorous film festival of them all.

They will be at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which begins on Wednesday (May 14) with online arts and culture magazine, www.asianculturevulture.com.

The intrepid couple, one of the few husband-wife teams in all of British professional radio, have never been to the festival before and will be helping www.asianculturevulture.com with its coverage of the world’s biggest and most important annual movie extravaganza.

Sunny, who has a monthly film column on www.asianculturevulture.com, is especially excited and will be giving his own inimitable take on the glitz, glamour – and the films when he is there.

Sunny said: “It’s been a great experience doing the film column on www.asianculturevulture.com and sharing my passion and enthusiasm for all types of cinema.

“I am hugely excited about going to Cannes with www.asianculturevulture.com. I love writing my film column as I eat, live and breathe film. Asianculturevulture.com has a fantastic array of coverage across the arts and I was delighted when asked to attend with them!”

Shay is sure to cause a stir with her arresting fashion sense – she wore a knockout dress at the Asian Awards (pictured above) which won her many plaudits – and incited a few detractors – for its risqué nature. Elegant and blessed with a model-like stature, she will be making her own fashion statements, as well casting her own critical eye on others.

Designers have been clamouring for her to take their dresses to what is one of the most keenly observed global fashion events of the year as stars walk the red carpet.

Shay said: “Simply delighted to be attending Cannes Film Festival and cannot wait to get on that red carpet and soak in the atmosphere! Sunny as ever has chosen beautiful pieces for me – I always trust his opinion and it’s going to be a busy week ahead!”

Sailesh Ram, editor of www.asianculturevulture.com said: “It’s hugely thrilling to have two brilliant and unique talents on board to help us with our coverage of the world’s best and most glamorous film festival.

“Sunny is passionate about good cinema and has an incredibly eclectic and broad antenna for the medium – it will be fascinating and very exciting to see and hear what he makes of the films on offer, as well as the setting of the Cote D’Azur – one of the most beautiful and stylish places on earth.

“His film columns are hugely popular and it was a no-brainer for us to have him at what is regarded as the most important film festival in the industry.”

Sunny is the only British Asian film critic/columnist in the UK, who routinely assesses both Hollywood, Bollywood and Punjabi movies all in one place for only one site.

“Equally, Shay is a very dynamic and versatile social commentator and she will very much be and out about tweeting and commenting on the personalities and the wider aspects of the most glamorous film festival of them all.”

Make sure you follow all the coverage of this year’s festival by following @asianculturevul on twitter and liking on facebook and following @sunny&shay on twitter and liking their FB page too.

The pair will also be talking about their experiences in Cannes on the regular weekly slot on BBC London94.9FM on Sunday (May 18) between 6pm-8pm. The couple are also ambassadors for the London Indian Film Festival, which begins in July and is Europe’s largest showcase for independent Indian cinema.

This year two Indian films are appearing in the official Cannes selection and there is huge excitement about the opening film too.

“Grace of Monaco” which formally gets the festival under way on Wednesday evening, is produced by the international producing arm of Yash Raj Films, one of India’s most successful Bollywood production houses.

“Titli” directed by Kanu Behl, the writer behind the cult hit Indian film, “Love Sex Aur Dhoka” (2010), will be shown in the Un Certain Regard section. This is a slate for upcoming and new global voices and as a first time director Behl will be up against others for the much-coveted Camera d’or.

“Titli” is also co-produced by Yash Raj Films and Dibakar Banerjee Productions, an outfit headed by Banerjee who is himself one of India’s most innovative and striking directorial talents.

“TrueLoveStory” is an animated short by Gitanjali Rao from India and it features in the Semaine De La Critique (international critics week). It is her second outing in this part of the festival, having screened “Painted Rainbow” in the Semaine in 2006.

This section, chosen by critics, showcases young directors with an individual and unusual voice.

Last year Ritesh Batra’s “The Lunchbox”, which recently went on general release in the UK appeared in this section to great acclaim and it won an audience award in Cannes in 2013.

Stay tuned for all the coverage on 67th Cannes Film Festival with www.asianculturevulture.com and follow on twitter and like on facebook along with @SunnyandShay and Sunny& Shay on FB.