Press & Publicity

The  initial release of The Winter of Love generated a positive response upon the initial screen of the film at various film festivals in the UK, from Raindance East through to Tongues on Fire Film Festival.

Shakila Taranum Maan is another filmmaker ready to join the ranks of internationally acclaimed Asian women directors like Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta and Gurinder Chadha. Eastern Eye, Desi

Atmospheric and effectively scored, this tale of one man’s journey through a quasi-deserted city and the past provides a welcome insight into a little known London community. Time Out

When Shammi already haunted by troubled memories, finally returns home to Southall after hearing of his brother’s death, he embarks on a dark but personally enlightening odyssey. A sensitive and enlightening drama set in a vividly evoked London community. Raindance Film Festival

A breakthrough film in British Asian cinema. Spotlight Films

Shakila Taranum Maan’s feature debut shines a light onto a London based Indian community rarely seen on screen. She shows an acute understanding of the pressures inherent in the family ties that bind her characters and tethers them tightly to the past. Appropriately her film dips in and out of flashbacks, emphasising the impact that the events of yesterday still exist in the present. Maan captures the sense of fear and disappointment that governs so many of the protagonists’ lives but is shrewd enough to balance it with its share of lighter moments. Ultimately, though, it’s a dark tale of what people are prepared to do to one another in the name of love. Tongues on Fire

Written and directed by an independent film-maker of British Asian origin, The Winter of Love (A Quiet Desperation) challenges the perception of the British Asian film. Shakila Taranum Maan’s work attempts to transcend race, her ingenuity being in the exploration of humanity through the camera lens; making visible the invisible. Shakila narrates The Winter of Love through the image. Vivacious colours and lucid imagery live in the carefully constructed frames, as an atmospheric and effectual score carry the story along. Depth and perspective on daring themes inhabits all her work and as is her style, Shakila works economically here.

A sparing dialogue reveals more in its silence and throws greater emphasis on the visual performances. The main character Shammi, who is quickly established as the outsider, rarely speaks and when he does, it’s out of necessity. This purposely sets a dynamic pace from the beginning, which does not remove from the elegiac circumstances of the protagonists’ life but rather heightens the longing for inclusion and justice for our hero. Anita McKay, Equilibrium Internet Solutions

Press Reviews

Desi Review 1
Desi Review 2
Evening Standard Review
National Film Theatre
Raindance East Programme
Raindance East Publicity Eastern Eye
Raindance Programme
Tongues on Fire Programme

The Winter of Love was originally released as “A Quiet Desperation” and opened the Raindance East Film Festival 2001.