We Bring Light
As the year continues to take shape, our focus this month has been on festival planning, celebrating the ongoing success of We Bring Light, and developing new partnerships that will shape the next chapter of Inspirate’s work.
With An Indian Summer on the horizon, preparations are well underway as we begin to reveal more about what audiences can expect this summer.
Here’s what we’ve been up to.
We Bring Light film recognised at international festivals
We’re delighted to share that We Bring Light: Leicester’s Diwali Legacy was recently selected as a finalist at the London Film Club Shorts Festival, marking another exciting milestone for the project.
The film continues to reach new audiences following its success at the Leicester Film Festival and its selection for the International Film Festival on Cultural Tourism earlier this year. Created as part of the wider We Bring Light heritage project, the film explores Leicester’s Diwali celebrations through personal stories spanning more than 40 years of history, capturing the significance of the festival for the city and its communities.
A huge congratulations to the Inspirate team and to filmmaker Kieran Vyas / Rendah Films for creating such a powerful and lasting piece of work. We’re incredibly proud to see the project continuing to receive recognition both locally and internationally.
An Indian Summer 2026
Planning for An Indian Summer 2026 is gathering pace, and we will soon begin revealing the first artists joining this year’s festival programme.
As part of our ongoing partnership with Without Walls, we’ve continued to explore how outdoor arts can play an even bigger role within the festival, building on the momentum of last year’s programme which brought circus, walkabout theatre, music and dance into public spaces across Leicester. Experiences like this have helped shape our ambitions for the future of the festival, as we look at new ways to present contemporary South Asian arts in outdoor and public settings.
Art Reach Co-Commission Artist Call Out
We recently partnered with Art Reach for a co-commission, looking for new proposals for a new outdoor arts project exploring environmental and climate issues, led by South Asian artists or companies.
We’re delighted to have received dozens of proposals as we now enter the selection process, and we’re looking forward to reading through the proposals. Keep an eye out as we share
