Friday 24 June

Lunch Bite: The Godfather

SAEED KHAN Festival Hub, City Park 12:30 (45mins) £4

Are you a fan of The Godfather, or simply unsure what the fuss is about? If so, this is an event you can’t afford to miss!

Join Saeed Khan as he marks the 50th anniversary of the release of The Godfather. This movie ranks as one of the most popular and critically acclaimed of all time. It has also become firmly ensconced in our contemporary culture, through its memorable and easily recognisable dialogue, complex characters, and compelling plotline.

The Godfather continues to awe and entertain viewers half a century later and serves as the source of the organised crime genre, including Goodfellas, Casino, The Sopranos and, of course, its own legendary sequels. A Snowfall of Words: Why the World Needs More Poetry

CANON MARK OAKLEY, DIANE PACITTI Bradford Cathedral 15:00 (90mins) £ Pay as you feel

What is the point of poetry in such a precarious world, at a time when so much we value is being threatened?

Is poetry something difficult that most people leave to others to enjoy?

Or is it something more vital and urgent, a ‘soul language’ for a time when religious language often doesn’t resonate?

Join Canon Mark Oakley and poet-author Diane Pacitti as they discuss these questions.

Royal Society of Arts Lecture

ANDY HALDANE Great Hall, University of Bradford 18:00 (60mins) £10

Join Andy Haldane, CEO of the Royal Society of Arts, as he delivers the inaugural Bradford Literature Festival Culture Sector Lecture. A special keynote focusing on the themes that have been central to the work of the RSA for over 200 years, the lecture will address the role arts and culture play in social regeneration, the future of work and the importance of lifelong learning.

Fresh from heading up the government’s levelling-up task force come and hear Yorkshire-born Haldane, who has described the levelling up agenda as “one of the signature challenges of our time” and addressing regional disparities as a “personal passion” talk about why levelling up and greater participatory democracy is essential to future growth and inclusion across society.

Andrew Haldane was formerly Chief Economist at the Bank of England and a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee. Among other positions, he is Honorary Professor at the Universities of Nottingham and Manchester, Visiting Professor at King’s College, London, a Visiting Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Academy of Social Sciences. He has authored around 200 articles and 4 books.

Andrew is Founder of the charity Pro Bono Economics, Vice-Chair of the charity National Numeracy, Co-Chair of the City of London Task-Force on Social Mobility and Chair of the National Numeracy Leadership Council.

Yorkshire Adabee Forum Urdu Mushaira

The Majestic, Manningham Lane 19:00 (240mins) £25

For over three centuries, the mushaira has been a beloved part of the cultural and intellectual life of the subcontinent. Traditionally a forum for poets to share their work, the mushaira is a platform for creativity and selfexpression, as well as an opportunity to celebrate and uphold the rich cultural heritage of the Urdu language.

We are delighted to once again invite you to a quintessential Urdu mushaira in partnership with the Yorkshire Adabee Forum. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the Urdu language with an evening of mesmerising poetry with some of the most talented Urdu poets from across the globe. The event includes a delicious dinner, a set by comedy poet Khalid irfan, and will culminate in an unforgettable musical performance from Ustad Rafaqat Ali Khan of Sham Chaurasia Gharana. An Evening of Comedy

SINDHU VEE, SUKH OJLA, TEZ ILYAS St George’s Hall 19:00 (195mins) £12

If laughter is the best medicine, come and have your funny bones well and truly tickled and get your dose at what has become a much-loved festival tradition: an Evening of Comedy.

Hosted by the man referred to as Blackburn’s answer to Chris Rock – the one and only Tez Ilyas, star of ‘The Tez Ilyas Show’ on C4 and the BBC’s ‘Man like Mobeen’. Joining Tez on stage will be a host of comedy talent including actor and comedian Sukh Ojla, who has just completed her successful tour ‘Life Sukhs’ and headline act Sindhu Vee, an Indian comic based in the UK, who is both a staple of the comedy circuit and BBC panel shows ‘Have I Got News For You’, ‘Mock The Week’ and ‘Would I Lie To You?’

Into the Wilds: Fox & Windmill Anthology Launch

HABIBA DESAI, SARA RAZZAQ, AMALEENA DAMLE, SAMINA BAKHSH, DIPIKA MUMMERY Waterstones 19:00 (75mins) £7

Join us for an evening celebrating Yorkshire’s newest and most exciting indie publisher, Fox & Windmill, as they launch their first anthology Into the Wilds, judged by award-winning poet Zaffar Kunial, Dr Sofia Rehman and Kevin Duffy of Bluemoose Books. Costa-shortlisted author, Dr Sairish Hussain, contributed to the anthology alongside Zaffar Kunial and awardwinning author Saima Mir wrote the introduction.

This evening is an opportunity to hear from some of the fresh talent featured in this inspiring debut.

We are proud that Habiba Desai and Sara Razzaq first met at BLF 2016 and went on to set up Fox & Windmill in 2021, the UK’s first independent publishing company for British South Asian writers. No Ordinary Life

AA DHAND, TIM GOODILL Pictureville, National Science and Media Museum (film screening) Adv 15 20:00 (75mins) £7

Best-selling author, AA Dhand returns to this year’s festival, with a short movie based on his family’s experiences of taking over a corner shop and counteracting violence and hostility to integrate into a Bradford estate.

How did different communities form friendships and alliances? And has the UK really changed since those times? With a majority cast from Bradford and filmed exclusively within the city, No Ordinary Life focuses on those true to life experiences which helped AA Dhand to create his Harry Virdee series.

Following the screening, join AA Dhand and RTS award-winning director Tim Goodill alongside some of the cast as they explore a journey of sacrifice, determination and, ultimately, redemption.