THE hard-hitting cricket documentary Death Of A Gentleman is to close this year’s London Indian Film Festival.

The festival, now in its sixth year, is Europe’s largest showcase for South Asian cinema.

Death Of A Gentleman features Ravi Shastri, Kevin Pietersen, Lalit Modi, N Srinivasan and Giles Clarke.

Director Sam Collins said: “Death of a Gentleman has been four years in the making, and we are hugely excited to be chosen as the closing film at the 2015 LIFF.

“This is a very human story about passion, money and power, and we hope to make a persuasive case to cricket fans and non-cricket fans alike that the greatest game in the world needs to change its ways.”

Prashant Nair’s Umrika, winner of the audience award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, starring Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi) and Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel), will be the opening night gala of The Bagri Foundation-sponsored festival which takes place from July 16.

Nair’s debut film Delhi in a Day was a great success at the festival’s 2012 edition.

Nair, writer and director of Umrika, said: “I’m so excited to hear that Umrika will open the London Indian Film Festival this year.

“We’ve heard such great things about the audiences at LIFF and can’t wait to share our film with them.

“We’re hoping the film’s nostalgic portrayal of 1980s India, its themes and the many cross-cultural references, will resonate with LIFF’s audiences.”

The festival is pleased to announce that the Bagri Foundation, a charity whose aims include the advancement of literacy, education and the arts, with an emphasis on those of India, will sponsor the event.

This year, the festival is also expanding to UK’s second largest city Birmingham with a selection of screenings.