The Connections Through Culture grants programme nurtures fresh cultural partnerships between the Asia Pacific region and the UK. These grants support new ideas and collaborations from artists and cultural organisations, at any stage of development.

The grants supported in this round of the Connections Through Culture programme focus on two areas: diversity and inclusion and climate change. The collaborative efforts across borders and artistic disciplines will lead to ideas to address these global challenges.

The grants support new exchanges and collaborations and build long-term relationships between artists, cultural professionals, creative practitioners and arts and cultural organisations. 

2024 Grant Recipients: Bangladesh

Idrish

UK: Adam Lewis Jacob

Bangladesh: Drik

Filmed in Bangladesh and Birmingham, Idrish is an urgent and potent piece of anti-deportation activism. Utilising archive VHS recordings, animations, and printed ephemera, the film's innovative reanimation mobilises and tells the story of Idrish, exploring identity and heritage with a history of protest. The film is created by Adam Lewis Jacob and presented by Drik.

 

Neel Akash

UK: Sampad South Asian Arts & Heritage

Bangladesh: Anandita Khan

Neel Akash explores the impact of climate emergency on Bangladesh and Bangladeshi communities in Britain through collaborative, bilingual artistic expressions. The project's first phase will remotely gather stories from the two countries, followed by a residency in Birmingham, UK, for creative development, workshops, and community engagement. 

 

The Story of Maya: Genesis (The Making of The Story of Maya)

UK: Birmingham Contemporary Music Group

Bangladesh: Neem Kamrul

The project brings together the Neel Kamrul Ensemble from Bangladesh and Taiwanese composer Chia-Ying Lin to collaborate with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) musicians. In this partnership, they will bring "The Story of Maya" into life through a musical score to be performed at BCMG's Birmingham concert in 2025.

 

Tiger Widow

UK: Ergon Theatre

Bangladesh: Youth Net Global

This project will artistically explore the stories of Tiger Widows in the Sundarbans. It will also examine the undercurrents of how climate change strains and ties together the relationships between nature, human beings, gender, colonialism, and a sense of home and belonging.