An international film with a universal theme and India at its core.

Summed up briefly, that is what the 2016 film Lion is about.

Based on true events, Lion tells the story of a young Indian boy that accidentally gets separated from his brother and the rest of family.

As a result, the young boy becomes homeless but is eventually adopted by a loving Australian family.

Now a grown man living in Tasmania, the film follows the story of Saroo Brierley, played by Dev Patel, and his search for his long-lost family using the Google-Earth app.

The events of the film take place primarily over two timelines separated by 25 years: 1986 when the protagonist gets lost as a young boy and 2011 when the main character begins the arduous journey to look for his biological family.

In 2012, the real-life protagonist, Mr Brierley, documented his incredible journey in his book called ‘A Long Way Home’.

The film adaptation was produced by Iain Canning & Angie Fielder whilst it also featured Australian Garth Davis in what was his first feature film directorial debut.

The people behind the film’s production hope to see it do well in the Indian subcontinent as well as in other regions.

They say that the Indian movie scene is diversifying and it is not just about Bollywood films but that there are many other great Indian based films out there.

The film had its world premiere on the 10th of September 2016 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

That same month the film also opened at the Zurich Film Festival followed by a screening at the London Fil Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival in October 2016.

The screenings at the festivals have produced mainly positive reviews with the performances of Mr Patel and Nicole Kidman receiving particular praise.

The film was released in the United States on the 25th of November 2016.

The UK and Australian releases are on the 19th and the 20th of January, 2017 respectively.