The film Slumdog Millionaire has been criticized for showing the underbelly of life in Bombay Mumbai. Like Beijing, Mumbai is going through rapid transformation as India’s economy develops and one by one the slums are replaced with skyscrapers.

But Vikas Swarup, author of the book Q&A which inspired the film, insists it is mainly a story of hope and survival.

How can a child of the slums know enough to win a quiz show? This prejudice is the founding premise of the book and film.

In an interview on BBC World (unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be online) Swarup explained that he was surprised to see how Indian slum children have embraced the internet.

Mumbai may have its underbelly - where doesn’t? - but that shouldn’t make us underestimate those who live there.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a clever book. As well as giving a feel for life in an Iranian family it somehow manages to condense 30 years of Iranian historical events into one paperback, without seeming heavy or educational.

The story is told using stylish cartoon images and narrated by the main character Marjane, who grows up amid the political turmoil of the last days of The Shah and the Islamic Revolution.

The second theme explored by the book is the struggle faced by immigrants to make their way in a new country.

At 14 years old Marjane is sent by her parents to Austria to escape the Iran - Iraq war. The story of her difficulties in reconciling her background with the strange customs of her new home is heart breaking.

Persepolis was also made into a film. Personally I found the book more gripping, but the film is also good if you’re not a big reader.

Read More:
Iran as you don’t see it on the news: journalist Rageh Omar explores a seldom seen side of Iran in his documentary Inside Iran
Iranian blogs in Blogs of the World
Iranian author Firoozeh Dumas writes about what happened when her husband met the parents in an extract from her book Funny in Farsi

Russia’s economy is booming, helped partly by its $1bn a day in energy exports.

This economic success is propelling a new revival in Russian film making, subsidised by the government or private investors, with demand supplied by young working Russians with money to spend.

The International Herald Tribune explains that the tastes of the domestic audience are quite different to those of the international markets. Whilst its art house films are more popular on the international stage, Russians at home like patriotic films covering topics like Soviet-era wars or historical events.