Archival and contemporary images of the Bangladeshi land and community are woven together to illuminate the entanglements of native and diasporic histories.

Following the death of rag trade worker Altab Ali in 1978, the British-Bangladeshi community in East London galvanised a massive anti-racist uprising, which has since been memorialised as the ‘Turning Point’ event. Photographer Paul Trevor captured the pulse of this movement. Decades later, these images have been mobilised with the help of oral testimonies by the Rainbow Collective.

In the same decade, Bangladesh tried to develop its identity as a new nation-state following the Liberation War of 1971. What did this new land look like? Contemporary Bangladeshi filmmakers look at the country through the cracks in its history, as machines breathe, habitats become denser, and crows sing into deep time. A globalising nation, a diasporic fight, and the long shadows of colonial violence create slippages that unsettle our understanding of ethnic historiography. The programme digs into these frictions, hierarchies, and hymns to land and community.

This programme is curated by Najrin Islam, in partnership with Four Corners. 

Memories of Brick Lane, Chapter One: Everyday Life, dir. Rainbow Collective, UK 2022, 7mins


Machine Matter, dir. Munem Wasif, Bangladesh 2017, 14mins 

Memories of Brick Lane, Chapter Two: Everyday Racism, dir. Rainbow Collective, UK 2022, 7mins

Memories of Brick Lane, Chapter Three: Community Resistance, dir. Rainbow Collective, UK 2022, 7mins

Fantasy in a Concrete Jungle, dir. Mehedi Mostafa, Bangladesh 2022, 15mins

Memories of Brick Lane, Chapter Four: The Murder of Altab Ali, dir. Rainbow Collective, UK 2022, 6mins

Memories of Brick Lane, Chapter Five: The Battle of Brick Lane, dir. Rainbow Collective, UK 2022, 8mins

O great life! / অন্তঃশিরা, dir. Sarker Protick, Bangladesh 2020, 23mins

The screening will be preceded by an extended introduction by the curator. 

 

Content / Trigger Warnings: Contains scenes of racism and animal slaughter.

 

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