Projects in genres: Asian

Synopsis

An observational documentary about Natty, a 19-year-old from Birmingham, who has just been released from prison, where he was sent for violent crime. Will financial and peer pressure lead Natty back into gang crime? Through the course of filming, Moby Longinotto raises difficult questions - should we be observing these lives and if and when should we be getting involved?
 

Synopsis

Coloring the Media begins with the premise that since the invention of the camera, Native Americans were the very first people to be documented either in photographs or in moving pictures. This film explores this journey as European Americans used the camera as a propaganda tool to depict native peoples in America as less than human. Through the development of stereotypes, and inadequate research, early films depicting native peoples set into motion a language of film that is still being used today. This language came to affect all peoples of colour around the world as they were often portrayed as ignorant or noble savages whose only good was to make the European look superior, civilized and just in their cause - which was more often than not the civilization of the savage.

By using contemporary films such as Smoke Signals; and documentaries such as Healing the Hurts and Spirit combined with interviews with Native people, Coloring the Media takes us on a journey and asks how the past can affect the present and shape the future for Native Americans and also for people of color. As Black and Asian people living in Britain speak about their experiences and the struggles they face today, we see how the language of film set into motion in the early 20th century still plays an important part in the portrayal of people of colour.
Coloring the Media offers a refreshing investigative insight into the past and present. For future generations it offers a solution of change through the voices of people, and asks one important question: 'What is it going to take to make this change happen, now, today?'
 

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A thriller/romance set in modern Bangkok about a love that transcends death. A young couple reawakens the spirit of the famous old Thai legend of 'Mae Nak Phrakanong'.

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A twelve-year old Pakistani Muslim boy mistakenly crosses the minefield strewn border into India and finds an unusual ally - Bhola, a Hindu school teacher who must find a way of hiding him from Indian soldiers looking for the 'terrorist' who crossed over.

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Love and Hate is set in the North of England in a town where racial tension has reached boiling point. Adam has grown up indoctrinated by his mother's and brother's bigoted views. Naseema is from a Muslim family and whilst her father is a liberal who has embraced the West, her brother Yousef fights violence with violence. He believes Naseema should behave like a good Muslim girl but she wants more out of life than an arranged marriage.

When Naseema and Adam meet through work, the mutual attraction is undeniable. Soon Naseema's vivacity and beauty confound Adam's preconceptions and he finds himself unable to condone the views of his family. The young couple embark on a passionate journey of self-discovery. But in order to find happiness together, they must somehow overcome the deep prejudices that surround them.

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Anita Singh, a young Asian Londoner, meets an enigmatic stranger at the supermarket who convinces her that he is schooled in the ways of Eastern mysticism. She is amazed when he demonstrates that he can levitate. But is this urban swami really the answer to Anita's prayers?

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First kiss. A moment repressed? The story is about a woman named Sim in her mid-twenties. Sim is happy with her life and has a good relationship with her girlfriend. Then, out of the blue she gets an unexpected call from her childhood love, Maya, who is now married.

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Reality mixes with fantasy in a short film about a young Asian male called Ali. Lonely and isolated, he struggles to integrate into a Western culture while holding down a security job at night. Ali imagines escaping from his mundane life through a fanatsy girlfriend.

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Office-worker Bob thinks he's dreaming when a doll starts talking to him, until it helps him to find a girlfriend. But the doll won't stop talking, and keeps Bob awake each night. When he tries to end the relationship, the doll uses its powers to take revenge.

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Yasmin (Archie Panjabi- Bend it like Beckham) is a spirited women whose life in the North of England has become a precarious balancing act as she attempts both to please her traditional Pakistani family and enjoy the freedoms of western life. Having rebelled against her family as a teenager, Yasmin yields to the demands of her widowed father and agrees to marry a cousin 'from home'. The omens are not good when the goat-herder from a Pakistani village meets the vivacious, westernised Yasmin.

After the shocking events of 9/11, Yasmin's life begins to change; her innate sense of confidence starts to evaporate and she becomes increasingly ostracised at work. Yasmin is only jolted out of her crisis of identity when she witnesses the brutal internment of her husband under the draconian rules of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The injustice of this event forces Yasmin to re-evaluate her faith, her culture and her relationships. The scene is set for a compelling and and topical personal drama of what it means to be Asian, Muslim and British in the 21st century.
Written by Simon Beaufoy (highly acclaimed writer of The Full Monty), the film is an emotionally resonant story, threaded with a rich vein of wit, irony and juxtapostions.

Synopsis

Casim is a second generation Pakistani from Glasgow. Working as a DJ in Glasgow's coolest venues, he dreams of buying his own club. His parents Tariq and Sadia are devout Muslims and plan for him to marry his beautiful cousin Jasmine - who is soon to arrive in the UK. His proud father spends all his spare time supervising the building of an extension to the family home where the couple are to live. Casim's parents then arrange for his older sister Rukhsana to marry Amar, a promising young scientist from a good family. Life for Casim and his family is ticking along nicely. Until he meets Roisin.
 
A music teacher at his sister Tahara's school, Roisin Hanlon is sparky and intelligent. She and Casim soon fall deeply in love. But Casim knows all too well that, even if he wasn't due to marry, his parents would never accept a 'goree' - a white girl. And as a Catholic, Roisin finds that her own community aren't very supportive either. Then Casim and Roisin are discovered, and the repercussions of the scandal reach far and wide. When Casim's family find that their peaceful and ordered life is threatened, they decide to take action - bringing matters to a dramatic conclusion.
 

Synopsis

Aisha is a young, Muslim-American woman studying abroad in London. She is dating the roguish Rashid but lives with her devout, hijab wearing cousin Fatimah. When her two worlds collide, Aisha is forced to reconcile her faith with her desires.