The Bang Straws

Director: Michelle Williams Gamaker

Year: 2017

Revisiting the audition process for the character of Kanchi in Powell and Pressburger’s 1947 'Black Narcissus'. The coveted role went to actor Jean Simmons. By auditioning only Indian ex-pat or first-generation British Asian women and non-binary individuals, filmmaker Michelle Williams Gamaker re-casts a Kanchi for the 21st Century, who crucially speaks.

Director: Janire Najera and Matt Wright

Year: 2025

A fulldome dance film set amidst the rich and varied landscapes of Zimbabwe, where performers express the tension, resilience and interconnectedness between people and the natural world under the pressures of climate change. With their movements, the dancers explore the consequences of environmental disruption and the profound ways in which people and nature are intertwined. Through abstract choreography, symbolic imagery and an atmospheric score, the work reflects the planet’s vulnerability, the challenges posed by environmental shifts and the transformative potential of collective effort. As the dancers navigate these ever-changing locations, their movements evoke the escalating consequences of a warming world, capturing both its fragility and the urgent call for action.

Director: Lara Habib Kobeissi

Year: 2026

Nazar is a tender, intimate encounter in virtual reality between participant and performer. It unfolds as experiential poetry within evil eye protection sessions shared across decades by the artist and her mother, exploring embodied care, presence and vulnerability. Grand & Impact Prize, NewImages 2026 Official Selection, Embodied Realms 2025 Official Selection, Shubbak Festival 2025