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: Alex Matraxia

Year: 2023

Dream Factory is an experimental erotic thriller, exploring the historical role of cinemas as cruising sites, as well as navigating queer and cinematic history through the lenses of nostalgia and fetish. Official Selection, Fantasia International Film Festival 2024

Director: Helga Dorothea Fannon

Year: 2025

"Driven by a single photograph that seemed to hold pieces of myself and my sister, I began interviewing my father to uncover the life of his mother, Katherine May Fannon, and her roots in Liverpool. The image stirred something deep - I realised how much I wanted to know her, to feel connected across generations. Though my father lives in Sweden, we bridged the distance over Zoom, with only faded photos he shared as windows into her world. Through these stories, I hoped not only to understand her but to feel closer to him as well." This film was created during Stitch & Remix, a 3-day workshop by Renaissance Studios in collaboration with London's Screen Archives as part of the Undocumented project by London's Screen Archives and The New Black Film Collective. Seeking to address the lack of Black stories in London's moving image archives. This project, and workshops such as Stitch & Remix, are made possible through the support of the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding. Official Selection, Wysiwyg 2026