Project Detail

The Park (Dancing on the Rubble of Empire)

The Park (Dancing on the Rubble of Empire)
The Park (Dancing on the Rubble of Empire)
The Park (Dancing on the Rubble of Empire)

Synopsis

A personal meditation on the intimate ways our lives are shaped by ongoing colonial histories, how we make sense of this knowing and finding joy.
Official Selection CPH:DOX 2026
Centered around the filmmakers’ local park, this film is a celebration of London and the resilience of migrant communities that have shaped the city from its beginnings. It’s about the British Empire Exhibition of 1924-25 and a line which stretches all the way from then to today. It’s about Palestine, which sits along this colonial continuum, and a park full of dancing, BBQs, birthday parties and joy. Through a hybrid form that combines documentary, archival footage, and direct animation this film meditates on the colonial remnants lodged in our lives and asks what it means to celebrate, play, and belong amid the rubble of empire.
Official Selection CPH:DOX 2026

Details

Year
2026
Type of project
Shorts
Running time
34 min
Format
Digital, Super8, 16mm
Director
Arwa Aburawa, Turab Shah
Producer
Arwa Aburawa, Turab Shah
Editor
Arwa Aburawa
Director of Photography
Turab Shah
Sound
Sami El-Enany
Composer
Sami El-Enany
16mm Operator
Chanthila Phaophanit
Super8
Arwa Aburawa, Turab Shah
Direct Animation
Arwa Aburawa, Turab Shah
Re-recording Mixer
Steve Bond
Camera Assistant
Jake Pentland
Sound Recordist
Jake Pentland
Colourist
Emily Russul Saib
Online Editor
Andrew Fisun
Direct Animation Processing
James Halcome

Production Status

Page updates

This page was last updated on 2nd March 2026. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

And still, it remains And still, it remains

Director: Arwa Aburawa, Turab Shah

Year: 2023

A meditation on time, justice and the afterlives of French nuclear toxicity in the Algerian Sahara.

A close-up of an appealing man Steal My Heart

Director: Rudi Harrison-Ward

Year: 2025

A thief postpones robbing a regal traveller out of romantic interest. They have a tender fling before tensions resume.

A Legacy of Sound A Legacy of Sound

Director: Anne-Marie Michel

Year: 2025

A filmmaker turns the lens on her 95-year-old great uncle, an elderly Englishman determined to leave something meaningful behind. Sparked by a friend’s quiet regret, he begins a deeply personal journey through memory, faith, and sound. As his vision unfolds, the film becomes an intimate meditation on legacy and the invisible threads that connect generations - inviting us to listen closely to what we leave behind and what truly endures.