WITH WARMTH AND ECSTATIC SOLIDARITY
Sunday 17th January 2021
AT HOME BUT NOT AT HOME, dir. Suneil Sanzgiri
With Warmth and Ecstatic Solidarity is an email sign off that stuck out amidst generic best wishes.
Amidst the alienation of the coronavirus pandemic, this simple closing ends its email with open armed sincerity in a time when solidarity, communality and allyship is especially difficult, neatly embodying within its five words this programme’s intent.
Moving beyond raising awareness and bearing witness, this programme looks to build bridges between contemporary struggles, as filmmakers use documentary for the dual purpose of preservation and amplification of histories, languages, land and rites that have been rendered illegitimate by state suppression.
From learning the formerly forbidden language of Kurdish, to pointing an unceasing gaze on the methods by which land is stolen from the Indigenous people of so-called-Canada, each of these films looks through past, present and future to find a way to engage with enduring politically and emotionally challenging injustices.
There will be a post-screening discussion with LSFF Documentary Programmer Miranda Mungai, and filmmakers Suneil Sanzgiri (At Home And Not At Home), Bircan Birol (My Name Is Anik), Mahdi Fleifel (I Signed the Petition) and Michael Toledano (Invasion). Programmed by Miranda Mungai. 63'
The post-screening Q&A will be BSL interpreted.
Please note, this screening can only be accessed by UK audiences. This programme contains footage of police violence.
Films:
AT HOME BUT NOT AT HOME
Suneil Sanzgiri
11'
2019
USA, India
In 1961, fourteen years after India gained independence from Britain, the Indian Armed Forces defeated the last remaining Portuguese colonisers in the newly formed state of Goa. Combining 16mm with drone footage, desktop screenshots, and Skype interviews with its maker's father, this work utilises various modes of seeing at a distance to question identity, the construction of memory and anti-colonial solidarity across continents.
I SIGNED THE PETITION
Mahdi Fleifel
10'
2018
Germany
Immediately after a Palestinian man signs an online petition, he is thrown into a panic-inducing spiral of self-doubt. Over the course of a conversation with an understanding friend, he analyses, deconstructs and interprets the meaning of his choice to publicly support the cultural boycott of Israel.
INVASION
Sam Vinal, Michael Toledano
18'
2019
Canada
The Unist'ot'en Camp has been a beacon of resistance for nearly ten years. It is a healing space for Indigenous people and settlers alike, and an active example of decolonisation. The violence, environmental destruction, and disregard for human rights following TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) Coastal GasLink’s interim injunction has been devastating to bear, but this fight is far from over.