East End Voices: Community, activism and Identity
22 JULY | SPECIAL SCREENING AND DISCUSSION | ZILKHA AUDITORIUM
Join Four Corners, London Community Video Archive and Oitij-Jo Collective for an afternoon of screenings and discussion. Engaging with community, activism and identity from the 1970s to the present, these short films draw on archive material including a community video magazine, a documentary on Bengali families’ housing struggles, and a film about young people’s attitudes to racism, alongside shorts by contemporary Bangladeshi creators.
PROGRAMME
12 noon. Doors open, refreshments
12.15 – 1.15pm
Despite TV video magazine, issue one (Despite TV/Spectacle 1984, 42 mins) From 1984, Despite TV video magazine was produced by and about residents in East London through weekly workshops covering local news, music, poetry, skits and experimental short films. It was organised by Mark Saunders who later formed Spectacle Films. Screening followed by discussion.
Refreshments 1.15-1.45pm
1.45 – 2.15pm
A Safe Place to Be (Director Simon Heaven, 1980, 30 mins) An exploration of the housing discrimination faced by the Spitalfields Bengali community in the 1980s, this documentary looks at how people were struggling for better lives. Unusually, it features Bengali voices, even if they are all male. Made by local director Simon Heaven, it was shown on Channel 4 in 1981.
2.15-3.15pm
Divide and Rule – Never! (Newsreel Collective, 1978, 41 mins) Young working-class Londoners - first and second generation Black and Asian immigrants, as well as ex-National Front members - discuss their experiences of racism in 1970s Britain, and fight back with rock and reggae. Screening followed by discussion.
Refreshments 3.15 – 3.30pm
3.30 – 4.30pm Gaali Kothon — A Tale of Swear Words (Mahamuda Aktar (Monisha), 2024, 16.06 mins) This short docu-fiction investigates the prevalence of sexist and misogynistic swear words existing in Bangladeshi society and culture, but also universally recognised. Mahamuda Aktar Monisha is a feminist, queer activist and filmmaker from Dhaka, Bangladesh, currently based in Dublin. She is dedicated towards dismantling deep-rooted social injustices through the use of arts and activism, and using storytelling to challenge social norms.
CONTENT WARNING: This film contains strong language throughout and explicit references to domestic violence, emotional abuse, rape and sexual assault.
Final discussion and refreshments.