Mahtab Hussain and Guy Gunaratne: Migration as Deep Narrative
Sorry, this event has sold out
Join us at SD Projects for a screening of Here is the Brick, a powerful new short film by Mahtab Hussain and Guy Gunaratne exploring migration, memory, and identity in Britain today.
Hussain presents a jerky, stuttering film – made with longtime collaborator Gunaratne – that surveys racism against South Asians in the UK. Here is the Brick (2025) splices together footage of racist 1980s and ’90s television programmes, anti-Muslim chants by white football supporters, Islamophobic statements by politicians, and news coverage of the 2005 London suicide-bomber attacks. The film is a cacophony of pop-cultural and political references, mirroring the everyday experience of being a Muslim in Britain today. Quick cuts and videotape-like skipping create a claustrophobic rhythm, as an overwhelming barrage of bigoted voices floods the screen. Footage from riots – bricks and stones hurled by faceless figures – is contrasted with imagery of South Asian Muslims reclaiming these same weapons while gazing defiantly at the camera.
The film’s layered structure echoes the archaeological themes of the Triennial, revealing how past and present are inseparably linked.
A conversation and Q&A with Mahtab Hussain and Guy Gunaratne will follow the screening. A Bengali vegetarian dinner will be provided.
This event runs for 1 hour.