Special Screening of 2 Video Films

A hit man from an unknown Islamic country is sent to London to assassinate an influential writer who has sought political asylum in Britain. The film focuses on the unusual encounter between the two men; a writer who has given up his life’s work and has lost belief in any political intervention, and a soldier who is loosing his loyalty. The hunter and the hunted with one thing in common: they have nothing to lose.

The film focuses on a fictional Islamic country. The actual cast come from different Islamic countries: Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Morocco. The intention here is to indicate how, metaphorically speaking, fundamentalism has created its own state, with English paradoxically as the only common language. So the film’s use of English language is an ironic commentary on this reality - and on the notion of ‘authenticity’ (a film or a nation cannot be ‘authentic’ unless they express themselves in their original language) that both the East and the West seem to perpetuate.

Considering the current ‘hype’ about Islamic fundamentalists, their suicidal ‘missions’ and consequently the homogenisation of Islam as barbaric, ‘the predator’ is a significant departure. It portrays an enigmatic character, a man with no expectations – no ideals, serving an idealist Islamic system!

A new book on Mitra Tabrizian - Another Country (Hatje Cantz, 2012) includes texts by Homi Bhabha, David Green and Hamid Naficy. Tabrizian was born in Tehran, Iran, lives and works in London. Tabrizian has exhibited and published widely in major international museums and galleries, including her recent solo exhibition at the Tate Britain in 2008 – other solo shows include, Museum of Folkwang, Germany, 2003, Moderna Mussset, Stockholm, Sweden, 2006 amongst others. Her books include, Correct Distance (Corner house publications) with an introduction by Griselda Pollock- Beyond the Limits (Steidl 2004) with an introduction by Stuart Hall. Her photographic and film works are represented in major public collections, including, Victoria and Albert Museum, London - Queensland Art Gallery/ Gallery of Modern Art- Moderna Mussset, Stockholm - Museum Folkwang, Essen - Musée d’Art Moderne, Luxembourg. She has received several photographic and film awards, including AHRB (Arts and Humanities Research Board) Innovation Awards for the film ‘The Predator’ (28 - minute film, 35 mm print,2004).

These Old Frames

Tahireh Lal

These Old Frames explores the structure and creation of a narrative using found footage. The footage used is from Tahireh’s grandfather’s archive, films shot by him fifty years ago, home movies on 8mm film.

Fragments of family history, situations, events and characters unfold on an intimate canvas but echo universal themes. Mining personal stories, common ground and interrelationships ,helped understand her grandfather and how he created his own identity in a free India in her infancy. The process revolved around getting to know the man that he was.

While recovering and analyzing the footage and working with sound on material that was originally silent, Tahireh found herself understanding home movies as more than just memorabilia – as mapping microhistories which resonate with wider explorations of personal and social identity.

Tahireh Lal was born in New Delhi and studied at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. These Old Frames is her second exploration of personal history through the medium of Found Footage Film.


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