Free Film screening: “My Beautiful Laundrette”
2nd March 2018, 17:30–20:00
Venue: David Hume Lecture Theatre B
As part of the “Legacies of Human Rights Violations: Beyond the legal paradigm” film series, we invite you to a screening of “MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE.” The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Dr Delwar Hussain, University of Edinburgh.
In this English classic from 1985, director Stephen Frears explores the complex intersection between race, homosexuality and class in 1980s London. Omar (Gordon Warnecke) and his former lover, Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis), work together to turn a run-down laundromat into a successful business. The men rehabilitate the laundromat, but social forces threaten to compromise their success. The film made a radical departure from previous representations of British Asians in mainstream film while also considering the relationship between Pakistani and English communities under Thatcher’s rule.
There is no entry fee. Please book your free ticket here.
“Legacies of Human Rights Violations: Beyond the legal paradigm”
This series presents four films that address a wide array of contemporary human rights issues and related global challenges from innovative and critical perspectives. The selection of films approaches the challenges of human rights from a situated perspective, shedding light on the deeply entrenched practices of oppression and discrimination that elude the grasp of a legalist perspective. Specifically, the films explore how the dynamics of oppression affect people's everyday lives and reinforce themselves across generations, while also revealing different forms of dissent, solidarity and resistance that arise in response. Specifically, the films address questions of race, gender and institutionalised state violence/terror, covering themes such as the American civil rights movement, Black Lives Matter, gender norms and agency, sexuality, the politics of migration, apartheid violence, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, and military dictatorship in Argentina.
These films are free and open to all members of the public as well as staff and students from the University of Edinburgh. Each screening will be followed by a 30 minute open forum for those who wish to discuss the films. Snacks and soft drinks will be provided.
Screenings will take place on the last Monday of each month. Stay tuned for the following films:
- REwind: A Cantata for Voice, Tape and Testimony (2009, Liza Key), 26th March, 17:30
- Kamchatka (2002, directed by Marcelo Pineyro), 30th April 2018, 17:30
The film series is sponsored by the Global Justice and Global Development Academies’ Innovative Initiative Fund.