LONDON: British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed and director Anil Karia take audiences on a disturbing dystopian journey in their short film The Long Goodbye, driven by personal fears about growing intolerance and discrimination in the world.
Set in suburban Britain, the film follows a South Asian family as its members prepare for a wedding. Their world is turned upside down when a group of white armed men violently break into their home.
"I understand that for a lot of people, they can look at a movie like this and say: '...you're trying to make a political statement', but I feel like being able to watch it. Someone likes it and says: 'Oh, it's political. It's something that just keeps headlines,' Ahmed told Reuters in an interview.
"For many of us, it's very personal. Smaller versions of it really do have an impact on daily life... The big nightmare depicted in this movie actually keeps us awake at night."
The name of this 12-minute film is shared with the 2020 album by Ahmed, who was born in London to Pakistani parents. The record also addresses racism.
"The big concept of the film is ... something that plays in our minds and I think plays into the minds of millions of people around the world who may feel that they are in danger in the context of the rising tide of intolerance. " Looking around the world," he said.