This film is part of Free
Contact
Tense, graphic experimental short film portraying police brutality inside a jail cell.
Overview
This experimental short film uses a jarring percussion soundtrack and graphic imagery to explore police brutality and institutional racism. Joseph Layode plays a black man who is brutally beaten by a uniformed white man with a truncheon. When a white man (Mike Anglesey) enters the cell and extends his hands to Layode, they are violently struck apart by the truncheon. This intense, frenetic film cuts to the quick with its head-on confrontation of the violence of racism.
This challenging short was produced by the London School of Film Technique (later the London Film School), and directed by Philip Mottram, who subsequently spent many years teaching at the school.
Related
Hull Fair (1902) Hull Fair (1902)
Non-Fiction 1902 4 mins Silent Location: Kingston upon Hull
The ornate pavilions of cinematographs, boxing booths and menageries at Hull Fair.
Divide and Rule - Never! Divide and Rule - Never!
Documentary 1978 41 mins
Young working class Londoners fight racism with the power of rock and reggae in this anarchic documentary.
Jemima + Johnny Jemima + Johnny
1966 29 mins Location: Notting Hill
Touching short about the friendship between a white boy and a black girl in 1960s Notting Hill.
Nigerian Wedding in Cornwall Nigerian Wedding in Cornwall
Current affairs 1964 1 mins Silent Location: Pool
Dressing to please as the happy couple switch wedding dress for national dress.
A World Is Turning A World Is Turning
Documentary 1948 45 mins
A lost chapter in black British film: extraordinary rushes from a documentary showcasing talented members of the black community.
Tunde's Film Tunde's Film
Documentary drama 1974 40 mins Location: Stepney
Tired of being hassled by the police and with no job opportunities, a group of teenage East End lads plan to rob a bank.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.