White Riot – a film by Rubika Shah
By Naz Toorabally
@naztoorabally
White Riot throws you into late-1970s Britain – a nation divided over immigration and the rise of far-right and fascist political party, The National Front, fuelled in part by racist MP Enoch Powell following his “Rivers of Blood” speech. It’s eerily familiar, filling you with the sense of history repeating itself with the increasing anti-immigration rhetoric and emboldenment of the far-right over the past few years in Britain. But also, the simultaneous rise of Extinction Rebellion and the Black Lives Matter movement giving us hope. As I watched, I felt a growing lump in my throat, which I couldn’t swallow away, from the anger and disappointment at the similarities in today’s Britain – but it also recharged my activism, particularly through my own music.
The documentary tells the history of musicians and music-lovers coming together to fight racism and the far-right. Outraged by a racist speech from “music’s biggest colonialist” Eric Clapton, music photographer Red Saunders wrote a letter to the music press calling for rock to be a force against racism, which was subsequently published by NME, Melody Maker, and Sounds. He was flooded with responses and soon teamed up with like-minded creatives Roger Huddle, Kate Webb, Syd Shelton and Australian graphic designer Ruth Gregory, the team banded together to create Rock Against Racism (RAR) and a fanzine, Temporary Hoarding. Speaking directly to the youth, Temporary Hoarding reported stories and issues that the mainstream British media ignored (again, not too dissimilar from today), like immigration, the Catholic side of the Northern Ireland conflict, and the police’s controversial “suspected persons” (sus) powers. Temporary Hoarding gave a voice to the voiceless and was met with backlash from The National Front who committed acts of violence against RAR supporters and petrol-bombing their HQ. Despite this, RARs message spread across the UK and into Europe, becoming a grassroots youth movement.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
I began making White Riot as I was curious about the rise of the far right in the late 1970s. I had heard snippets about this era from family, about the racism they faced as British- Asians. Feeling ignorant about our recent history, I embarked on a journey to find out more.
What I found is that amongst all the hatred of that era, a small counter-culture movement — Rock Against Racism — began in a print shop in East London. It was an outlet for young people to share their views. They believed in equality — and music, punk and graphics were their weapon.
In my work, I often explore identity and youth culture: everyday people trying to make sense of our place in the world. It is a common theme that drives me to tell stories. So much of today’s politics mirrors that of the late 1970s. White Riot is an inspiring story about youth culture making a difference.
Featuring The Clash, Steel Pulse, Tom Robinson, Poly Styrene, Sham 69 and Alien Kulture. White Riot is a moment in time when music changed the world, when a generation challenged the status quo. It’s an expertly pieced together re-telling of history by Rubika Shah (Director, Writer) and Ed Gibbs (Producer, Writer) who blend fresh interviews with jarring archive footage to recreate a hostile environment of anti-immigrant hysteria and National Front marches and animation and VFX to help bring to life Temporary Hoarding which inspired a generation to stand up to racism and fascism.
White Riot won Best Documentary at BFI London Film Festival 2019 and is available to rent from Modern Films and YouTube.
RUBIKA SHAH // @Rubika411
Rubika is a writer/director and Screen International Star of Tomorrow, whose films have screened at Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca and Hot Docs. Her mini-doc about David Bowie screened in UK cinemas through Picturehouse and was featured in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and i-D Vice. Her debut feature, White Riot, was showcased at the Great 8 at Cannes 2018, and she is also working on an expanded version of her David Bowie doc.
ED GIBBS // @EdGibbsFilm
Ed is a writer/producer whose slate includes White Riot and a number of other feature documentaries and narrative features. His films have screened at festivals worldwide, including Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca and Hot Docs. He is also a respected critic and journalist, contributing to ABC News, BBC News, Little White Lies, Rolling Stone, Time Out and The Guardian, among others.