Author: Kaya Volke

The fourth Reel Off Film Night will be a screening of ‘ The Brother From Another Planet’, directed by John Sayles. The film will be presented by Dr Syed Mustafa Ali:

I have chosen to present The Brother From Another Planet for a number of reasons: It is the only film I am aware of in which an alien visitor (who crash lands on Earth) is depicted as a black man. I think this is significant because to the extent that black people – and non-whites in general – are ‘The Other’ / ‘The Alien’, the casting of a black man (Joe Norton) points to a ‘dual-layering’ of ‘Alienation’. Also, as Ziauddin Sardar and Sean Cubbitt point out in Aliens R Us, there is a long tradition of representing ‘The Other’ through the figure of ‘The Alien’. I’m also intrigued by the fact that the black alien is a RAS (Run Away Slave) being hunted by two white slave masters and that he crash lands in Harlem. I don’t want to say much more than that I think this is an interesting film, and hopefully one that will provoke discussion about the messages embedded within it.

Dr Syed Mustafa Ali is a lecturer in the Computing Department of The Open University (UK) whose academic research focuses on investigating issues at the intersection of critical race theory / decolonial studies and computing / ICT.

Mustafa describes himself as someone who watches far too many films than is probably healthy, and that he has a particular penchant for sci-fi film, both mainstream and more obscure. (In particular, he is somewhat obsessed with time travel movies, especially those involving paradoxes).

6.15pm: Door is open (it is also fine to come earlier)
7.00 pm: Introduction Syed Mustafa Ali
7.30pm: Screening of The Brother From Another Planet’ by John Sayles
9.30pm: Discussion

On this Reel Off Film Night we will be screening ‘Triumph off the Will’, the seminal propaganda film of the Nazi era, directed by Leni Riefenstahl. The film chronicles the Nazi Party Congress of 1934 and is still considered a masterpiece. It continues to influence a number of prominent directors.

This film night will be hosted by Abu Salahudeen, who studied Media at the University of Luton and was the Co-Founder and Director of Halaqah Media and Blackrunner Media. He is currently writing a book about Islam, politics and rights of people. His interest in ‘Triumph of the Will’ stemmed from the realization that many of the techniques used by the Nazis have been adopted in modern politics with devastating results.

6.30pm: Door is open (it is also fine to come earlier)
7pm: Introduction by Abu Salahudeen
7.30pm: Screening of Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl
9.30pm: Discussion