Exploring race, identity, her love of cinema and the power of storytelling, artist Michelle Williams Gamaker disrupts and reimagines Powell and Pressburger’s films. This event will look at my Critical Affection for these British Directors, and will screen three of my films across my work in Fictional Activism, Fictional Revenge and Fictional Healing: House of Women (2017), Oberon (2023) and Thieves (2023)
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Michelle Williams Gamaker’s stunning, beautifully-staged films trouble the too often overlooked political dynamics trapped in classic cinema. Calling her work ‘fictional activism’, she imagines alternative scenarios where marginalised brown characters take control of the films in which they appear, reformulating narratives and disturbing received histories. The House of Women (2017, 14min) drastically reimagines casting sessions for Kanchi in Black Narcissus in a deliberately dissonant, modern setting. Thieves (2023, 27min) meanwhile sees rebellious Sabu and Anna May Wong turn the tables on Michael Powell and his crew, during the making of The Thief of Baghdad, with electrifying results. We are delighted to also welcome Williams Gamaker to discuss her work, the issues it raises, and her interests in Powell and Pressburger, with Dr. Kulraj Phullar.

whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=michellewilliamsgamakerandpowellandpressburger

​This major solo exhibition by Michelle Williams Gamaker, developed in collaboration with South London Gallery, premiered the artist’s newly-commissioned film Thieves, the first work of her Fictional Revenge series. The artist’s work responds to films watched during childhood, unpacked and seen anew over time, which raise important conversations about race, representation, identity and agency. 

For the first time, Thieves is shown alongside two film installations produced by the artist, The Bang Straws (2021) and The Eternal Return (2019), both part of the artist’s Fictional Activism trilogy.  Collectively, the films come together to ask important questions about historic representations reverberating into our present day, and how this can be purposefully revisited and countered.  

Thieves was commissioned by Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN) with funding from Arts Council England, and co-commissioned with the South London Gallery (SLG) and Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA). Additional support from: National Lottery through Arts Council England; The Foundation Foundation; and The British Academy and the Wolfson Foundation. The film was produced by FLAMIN and Keep Rolling Studios. 

www.dca.org.uk/exhibition-archive/michelle-williams-gamaker/

The sixth edition of Sharjah Film Platform (SFP6), taking place from 8 to 17 December 2023, features a range of independent cinema and experimental filmmaking. The annual film festival foregrounds the transformative role of cinema in our culture and community. The SFP6 Competition section features 30 documentary and fiction films vying for the Sharjah Film Platform Awards. These films have been nominated by a special committee of filmmakers and industry professionals, who practise in different parts of the world. All UAE premieres, the films will be followed by Q&A sessions with the directors.

sharjahart.org/images/uploads/downloads/SFP6_2023.pdf