Set in the heart of Birmingham, and directed by Alice Chambers, Community is a coming-of-age comedy drama exploring identity and belonging, and friendship.
Friends Leyla and Zoya are polar opposites. Zoya is pampered, indulged and lacking purpose, and Leyla is hardworking, dependable and dedicates her time to helping others. Zoya has lived a privileged (spoilt!) life in a nice part of town, whereas Leyla lives on the other side of town with her housemate Khalil, a refugee from Syria.
When Zoya’s parents cut her off, she turns to old friend Leyla for help. Comedy ensues when Zoya is forced to start volunteering at the community centre and actually start thinking about others for once. Things are going well until Zoya lets Leyla down at a talent contest at the community centre, just as her parents offer her the opportunity to go back home. Will Zoya bite their hand off or will she stay and fix things with Leyla?
Community had a two week sold out run at Birmingham Rep before it toured community venues.
Community (play)
Inspired by Shakespeare's curse 'I am sick when I do look on thee', Look At Us (dir. Hussina Raja) is a homage to those who came before us, and to the Pakistani diaspora who remain resilient in the face of adversity and prejudice in 'Great' Britain. It explores the impact of colonisation on the South Asian diaspora. Using archive footage from Partition in 1947 and Britain in the late 1970’s, the film journeys through poignant historical moments that led to the dis-placement and migration of communities who had long lived side-by-side until the abrupt withdrawal of the British, leaving the Indian subcontinent in chaos.
The work reflects on Farrah’s and the filmmakers own experiences as second and third-generation South Asian Brits. They delve into the process which immigrants must go through in order to be accepted, questioning at what stage one becomes integrated into society and ‘one of us’.
Look At Us, has been selected to be shown at several film festivals globally. Click on the image to watch the film.
Look At Us (short film)
Commissioned by Sampad, Birmingham to research and write a new play, The Walls Between Us, based on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on South Asian families and their mental health
Rahil, a key worker, decides to self-isolate in his room to protect his elderly mother, Fazeela. Fazeela is struggling with the speed at which lockdown has been enforced and being cut off from her family and friends. Rahil’s daughter, Malaika, is stuck at home, unable to go back to university. Will the Jamils pull together to help each other out through these difficult times? Or will they allow for the pandemic to push them apart?
This play was presented at The Birmingham Rep and toured various community spaces in Birmingham as part of the BEDLAM Arts and Mental Health festival in 2021.