Other Cinemas: The Northwest London Film School Nurturing Non-White Voices

Established in the northwest London borough of Brent by filmmakers Turab Shah and Arwa Aburawa, Other Cinemas is a project born from the need for more equitable approaches to filmmaking, sharing, and education. Recognising these three elements as closely connected, Shah and Aburawa’s work aims to forge a vital and inclusive alternative to the existing landscape of the film industry — one that actively addresses and challenges its inherent racial and class biases.

Unique in the UK for adopting a Black and non-White community-centred approach to filmmaking, moving image exhibitions, and education, Other Cinemas’ free, year-long Film School is a space for new and emerging filmmakers to explore film as a creative and political medium. Now in its fourth year, the initiative’s work is rooted in neighbourhoods that are some of the most racially diverse in the country but chronically underserved in terms of access to cultural resources.

Through the programme, students engage in monthly sessions and filmmaking tasks, allowing them to cultivate a comprehensive skill set and delve into various aspects of filmmaking — such as ethics, editing, lighting, storyboarding, and screenwriting. This approach encourages critical thinking about the politics and economies of filmmaking and disseminating, while facilitating students with the space and tools needed to develop a significant body of work.

Thus far, the Film School has supported 32 students, helping them grow and mature their artistic capacities to tell meaningful stories on screen. On Friday 19 July, Metroland Cultures will open an exhibition, titled Collective Imaginings, of films and installations from the Film School. The exhibition and public programme around it will explore themes that define Other Cinemas’ ethos of radical pedagogy.

Comprising over 30 works by 16 artists, Collective Imaginings brings together unseen, longer-form films by current and recent students, along with 20 films from the organisation’s archives. Among the filmmakers presenting work are Chanthila Phaophanit, Nia Fekri, Niki Kohandel, Amel Moyersoen, Raheela Suleman, Laith Elzubaidi, Jana Mughrabi, Vankshita Mishra, Kes-Tchaas Eccleston, Yasmin Safieddine, Sana Badri, Bediah, Leena Habiballa, Ruweyda Sheikh-Ali, Latifa Akay, and Leila Gamaz.

Spanning the whole ground floor of Metroland Studios, the exhibition is built around a screening room, with works presented on floating fabrics playing in sync. A wall display, mapping the history of Other Cinemas, will be on view alongside a ‘Make Your Own Film’ station, providing visitors with the opportunity to recycle rushes from previous work and create their own films.



Other Cinemas Film School: Collective Imaginings
Friday 19 July – Thursday 4 August 2024
PV: Thursday 18 July, 6–8pm



Feature image: Turab Shah and Arwa Aburawa, I Carry It With Me Everywhere (2022), Installation view. Commissioned as part of the Brent Biennial 2022