British Asians in Film

1. British Asians in Film Aim: to explore contemporary notions of British Asian identity through specific case studies.

2. Contemporary British Asian Cinema • How many Asian orientated films can you name? • Although Asians are well represented in some areas of the media such as journalism they haven’t been as well represented in the film industry until recently. • Read article ‘Brit-Asian cinema from the margins to the mainstream’

3. Case Study 1: ‘Bend it Like Beckham’(2002) • ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ starred Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley. The film was directed by Gurinder Chadha a female British Asian director. • It proved to be a very successful film that raised the twin issues of ethnic and gender stereotyping. Read over article. • From an ethnicity perspective the film attempted to address the issue of a young Sikh girl living in London and her attempts to subvert her ‘cultural norms’ by becoming a professional footballer like her idol David Beckham. Task: watch some clips and make notes on the notetaking sheet.

4. Case Study 2: ‘Yasmin’ (2004) • Set in Yorkshire, Yasmin lives two lives in two different worlds: in her community, she wears Muslim clothes, cooks for her father and brother and has the traditional behaviour of a Muslim woman. • Further, she has a non-consumed marriage with the illegal immigrant Faysal to facilitate the British stamp in his passport, and then divorce him. • In her job, she changes her clothes and dresses like a Westerner, is considered a standard employee and has a good white British friend who likes her. • After the September 11th attacks the prejudice in her job and the treatment of common people makes her take sides and change her life.

5. Do now • How would we describe Yasmin’s cultural identity and the way she sees herself?

6. Starter – ‘Yasmin’ and binary opposites. • We can look at ‘Yasmin’ as a film of two halves and her character as having a duality. • This can be done in a series of binary opposites e.g: drinking orange juice vs drinking alcohol. • Task: In pairs discuss and fill in the sheet on opposites.

7. ‘Yasmin’ the opening and mise-en-scene • Task: Make notes on how the mise-en-scene makes meaning for the audience. • Yasmin’s transformation from traditional hijab wearing Muslim to jeans and high heel wearing western girl. • The convertible car is a another symbol of western freedom. • The road that connects her insular community to the ‘white world’ of her work environment. • The hills/dales of Yorkshire juxtaposed with her traditional Islamic dress. • An insular northern Muslim town, no integration, breading racial ignorance. Racist graffiti on the shop. • Her father in traditional Muslim clothes with thick duffle coat over top. • Her brother’s call to prayers in the mosque. • Think: Can we think of any moments later on in the film where mise-en-scene is important/significant?

8. The impact of 9/11 • The whole film changes after 9/11. • In 2 groups make notes on how Yasmin sees herself and how her life is affected; • Pre 9/11 • Post 9/11 • What areas of her life would you need to consider? • Think of specific examples from the film- scenes, dialogue key moments etc.

9. Yasmin – cultural hybrid • Pre 9/11 • Her life is a balancing act, a juxtaposition between traditional Muslim values and modern British western life. • She performs traditional Muslim female duties such as cooking for the men. • She is ‘married’, (although this is a marriage of convenience so that Faysal can get a UK passport). She despises him and calls him a ‘banana boat’. • She has feelings for a white co-worker. He doesn’t initially consider her ethnicity. • She is seen as a pillar of her community, a bridge between them and the British system. • She wears western dress to mask her cultural identity.

10. Yasmin- cultural affinities change? • Post 9/11 • Initially how does she react after 9/11? • She desperately tries to fit in with her white co-workers- drinking, shouting racist abuse at Muslims on TV etc. • Doesn’t really understand how she is connected to what happened on 9/11- ‘who’s Osama’? • She encounters obvious racism at work. • Her friend, Dan questions her loyalties. • What’s the second turning point? • Police Swat teams forcibly arrest her and Dan and point guns at her brother and father. • Faysal is arrested and held- for making phone calls to Pakistan. • Dan abandons her and the racist bullying gets worse. • She gains sympathy for innocent Muslims who are being persecuted, particularly Faysal. • She herself is put in a cell for no obvious reason. She begins to reread the Quran. • Is she any less confused about who she is at the end of the film? What about her brother?

11. To finish…. • Writing practice: Using your notes on the opening write a couple of paragraphs on the following questions. • How does the character of Yasmin in the film ‘Yasmin’ view her own cultural identity at the start of the film? • Refer to specific examples from the film. • H/W- revise notes on film and watch key clips on youtube for timed essay next week. • Question: How does ‘Yasmin’ represent culture and identity in modern Britain?

12. Yasmin- Muslims post 9/11 • What does the film suggest about attitudes to Islam after 9/11? • Demonisation: All Muslims were instantly a threat to those with ignorant views.. ‘Who’s Osama?’ • Western paranoia: Greater police presence in Muslim areas in UK, false accusations and imprisonments like Faysal in film, ‘they’ll throw us out of the country now’. Extremists made life very difficult for peaceable, ordinary Muslims. ‘I’m ashamed’ father when he hears son celebrate 9/11. • Islamophobia: The US ‘war on terror’ led to a fear of Muslims. Yasmin is ostracised from her white co-workers, including her good friend Dan who changes his opinion of her after 9/11 ‘ Muslims haven’t done themselves any favours, haven’t’ apologised’… • Radicalisation: lots of impressionable, disillusioned young Muslim boys born and brought up in this country have been influenced by educated Muslim preachers to become ‘martyrs‘, the idea of dying for Islam. Fighting in ‘jihad’ a supposed holy war between Islam and the west. Naz is an example of this ‘ they’re killing our brothers and sisters’….’I’m a freedom fighter, there's a war against us’.