A beautiful feat of raw acting and poise
Actor, musician and activist Riz Ahmed has never been afraid to speak his mind. Whether in the roles he chooses or giving impassioned speeches in parliament, his work is reflective of what is happening in the world today. Now to coincide with the release of his new album, The Long Goodbye, Riz is releasing a new short film of the same name, as part of a collaboration with WePresent and directed by Aneil Karia.
A sobering and powerful watch, The Long Goodbye imagines a dystopian near future and sees Riz unpack his feelings towards his country. Here, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff goes behind the scenes with Riz and Aneil during filming.
It’s incredible to watch. The Long Goodbye vividly brings to mind the ongoing saga of the Windrush scandal, which saw many British Caribbeans who moved to the UK decades prior at the behest of government bodies, wrongly accused, detained and deported under the Conservative government’s hostile environment policy. But the UK has been living with different versions of the hostile environment for much longer than five years. Successive governments, even prior to the 20th Century, have legislated harmfully around migration.
The Long Goodbye has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short.
