In this film we see a British-South Asian family preparing for a wedding. There’s excitement in the air as the family gets ready to celebrate, while still doing the normal things any family does around an important occasion, whether bickering about chores or tidying the house. Suddenly, though, the excitement turns to terror as the family home is invaded by right-wing militia who round up the family for no reason other than their ethnicity. They line them up on the street outside, outing them in front of their white neighbours who look on in shock but do not offer help. The film’s devastating climax shows family members, including children, being thrown into unmarked vans, and some, shot. The film is a comment on rising hate crime in the UK post Brexit and the inherent racial discrimination in our society.

Following Brexit, religious and race hate crime in Britain rose between 15-25% in the ensuing year (2016) and racial discrimination and prejudice continues to affect ethnic minorities in the UK in the years since then. Riz Ahmed, a Brtish-Pakistani actor and musician, who was born and bred in North London, interpreted this as Britain “breaking up” with many of the people that had called it home for decades, effectively turning their back on those that did not fit an outdated perception of what it means to be British. On The Long Goodbye he worked with a fellow British-South Asian director, Aneil Karia, to bring these feelings to life through the medium of film, empathising with anyone who has ever felt outed by the country they call home. At the time of release in March 2020, unsurprisingly to many, it resonated with a huge audience.

The Long Goodbye short film was created as an accompaniment to Riz Ahmed's album of the same name. Choosing three distinct tracks from the album, 'Any Day', 'Fast Lava' and 'Where You From', the film's soundtrack combines rap, singing and spoken word to build on and create a unique, culturally hybrid sound which draws on the same narrative themes of the film, and speaks to the visual setting. The album builds its own world in order to help us see our world anew - through feelings of heartbreak, loss, regret, hope and the self-love necessary for our survival. The world of the tracks is reflected in the film, which was created and inspired by the music.