Words by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff:

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.

Words by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff:

With The Long Goodbye Riz, alongside director Aneil Karia (Top Boy), have created a situation which all good dystopian creators set out to do: a vision of the future that doesn’t seem so far away; one that is perhaps already here.

As argued by academic Dr Ruzbeh Babaee, “It is in the essence of dystopian fiction to make the reader aware of the truth and reality of their life, a call to wake us up from the lies and unreal aspects of our life.” In this alternate universe, we’re provided with an uncompromising and haunting view of what might lie ahead.

The film, starring Riz and both inspired and soundtracked by his upcoming album of the same name, depicts a British South Asian family in the throes of everyday life, who are then violently dragged into the street and packed away into a black van.

From an interview by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff:

“Not to talk in platitudes, or say really obvious stuff, but I think it's fucking terrifying where we're at. It makes me sad, angry and really scared,” says Aneil. We’re settling down to do an interview in the house-turned-set destroyed by the thugs. His tone is serious. Riz, who has just finished his final scene of the day, and who still seems slightly distant, extricating himself from the mind of his character, takes a while to gather himself. A few moments later, he agrees. “It feels clear to me that this does very much feel grounded in reality, the reality of people's fears, the reality of where we're at. What we've seen today goes through my head every day. It goes through the heads of all of my loved ones every day, and the heads of all of my friends".

The Long Goodbye is a visceral watch. Right at the end of the shoot, when the sun begins to set and the street lights begin to flicker on in an ominous yellow, Riz is filming the final monologue, taken from his track Where You From. He’s sobbing, head pressed to the freezing, dirty ground, before slowly rising, regaining his strength and eventually fixing his large brown eyes directly on the camera. His message feels aimed at the ignorant Brits who don’t know their history, who don’t understand the ravages of colonialism, nor the people who have ended up in the UK because of it. “Don’t question us about our loyalty, our blood and sweat’s enough / Born under a sun that you made too hot for us / Kidnapped by Empire and diaspora fostered us.”

It’s an in incredible combination of beautiful words, raw acting and poise.

The project, collaboratively written by Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed was made with support from WePresents, and premiered on WePresents online. The film garnered praise as soon as it was released and has been selected by film festivals such as LSFF, Raindance and awards including BIFA and UKMVAs.

The film has had a huge reach online and in festivals and awards, it was even mentioned as a must watch in a speech that was broadcast on the BBC by a member of parliament. The impact of the film is one that has moved people around the world.