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Set
in 1970s Salford amongst a forgotten landscape of decaying half
demolished post war slums, Talking with Angels is a poignant
look at notions of normality and poverty.
It's a semi-autobiographical story based partly on the childhood
experiences of Salford film maker Yousaf
Ali Khan. Yet despite its humble beginnings, Talking with
Angels could be in line for the most glamorous gong in the world!
Talking
with Angels
Directed by Yousaf Ali Khan, UK, colour, 16mins, U
Produced by Janey de Nordwall and Michael Knowles
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It's
been nominated to the Academy Awards panel in the category of 'Best
Short Feature'. And on Tuesday (27 January), it will be shown in
Hollywood to a panel of judges who will decide whether to shortlist
the film for an Oscar.
The plot
10-year-old Alan and his family make their way to the local clinic
for Mum's regular injection of Largactil, a torpifying drug intended
to subdue her 'schizophrenic' inner voices and visions.
Alan
- played by 12-year-old Stephen
Buckley - takes upon himself the responsibility for holding
his family together. He negotiates the two worlds his family inhabit;
his mother's vivid inner world occupied by demons and angels and
the stark reality of everyday life haunted by poverty and the ever-present
threat of the social services splitting up his family.
To
others Alan's family is a world of 'spazos', of madness, neglect,
and eccentricity - a dysfunctional family. To Alan, it is his family.
Yousaf’s intentions of making TALKING WITH ANGELS were to confront
perceptions and prejudices about what constitutes a viable family.
Yousaf says "Challenging the fictitious idea of 'normal' by
stigmatising anything that does not neatly integrate into it, on
this occasion the so called, 'disabled', 'mentally ill' and 'dysfunctional
family' are re-occurring themes in my work".
Find out more by watching Inside Out, 7.30pm
BBC1 on Monday 26 January 2004
In
a nutshell:
- Talking
with Angels
(U)
Directed by Yousaf Ali Khan
Produced by Janey de Nordwall and Michael Knowles
Dur: 16 minutes
- Find
out more by watching Inside Out, 7.30pm BBC1 on Monday
26 January 2004
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Talking
with Angels: up for an Oscar?
Powerhouse
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