White Riot

«I started working on White Riot because I was curious about the rise of the extreme right in the 1970s. I had heard about it, in bits and pieces, from my family, who were confronted with racism because they were of Asian origin. I was unaware of this recent history and decided to embark on this journey. I've always been interested in music archives and I came across the Clash's performance at the Carnival Rock Against Racism. I couldn't believe that this movement had existed at that time and that I had never heard of it. In the midst of all this hatred, a counter-culture movement had sprung up in a small print shop in East London. It was a place for young people to share their views. They believed in equality - music, punk, graphics were their weapons » - Rubika Shah

A little over forty-two years ago today, on April 30, 1978, more than 100,000 people marched against racism in London, from Trafalgar Square to Victoria Park where a concert with the greatest English artists awaited them. The film White Riot tells the story of the Rock Against Racist activists' journey, from a fanzine in their garage to the organization of awareness-raising concerts all over England.

Thanks to Club Jokers, we had the chance to discover this excellent documentary that allows us to go back to the late 70s and see the impact that a British fanzine had on thousands of people. While Eric Clapton's remarks in the middle of a concert in August 1976 were judged by many racists and set fire to the powder keg, some people decided to fight against the rise of racism. This is how the band Rock Against Racism was born, with director Rubika Shah decided to put forward in her first documentary after many shorts including White Riot: London (2017) which served as a starting point for this film.

Whether it is a fanzine or a mythical concert in the presence of the band The Clash, this movement understood that it was necessary not only to react to dismantle xenophobia and sectarianism but also to give some people a way to express themselves freely and fight against certain received ideas. Before the advent of the internet and the easy dissemination of information, this was an exciting time. With few means, many ideas and important people supporting them, Rock Against Racism, marked the memory of the British and less those of other countries. This documentary thus serves as a real sting of remembrance.

The strength of this documentary film comes from the young director Rubika Shah, who saw exciting parallels between music, politics, integration and above all the fact that music knows no borders. Like the Rock Against Racism fanzine, White Riot's staging is simplistic and allows for the assembly of several archive images, but with a real sense of detail and rhythm.

White Riot shows once again what a documentary should be, not an endless succession of interesting interviews, but reveals a real research work. In this, director Shah has found a real personal inspiration to deliver a documentary film that sounds real and emanates a real nostalgia in which the music unites us all while forgetting our colors, origins and belonging to a social class. In this sad period due to the coronavirus pandemic, this film reminds us of the time when we could go to concerts, be happy and sing songs together while forgetting our personal and professional worries. White Riot is not only an excellent documentary, but also a real plea against racism, social exclusion and for freedom of expression.

The result is a real immersion in a period that we did not know and in which music was still free and unconstrained. As the lyrics of some of the songs in this documentary show so well, a real message was being passed freely. If you were to see only one documentary this summer, no hesitation, it is this one.

White Riot
A film by Rubika Shah
Based on a screenplay by Ed Biggs and Rubika Shah...
With Dennis Bovell, Joe Strummer, Kate Webb, Lucy Whitman, Mykaell Riley, Pauline Black, Poly Styrene, Red Saunders, Roger Huddle, Tom Robinson, Topper Headon and others.
Produced by Ed Gibbs
Cinematography: Susanne Salavati
Music: Aisling Brouwer
Production: Smoking Bear
Distributor: The Jokers (France)
Release date: August 5, 2020
Running times: 80mns

Seen on 16 July 2020 at Club de l'Etoile

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