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Sfilmmakers have unrealistic expectations of their work; Aneil Karia is not one of them. “I wasn’t fooled enough to think it would bring down the government,” he says of his new film, Vote Gavin Lyle – but you never know, it might. Funny, smart, well acted, a little tired but perfectly crafted, Vote for the stars of Gavin Lyle Jack Lowden as a wannabe Reform MP for the Fletcham and Wold constituency in central England. At just 16 minutes long, it boggles the mind at a distance; not the petty, flag-carrying street thugs, but the articulate, well-spoken thugs who dominate the hierarchy of the habit.
Without wanting to give away the film’s final flourish, it’s fair to say that there is an element of sympathy, even sympathy for its central character. Karia said: “I don’t think it’s fun or useful to look at these people – politicians, councillors, candidates for office, anyone – and just say what a disgusting people they are.” I think what fascinates me about them is that they are insecure and scared like the rest of us.
“I feel like we’ve gotten into a culture where everything becomes a kind of intellectual, people yelling at each other all the time.” And without being pretentious, as a filmmaker I thought I wanted to be under that and see how humanity is.”
Regardless, Karia brings her passion to the film: “I grew up in Ipswich with a lot of people I still know who voted for Change.” And Lyle is an unforgettable creature: there’s something Partridgean about his stupidity and stupidity, his eagerness for attention and the fantasy that lies beneath. But the existence of this film is an impossible idea: Karia is the director of films that were released last year. an official adaptation of Hamlet, starring Riz Ahmed. His 2020 movie Surgestarring Ben Whishaw as a deranged airport security officer, it also had many admirers. Between the two Karia won an Oscar another short film, The Long Goodbye, a horror drama about right-wing violence against British Asian families. Vote Gavin Lyle takes a different approach to The Long Goodbye: light, funny, but in his own way as he did politics.
Returning to the short film format may not seem like an obvious step, but Karia is keen to emphasize their importance. “I find them very rich and a fun platform to choose a little courage and experiment. For example, comedy has not been part of my journey, and I thought, well, I want to try something in a different way.” Karia’s strong track record in short films puts her in the unusual position of being as popular for her small roles as her character. As well as The Long Goodbye, Karia was the director chosen by Stormzy shot Big Man, the singer who was known for his film debut; prior to that, Karia had worked several times with fellow British rapper, Kano, on short films and music videos. The two met while Karia was directing episodes of Top Boy TV, where Kano played the lead role of Sully.
One of the most interesting aspects of Karia’s new film is that it marks another step forward WePresent, WeTransfer’s technology platforma file sharing site that has gained popularity due to its ability to allow users to push large files over the Internet. Karia calls them “unicorns”, one of the few places she can go to for help; half a decade ago it was their connection with Ahmed that got The Long Goodbye off the ground.
You may wonder why a successful but tech company would make a profit in the tech industry. According to recent editor-in-chief Holly Fraser, it’s as simple as the creators of WeTransfer’s parenting outfit providing an ever-changing website and recording space for artists and their fellow artists. “What started out as spotlighting artists from around the world turned into a very popular group. One of the first things we did was a film with FKA branches and it snowballed from there.”
As it stands today, the sound of WePresent means it can boast list of interesting names: together with Ahmed and Karia, he produced films with Letitia Wright and Little Simz, and works of art with Marina Abramović, Robin de Puy and Akinola Davies Jr. And the films he made with Karia show that he does not pull politics. “I don’t think it’s ever been a secret that we have a political side to the work we do,” Fraser said. “For us, it’s about standing up for what we believe in. Artists have always been ready to interpret the world, and I personally have been very disappointed by the words that have come from some parts of the film industry recently that art has no place in politics. I think it’s rubbish.”
As for Karia, she is about to start work on a television series based on Kaliane Bradley’s sci-fi novel The Ministry of Time, directed by John Franklin who failed in the Arctic expediton in the middle of the 19th century. Meanwhile, Vote Gavin Lyle is going to the world and will undoubtedly cause chaos. “I want the first one to be fun, and exciting.” We hope it will make people think about the fact that often the people who claim to save us are lost, blind as we all seem to be at this moment.
