Experiencing Interruptions?

Motherland

After witnessing a racist Instagram post Jack, a mixed race British-Jamaican; spirals down a rabbit hole of inauthentic attempts to reconnect with his roots and a dark desire to satiate his anger by taking revenge via any means necessary.

  • Thomas Blackman
    Director
  • Thomas Blackman
    Writer
  • Emily Ong Shuyi
    Producer
  • Emily Ong Shuyi
    Cinematography
  • Élison Bartolomeu
    Cinematography
  • Emily Ong Shuyi
    Editor
  • Thomas Blackman
    Key Cast
    "Jack"
  • Élison Bartolomeu
    Key Cast
    "Erne"
  • Matthew Hodges
    Key Cast
    "White Man"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 2, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    30 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Arts University Bournemouth
Director Biography - Thomas Blackman

Thomas Blackman is a 20-year-old South London filmmaker of mixed Jamaican/British heritage. He has worked on several short films as a writer/director and is currently studying at the prestigious Bournemouth Film School. As a BAME writer with a unique perspective he aspires to become a voice for under-represented people in the UK film industry.

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Director Statement

'Motherland' is a film about the pain of being disconnected from your ancestral home and how seemingly innocuous events can bring to the surface a deep rooted racialised anger. Being of mixed Jamaican heritage whilst having spent my whole life in the United Kingdom I have been through many unsuccessful attempts to re-connect with my roots. This struggle, that plays out in the heads of people like me every day, is something that I have never before seen represented on the screen; and in Motherland I explore it through the triggering lens of a racist incident, the kind of which people of colour are subjected to on a daily basis. In my film, solace, if not peace, is ultimately achieved through solidarity and kinship within the black community.