Film Library 2019

2017 marked seventy years since the decolonisation and Partition of India, sparking one of the largest mass migrations in history. One particular community uprooted by this event were the Anglo-Indians. Hailing from the Indian subcontinent during the British colonial rule of India, the term came to describe those of mixed European (predominantly British in the paternal line) and Indian (largely maternal) descent. Anglo-Indian loyalty was towards their European upbringing; they were given Western names, dressed in Western clothes, were mostly faithful Christinas and grew up with English as their mother tongue. Therefore, upon the dissolution of the British Raj, many Anglo-Indians chose to leave for the UK, yet their reception was not wholly what they expected. This film joins a group of retired British Anglo-Indians congregating at St Chad’s Catholic Church Hall in South London. The community upholds a dual-identity within a country they were closely affiliated with, yet had never visited. The film explores Anglo-Indian place-making amidst a chaos of bingo, eating and a lot of dancing.