Riz Ahmed lends his leading role talents to Aneil Kania’s socially conscious 11-minute short THE LONG GOODBYE.
A wedding celebration is in motion, as Riz and his family in a North London suburb are oblivious to the events that are playing out on the television in their living room. However, television is not real-life – and what is on screen is holding a mirror to life – and a mirror that is about to shatter with devastating consequences.
Kania doesn’t pull any punches in a film that is concise but no less intense in its’ delivery of one of the most potent and emotionally draining pay-offs – and Ahmed demonstrates his award-winning acting chops at the very end of the film. This is not the easiest of watches and is designed to provoke anger at the essence of what is occurring across the globe in key communities. However, it must not be interpreted as anything other than a cry for help that must be answered – come what may….
British Director Aneil Karia began his career directing several award-winning shorts, including BEAR starring Ben Whishaw, and his Film 4 financed short WORK which was nominated for a BAFTA and a BIFA.
His credits include TOP BOY, Channel 4’s PURE and Kano’s TROUBLE. Aneil’s feature debut SURGE premiered at Sundance, where the lead Ben Whishaw won the World Cinema Best Actor Jury Prize. The film was produced by Rooks Nest and was released this year. Most recently, he directed TEARDROPS for Kano.
Award-winning actor, writer, producer, musician, and activist Riz Ahmed is an Emmy Award winner for his lead performance in HBO’s THE NIGHT OF.
He is also an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG nominee for his lead performance in SOUND OF METAL, a film which saw him him the National Board of Review and the IFP Gotham Awards for Best Actor, as well as being recognised as Best Actor by more than fourteen leading critics groups – the most “Best Actor” awards of 2021, to date.
He is the first Muslim to be nominated for lead actor at the Oscars, and the first to win a lead acting Emmy. MOGUL MOWGLI marked Ahmed’s production company Left Handed Films’ feature film debut. Co-written, starring and produced by Ahmed and directed by Bassam Tariq, the film was nominated for a 2021 BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film.
Next up, Ahmed will be seen opposite Octavia Spencer in Amazon Studios’ psychological thriller ENCOUNTER, directed by BAFTA-winning UK filmmaker Michael Pearce (Beast).
THE LONG GOODBYE’s stunning cinematography was created by Stuart Bentley (Humans, I Am) and was made in collaboration with WePresent, the editorial platform of WeTransfer.
Just some of the prestigious international film festivals the film has been selected for includes The London Critics Circle Awards 2021 where it won the Best British/Irish Short Film, Palm Springs International ShortFest, Cannes 2021 where it won a Gold Lion and two Silver Lions, Rhode Island and many more. This powerful short also screened at BFI Southbank as part of a season curated by the Tape Collective.
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THE LONG GOODBYE is screening on YouTube.
