
Skin Deep
SYNOPSIS
An award winning short directed by Yousaf Ali Khan. It is 1982. Romo is 15, and mixed race. He lives on a run-down all white East End council estate with his mother and younger sister, Jameela. But, while Jameela is dark-skinned, Romo can and does pass for white. Haunted by memories of racial abuse and violence suffered throughout his childhood, Romo has taken to concealing his mixed race identity and begins to hang around with a gang of overtly racist white youths.
Written in the violent language of the inner city, the film charts one night with Romo and his mates. It follows the pain and the contradiction inherent in his self-denial, as he struggles to make himself acceptable to his companions. He faces himself in the mirror – two cultures, two identities. Irreconcilable. In order to "belong", Romo feels he must deny the Asian side of himself. He must be beyond reproach – whiter than white.
Written in the violent language of the inner city, the film charts one night with Romo and his mates. It follows the pain and the contradiction inherent in his self-denial, as he struggles to make himself acceptable to his companions. He faces himself in the mirror – two cultures, two identities. Irreconcilable. In order to "belong", Romo feels he must deny the Asian side of himself. He must be beyond reproach – whiter than white.
VIDEOS
Title: Skin Deep
Format: Short Film
Duration: 13:59
Description:Awards: Siena International Film Festival - Best Short Film 2002 (Main Prize) - Cinéma Tout Ecran (Switzerland)-Best Short Film 2002 (Main Prize) - Buffalo Black and Asian Film Festival (UK)- Best Short Drama 2003 (Main Prize) - Turner Classic Shorts (UK)-Best Short Drama- 3rd prize 2001 - Kodak/BAFTA Showcase (UK) - Best Short Film 2001 (Main Prize).
Format: Short Film
Duration: 13:59
Description:Awards: Siena International Film Festival - Best Short Film 2002 (Main Prize) - Cinéma Tout Ecran (Switzerland)-Best Short Film 2002 (Main Prize) - Buffalo Black and Asian Film Festival (UK)- Best Short Drama 2003 (Main Prize) - Turner Classic Shorts (UK)-Best Short Drama- 3rd prize 2001 - Kodak/BAFTA Showcase (UK) - Best Short Film 2001 (Main Prize).
