BREAK is an artists' film by Edwin Mingard, commissioned by Ben Uri as part of the Out of Chaos: Ben Uri: 100 Years in London centenary, with performances from Ramzi DeHani, Olivia Popica and Dónal Cox.
BREAK tells the story of a few days in the life of Yousef, a recent arrival to London. As Yousef makes plans to bring his wife and daughter from Egypt to London, the reality of living as a migrant in a big city catches up with him: no money, poor living and working conditions, a lack of rights and the mental toll of being so far from those he loves.
The film was a result of a four-month research process that drew upon the Out of Chaos exhibition; public film screenings with a migration focus curated by the artist; and a series of in-depth informal interviews with migrants to London from all over the world. That research process is evident in the film, from visual clues to overarching narrative themes and events in the story.
To create the film's opening sequence, Mingard travelled to the UK from eastern Turkey, tracing a popular migration route over land. London scenes were filmed over two days with people who had been involved in the development of the project.
A blog post detailing the film's development process is available here.
Crew
Writer/Director Edwin Mingard
Produced by satellite
Line Producer Adriana Kytkova
Director of Photography Davey Gilder
Sound Designer Joe Nattrass
Sound Recordist Nik Stojkov
Art Director Laura D'Asta
Camera Assistant Danny Williams
Costume Designer Lucie Kordacova
Unit Photographer Gabriella Zigova
Original Score Rozi Plain
Cast
Yousef Ramzi DeHani
Emina Olivia Popica
Doctor Dónal Cox