Basi Akpabio

Commissioned by the BBC & BFI, CLASH is a short experimental documentary critiquing Britain's obsession with period dramas, and how they erase the diverse reality of Britain today. This film - part parody, part candid interview - is a response to Humphrey Jennings' 1942 'LISTEN TO BRITAIN', a documentary used to propel a myth of national unity. CLASH, through the perspectives of underrepresented queer people of colour, critiques the myths we still tell ourselves on screen. Through candid interviews and staged period-drama sequences with our subjects - involving a hobby horse race in East London - our film explores the issues surrounding nostalgic heritage cinema, and how it erases the diverse landscape of Britain today.

British writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) published her first novel in 1920, in which the eccentric Belgian private sleuth Hercule Poirot made his debut. Later, in 1927, the first short story starring the gentle spinster Miss Jane Marple appeared. A fascinating journey through popular culture in search of the footprints of two of the most charismatic characters in crime and mystery literature.