- British Funding Rejection
- US Funding Success
- Film Addresses Immigration
Raging Grace, the inaugural British recipient of the esteemed Grand Jury prize at the South By Southwest Film Festival, is now making its way to theatres in the United Kingdom.
Raging Grace is a critically acclaimed horror film that features a diminutive “h” and was directed by Paris Zarcilla in retaliation against the “micro and macro aggressions of racism” endured by undocumented labourers in Britain.
It is a film that employs every horror convention to examine the lives of those who are working illegally in the United Kingdom.
The narrative revolves around Joy, a youthful Filipino mother who is compelled to provide care for her British-born daughter Grace while also tending to a terminally ailing father.
Zarcilla explains that regrettably, the experiences of undocumented labourers, immigrants, and children of the diaspora are frequently abhorrent.
“When my mother first arrived in this country, she was a domestic worker for affluent families, where she did the cleaning and cared for their children.
They are frequently overlooked by society and constitute an unseen pillar; therefore, I desired to illustrate a particular lived experience that frequently encounters both micro and macro forms of prejudice in our society.
Rage to the page
As per Zarcilla’s account, the notion originated from his observations of the environment throughout the pandemic.
Zarcilla explains that it was a response to a year of extreme racial anarchy, particularly in the United Kingdom. Open hostility was directed at East and Southeast Asians.
“The exact types of immigrants who were providing assistance to a severely burdened NHS.”
“Filipino physicians and nurses who sacrificed their lives on the front lines to safeguard the British public.”
Because I was so incensed, I felt compelled to record that somewhere on the page.
Challenges in Securing British Funding
The absence of British funding is a “deep shame.”
But in order to secure funding, he was compelled to turn abroad.
“We approached every single funding organisation in the United Kingdom, but they all said no,” Zarcilla divulges.
Despite my conviction that the work I had produced accurately reflected a British experience. It failed to align with the prevailing perception of that particular culture.
Consequently, we ultimately discovered the funds in the United States, which is a tremendous disgrace given that I am extremely privileged to be a British Filipino filmmaker.
Furthermore, that American investment was profitable. Raging Grace was the first British film to win the South By Southwest Grand Jury Prize earlier this year.
Immigration is currently a contentious political issue in the United Kingdom. The government vows to stop people smuggling, and most citizens want immigration restriction. As a result, its release in UK theatres coincides with this controversy.
I am overcome with indignation and fury towards a government that is so inhumane. Zarcilla utters
Such contempt for humanity, the working class, and the general public has been witnessed, and in all honesty, this is precisely what this film is about: discovering methods to rebel.
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