‘The Colonial Eye: British Empire images of the Punjab, 1912 – 1947’
19th February 2012

On Sunday 19th February 2012, The Phoenix cinema will hold a free screening at 2pm entitled ‘The Colonial Eye: British Empire images of the Punjab, India 1912 – 1947’. Artist Tajender Sagoo has curated a series of short films produced during the British rule of India with a focus on the Punjab, bringing together public information and travelogue films found in British public archives and rarely seen on the big screen. The public information films selected are examples of state propaganda used to form public opinion, a practise still prevalent today in regions such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and India,.

The travelogues selected are personal observations of places and people. Screened together they form a visual essay of Punjab as written by its rulers and administrators. Curator Tajender Sagoo said “This screening is part of an on-going curatorial project on South Asia and Punjab that I started in 2008. Growing up in the UK, I have noticed how mythologies are created around Empire and Britain’s role within Empire, using propaganda films to transmit the idea of a civilising mission to the British and Indian masses. I hope that showing these films on the big screen will contribute to widening the debate on how British history is taught in schools.”

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with four specialists on South Asian film, popular culture and history: Dr Virinder Kalra of the University of Manchester, Dr Yasmin Khan of Royal Holloway, University of London, Dr Anandi Ramamurthy of the University of Central Lancashire and Dr Richard Osbourne of Middlesex University. They will be discussing what the films can tell modern day viewers and taking questions from the audience.

To reserve your place, call the Box Office on 020 8444 6789.
For more information, visit www.phoenixcinema.co.uk/education/heritage/