The Conversation: Growth and Movement with Lanre Malaolu
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Film/Photography
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THE CONVERSATION: GROWTH AND MOVEMENT WITH LANRE MALAOLU
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Words by Luc HinsonArtwork by Tom Shotton & Daniel Ashton
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Two years have passed since we last caught up with Movement artist and director Lanre Malaolu. With the upcoming release of his latest film 'The Conversation' we sat down with Lanre to find out how his practice has progressed in that time, where he's finding new sources of inspiration and how he's coping under self-isolation. 'The Conversation' is set for release on the 21st May on the BFI Facebook page, and June 1st on Amazon Prime Video & Curzon Home Video alongside the full anthology of Uncertain Kingdom films. You can read our previous interview with Lanre here.
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BB: Lanre it’s been a while since we last spoke, how has life been for you since the release of Figure in 2018?
LM: A bit of a roller-coaster. Have travelled abroad with my work a lot, which has been dope. But also lots of life shifts which have had small to large ass internal/external effects. But all in all, alive and kicking.
BB: How has your work, and approach to work changed in that time?
LM: I’ve been fortunate to do what I love consistently and share rooms with some incredible creatives’. I’ve grown over the last few years to really appreciate the importance and beauty of the process of making a piece of work. Its always been there, but something shifted and now has deep meaning in my life. Bringing a group of people together in a room with honesty, openness and a “fuck it, lets play” attitude has become an anchor for me and what I love about my “job”. The outcome is the process.
BB: Your latest film The Conversation, deals with an inter-racial relationship and conversations around racial experiences. Where did the impetuous for this film come from?
LM: It came from my experiences. Friends experiences. And, the list goes on... I use the lens of an “interracial relationship” (which is still a term that slyly grinds on me to be honest) but the wider conversation/challenge/exploration is how people who are not a minority, listen to, react to and take on conversations surrounding a person of colour’s racial experience.
BB: What was the biggest challenge in putting this film together?
LM: I decided that I wanted to pull off a twelve minute-one shot sequence, with a lot of movement, six performers, in a *massive* warehouse using two floors, five different spaces, recording sound as we moved, and using specific props that needed to be moved from one space to another while shooting... On top of that, we had the restriction of a time frame we could shoot it in, as we used daylight…
It was mad.
Whenever I and my producer talk about that day and how we managed to pull it off, we just laugh. A lot was stacked against us on the day, but we managed to do it and, of course, wouldn’t have been possible without my incredible performers, crew, producer…EVERYONE.
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"PEOPLE OF COLOUR ARE TIRED OF HAVING TO EXPLAIN THEIR RACIAL EXPERIENCES TO WHITE PEOPLE. IT’S DRAINING PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. BUT, REGARDLESS OF THIS, IT’S STILL A CONVERSATION THAT NEEDS TO BE HAD..."
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BB: What message are you trying to portray through The Conversation?
LM: People of colour are tired of having to explain their racial experiences to white people. It’s draining physically and mentally. But, regardless of this, it’s still a conversation that needs to be had at times for various reasons. And boy, does it take a toll, especially when said conversations are met with defence or other “stuff”.
There are also a few other messages in the film that I’ll leave the audience to watch and gather for themselves….
BB: What does home mean to you?
LM: Being in a rehearsal room, studio, set with forward thinkers and brave people. (Having serious withdrawal symptoms right now).
BB: What has been the biggest challenge for you as a filmmaker under isolation?
LM: The demons…. Oh, the demons.
BB: What are your hopes for the rest of 2020?
LM: Clarity. Oh and coming out the other side of 2020, with my health, the health of my friends, family (and even you who are reading this) intact. It’s a pretty mad time at the moment on so many different levels. So yeah… clarity and health. That’ll be good for me.
The Conversation is available to stream on the BFI Facebook page, from 9pm on the 21st May.
You can keep up to date with Lanre's work via
Twitter: @Lanremalaolu
Instagram: @Lanremalaolu
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READ MORE
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CONTEMPORARY CONVERSATIONS
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