Samira Ahmed

Cold War Steve Meets the Outside World

Film following the acclaimed Birmingham based artist, known for his controversial satirical collages, as he embarks on a UK wide outdoor art installation.

King Rocker

How does a working class autodidact, with no visible means of support, maintain his role as the leader of a cult British underground band into its fifth decade? Comedian and writer Stewart Lee, director Michael Cumming and James Nicholls investigate the mysterious existence of Robert Lloyd, Britain’s ultimate post-punk survivor. Robert Lloyd’s Prefects played with The Clash on the White Riot tour in 1977, and their ongoing incarnation, as Birmingham’s Captain Beefheart suffused post-punk poets The Nightingales, recorded more John Peel sessions than any other band. Ever. But what were the social, cultural and economic circumstances that enabled and sustained such outsider artists in the punk and post-punk eras, and how has the world changed to the point where such figures are unlikely to flourish in the same way today? Lloyd’s own odyssey echoes how abstract notions of social mobility, of the value of culture and music, have changed in the last five decades.

Islam Unveiled

Challenging the Western view that Islam inherently represses women’s rights, journalist Samira Ahmed travels across the world examining Islamic customs as they relate to women. In this two-part series, Ahmed explores whether current Islamic customs such as polygamy, honor killings, and requiring women to wear the hijāb (veil) are actually rooted in the Quran.

Emma and Grandpa

Filmed in rural Sussex in 1982 and re-edited in 2008 with a new sound track, the charm of this period piece does not date. Each month there is a different story, told in rhyming couplets and highlighting changes in the countryside through the year. An interview with Emma twenty-six years on adds a poignant postscript to her adventures as a child. The series will be particularly useful to primary teachers. Six-year-old Emma lives with her mother in the country. Whenever she can, she visits her Grandpa and his dog, Cindy, who live in an old cottage not far away. For a few moments in each story you can eavesdrop on their conversation as they explore the woods and fields near their homes and discover all sorts of things about the countryside as it changes through the twelve months of the year.