Tavares created this impressive short film Robots of Brixton to honor the thirtieth anniversary of the infamous Brixton riots of 1981, a confrontation between the Metropolitan Police and protesters in Lambeth, South London, England, between 10 and 12 April 1981. The main riot on 11 April, dubbed “Bloody Saturday” by TIME magazine, resulted in almost 280 injuries to police and 45 injuries to members of the public and is considered one of the worst race riots ever to take place in the UK.
Here is the description from the short:
Brixton has degenerated into a disregarded area inhabited by London’s new robot workforce – robots built and designed to carry out all of the tasks which humans are no longer inclined to do. The mechanical population of Brixton has rocketed, resulting in unplanned, cheap and quick additions to the skyline.
The film follows the trials and tribulations of young robots surviving at the sharp end of inner city life, living the predictable existence of a populous hemmed in by poverty, disillusionment and mass unemployment. When the Police invade the one space which the robots can call their own, the fierce and strained relationship between the two sides explodes into an outbreak of violence echoing that of 1981.
Addition credits for the short film:
With Support from
David Hoffman – Photographer Brixton riots
Mourad Bennacer – Sound Designer
DJ Hiatus “The Great Insurrection”
Special thanks
Russell Bywaters
Guy Marriott
Jamie Moniz
Laurent Paul Robert
Vesna Petresin Robert
Zenna & Gaika Tavares
Aisha Walters
Sophia Yeo
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