Brumdog

Aim: After a traumatic viewing of Slumdog Millionaire, a 10-year-old British-Indian boy grapples with the possibility of moving to India.

Eager to test his friends' devotion to him, 10-year-old British-Indian Zakir Noorani lies about moving to India forever. What he doesn’t know is that he has a special power, one that allows him to speak into existence whatever he wishes if he fails to cross his fingers...

Or at least that’s what his sister Aaisha leads him to believe.

Haunted by his recent viewing of Slumdog Millionaire, Zakir attempts to escape his fate while his sister relishes in his torment.

This film is an English/Hindi comedy-drama. It is all told from a child’s perspective, and it is integral that the film has a childish innocence to it. Consequently, the colours for the most part will be vibrant, the sound design playful and it will be edited for comedic timing and also incorporate visual gags. However, it isn't just a children's film but rather a film about childhood. It is the adult filmmaker reflecting on the anxieties associated with growing up and trying to understand your place in the world. 

The film takes place in Birmingham, in 2010. It primarily revolves around two locations – Firstly, we have the Noorani family home.

Albeit tacky, their house brims with life. These are the inspirations behind the look of their home in terms of camera, lighting and production design. 

Here is a mockup of the Noorani family living room as illustrated by our production designer, Hannah.

The film will contrast these vibrant Desi interiors with the dreary British exteriors in the elementary school playground.

The idea here is to contrast the comfort and safety of home with the insecurities of the outside world.

The costume design of the film will firstly reflect the 2010 setting, but also convey how the character's diasporic identity manifests itself through their wardrobe. Inspired by the portrait ‘I Beg You To Define Me’ by Azraa Motala. However, this portrait will not be used as a direct reference it provides a template with which to design the character's wardrobes. 

Zakir's Costume Design

Aaisha's Costume Design

On the one hand, the goal of the film is to satirise the Western media’s assumptions about the global south and the effect this has on how children of immigrants often look at their identities with discomfort and feel a sense of inferiority in comparison to their white peers. 

However, that is not the main concern of our film. At its heart, it's about a boy insecure about his masculinity, and his relationship with his sister. The aim of the director is to create a film about themes that are fundamentally universal but to use his cultural background to give shape to them. For him, there is a gap in our media of films about non-white characters where their identity does not always dictate the story, acting not as an obstacle but simply providing a context within which to understand the story. Our film aims to be a small step towards filling that gap.

DIRECTOR

Mustafa Shabbir

Mustafa seeks out films to better understand life and loves a film that can make us appreciate our lives and the ones around us a bit more. These are the kind of films that he aspires to create. Having directed numerous films through his years at Bournemouth Film School, he wishes to use this opportunity to tell a heartfelt story with all the scale that it deserves. 

“I love comedies with a pure heart acting as a backdrop to all the absurdities in it. This is what attracts me to this story. Brumdog is autobiographical in many ways. An insecure, frightful kid with an overactive imagination trying to understand the world and his place in it. I cannot wait to tell this story.”

PRODUCER

Ted Dracott

Specialising in Producing, Ted has worked in a producorial capacity across six projects during his time at AUB and has produced three short films with writer/director Mustafa. This has strongly developed his ability to lead and manage a team of creative individuals, ensuring a cohesive vision reaches the screen. Ted has a deep respect for the craft of storytelling and understands the nuances and importance of every stage of production.

“I love films that balance a unique blend of comedy and drama, and Brumdog is one of those films, underscoring the narrative's dramatic core with its sense of humour. Having developed the project with Mustafa from its conception, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead such a creatively diverse crew towards bringing Zakir’s story - and Mustafa's vision - to life.”

1st ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Anna Griesshammer

Anna Griesshammer views filmmaking as an entertainment medium through which sensitive subject matters can be subtly explored in the hopes of enacting change. Growing up, though Anna and her family were often busy, they always put time aside to come together and watch films. Today, filmmaking is the creative means through which she expresses herself. Within the producing specialism she enjoys working in, and being the glue between, every aspect and department of filmmaking. 

“As an international student from multiple countries, I was drawn to Brumdog’s script due to its comically exaggerated yet realistic portrayal of a child desperately trying to fit in when growing up with two, often contrasting, cultures.”

DIRECTOR of PHOTOGRAPHY

Hal Howe

Hal’s background is in art and music, practising animation, illustration and video experimentation at school. He shot his first short film ‘Fish out of Water’ when he was 17, and his latest short film Ivory received awards for Best Cinematography at the National Youth Film Awards and Best Film at Durham Film Festival. 

"I grew up in South London, making films with my friends since I was in primary school. There hasn’t been a time in my life that I can remember when I didn’t want to become a filmmaker. I’m inspired by the work of Alex Webb, Gregory Crewdson, Roger Deakins, Emmanuel Lubezki, Christopher Doyle, Greig Fraser and many more. I was drawn to making Brum-Dog because I loved the script, and Mustafa was a director I really wanted to work with. I want to do the script justice with imagery that is immersive enough to tell the story even without dialogue."

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Hannah Alack McKay

Hannah has always been a creative person, studying and creating art in her own time from a young age, eventually leading her to pursue Production Design. In this field, she can bring to life entire spaces to help visually explore stories and characters.

"The contrast of the cruelty but also benevolence of siblings growing up together is something I believe this film captures at its core and something that I and anyone with a sibling will feel emotionally connected to. Through Brumdog's Production Design I am excited to explore the tortures Zakir experiences from his older sister through his overactive, childish imagination - sometimes sending us to absurd places."

COSTUME DESIGNER

Maya Mansfield

Maya is passionate about the craft of costume design, and its ability to enhance the storytelling aspect of a film. Encouraged to pursue her interests in both dress and film from a young age, she has spent many years being fascinated by the way costume is used to portray and form characters on screen.

“I believe that the art of costume design is rooted in the ability to visually establish character dynamics and psychologies on screen; to meticulously draw on significant cultural or historical contexts, and to ensure that the aesthetics of the costumes work seamlessly within the production design. I’m particularly drawn to Brumdog by the interesting characters, their relationships, and the complexity of their cultural contexts, and am excited to use costume design to aid in telling their story.”

SOUND DESIGNER

Jay Deegan

Jay is Brumdog’s sound recordist and designer and is someone who appreciates the importance of sound and its ability to bring another layer of immersion to a film. He believes sound is often overlooked in filmmaking and is not just an afterthought to the picture.

"Sound is just as important as picture and image when telling a story through film. Brumdog is interesting to me as it infuses discussions around issues of representation seamlessly with a joyful family comedy. I have worked with Mustafa on previous projects during my time at AUB and have always found our collaboration creatively fulfilling. Working on Brumdog will grant me the opportunity to create a grounded location soundscape that supports the heart of the story."

EDITOR

Sam Storey

In his time at Arts University Bournemouth, Sam has worked in many different roles on many short films. What drew him to editing was getting to experience the exhilarating process of bringing together months of work from every department and seeing the film come to life with each cut.

"I was immediately drawn to this story upon hearing Mustafa's pitch. His sense of humour resonated with me and, having an older sister myself, the interactions between Zakir and his sister were very familiar and I strongly related to the sibling dynamic."

A Message from the Brumdog Team

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through our page! Thanks to your support, we will have the opportunity to create a film that does justice to a story that we are all truly passionate about - without you, none of this would be possible, and we are so grateful for every donation. 

We are excited to announce that, starting Mon 13th November and until we hit our target, all supporters who donate £5 and above will be entered into our prize draw! 

In addition, everyone who has already donated before the 13th will automatically be entered TWICE into the prize draw - no matter the size of your donation! There are three prizes up for grabs, and all three winners will be invited to the early bird screening and receive a digital copy of the film upon completion!

Third Place Winner - 1x Limited Edition Blu-ray + Director’s Commentary 

Second Place - 1x Limited Edition Brumdog ‘Making Of’ Scrapbook

First Place Winner - 1x Limited Edition Signed/Framed A3 Poster

Please see the terms and conditions below. To enter for free, please email your full name and "BRUMDOG PRIZE DRAW" to [email protected].

Good luck! We are excited to take you on this journey with us and we look forward to sharing the final film with you soon.

Thank you,
The Brumdog Team

***TERMS AND CONDITIONS***

• You must be 18 or over to enter the prize draw.
• Eligible paid entries to the prize draw must be done via a donation on this crowdfunder page. Entrees cost £5 and there is no restriction on the amount of entrees one person can have.
• Eligible free entries to the prize draw must be done via email. Send your full name and "BRUMDOG PRIZE DRAW" to [email protected].
• Ted Dracott is the promoter of the competition.
• The prize draw starts on 13th November 2023 and ends when we reach our initial target (£6,500).
• All three winners will be invited to the early bird screening and receive a digital copy of the film upon completion. The main prizes are as follows:

Third Place Winner - 1x Limited Edition Blu-ray + Director’s Commentary 

Second Place - 1x Limited Edition Brumdog ‘Making Of’ Scrapbook

First Place Winner - 1x Limited Edition Signed/Framed A3 Poster

• Winners will be selected at random and their names will be announced on the film's Instagram page (@brumdogfilm) and via an update on this page on Thursday 14th December 2023 and will be contacted to claim their prize. Delivery options will be discussed with each individual winner. Deliveries will be made by 30th June 2024.
• No personal data will be collected from anyone who enters the prize draw other than their name and email address so that we can contact the winners.

Music Used in Teaser Video:

Artist: Johnathon M. Horner (Beat Mekanik)
Song Title: Retro Arcade
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/