A Moving Image

Inspired by producer Rienkje Attoh's discovery that the south London of her childhood had all but disappeared, the debuting Shola Amoo boldly attempts to explore the social, economic and political aspects of gentrification with this freewheeling docudrama. At the heart of the piece is Tanya Fear, an actress returning to her roots after a stint in the East End, who is prompted by a Reclaim the Streets march to make an art film about the changing face of Brixton. However, her creative collaboration with editor Hussina Raja is compromised by her romantic entanglements with successful actor Alex Austin and performance artist Aki Omoshaybi. Busker Yinka Oyewole's contribution reinforces the message contained in snapshots of the situation in Harlem, Brooklyn and Berlin, which highlight the global nature of neighbourhood transformation. A Moving Image is bold and thematically well-intentioned, but its budgetary restrictions and some feeble support playing rather undermine Amoo's laudable ambition.