After Eight:The Story of Satpal Ram
A BFI Doc Society & The Guardian film
- Winner: Folkestone Doc Fest, The Whickers Best Short Film
- Winner: Audience Award at Berlin British Shorts
- Nominated: Best Short Film at Bristol Doc Fest
- Special Mention: Bristol Doc Fest Jury
- Official Selection: Folkestone Doc Fest
- Official Selection: Flatpack Film Festival
- Official Selection: London Indian Film Festival
- Official Selection: International South Asian Film Festival
- Official Selection: Birmingham Indian Film Festival
- Official Selection: Bristol Doc Fest
- Official Selection: Berlin British Shorts
Despite Britain’s curry houses serving the nation’s favourite cuisine, they have often served as backdrops for racism and violence.
In 1986 Satpal Ram was assaulted in a racially motivated attack at an Indian restaurant. Stabbed in the face with a glass bottle, he defended himself, sparking a chain of events that would shape his life. After Eight delves into the injustices of his trial, exposing the biases and systemic shortcomings that led to a murder conviction despite clear evidence of self-defence.
Through interviews, archival footage and personal accounts, the documentary chronicles a decades-long global campaign for Satpal Ram’s freedom.
After Eight is a BFI Doc Society and The Guardian supported film.
▶Watch the teaser- Director & editor
- Mos Hannan
- Executive producers
- Hannah Bush Bailey, Ekaterina Ochagavia
- Production
- Black & Brown Films
- Running time
- 30 minutes
“A searing documentary about racism, violence and a miscarriage of justice that could have happened to any one of us. We are Satpal. Satpal is us.”
“It is a brilliantly told and compelling story about a miscarriage of justice that festered under our noses for 24 years, held together by the quiet dignity and luminous spirit of Satpal Ram.”
“Satpal’s quiet dignity on screen, despite decades of institutional racism, was compelling. This deeply thought provoking film is an iconic testament to survival and a very worthy winner of our inaugural Short Doc Award.”
“A vital watch about the fortitude to withstand seemingly insurmountable challenges in the quest for justice.”
Cinema screenings
- Bertha DocHouse, LondonBFI Doc Society
- Rich Mix, LondonCounterpoints Arts
- Rio Cinema, LondonDoc’N Roll Films, with a Q&A with Nikesh Shukla and Aki Nawaz
- BLOC Cinema Arts, LondonSouth Asian Heritage Month
- SOAS South Asia Institute, LondonQ&A with Suresh Grover, Founding Director of The Monitoring Group, and the filmmakers
- Phoenix Cinema, LeicesterStephen Lawrence Research Centre
- Midlands Arts Centre, BirminghamUnite The People
- Filmhouse, EdinburghDoc Screen & Scottish Documentary Institute
- Theatre X, BerlinThe Left Berlin
- Sputnik Kino, BerlinUnframe Festival
- Neutral Cinema, KarachiChalti Tasveerain
Press
- BBC Radio LondonBobby Friction discusses the Free Satpal Ram Campaign
- BBC Asian NetworkMos Hannan & Steve Chandra (ADF) discuss the film
- The WhickersA Short Film Packing a Big Punch
- Flatpack FestivalFilmWire Spotlight: Mos Hannan
- The Justice GapPROOF, Issue 7
- The New CurrentInterview
- Brown HistoryFree Satpal Ram
- The Left Berlin
- Brum Hour
- Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!The story of Satpal Ram: a lifelong struggle for justice
- Resistance on FilmQ&A with Azeem Rajulawalla and Mos Hannan
- Bertha DocHouseMade of Truth: Made of Us
- British Council
- Counterpoints Arts
- Louder Than War
- Stephen Lawrence Research CentreResearch Seminar Launch