This film is part of Free
Sundial
The literal and metaphorical shadow of Canary Wharf spills over all that surrounds it.
Overview
Seen from multiple vantage points, Canary Wharf here dominates the post-industrial landscape of London’s beleaguered East End. Artist William Raban cuts quickly between different shots and a snappy, musical rhythm is introduced to this unusual, multi-layered portrait of the shining commercial business centre and towering architectural structure.
Artist filmmaker William Raban began by making expanded cinema pieces and landscape-based works, frequently focusing on the formal properties of 16mm film. Since the mid-80s he has explored the economic and social topography of the capital city, often gleaning images and pre-existing texts according to a specific conceptual constraint. Thames Film, originally broadcast on television in the slot The Lie of the Land in 1987, centres on the physical and historical experience of the river as seen from the vantage point of a low level boat. It also includes archival prints and found footage, further unpacking the different histories that emanate from the river while also highlighting the changes that had been introduced to the city docks by Margaret Thatcher’s government. Sundial, Thames Film and other works from the late 1980s and into the 1990s paint a collective, changing portrait of the UK’s capital and commercial centre.
Related
The Body Beautiful The Body Beautiful
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1990 24 mins
Autobiographical account of a mother-daughter relationship, exploring beauty standards and female sexuality.
Indian Tales Indian Tales
Student film 1994 12 mins Location: Haringey
Indian proverbs and superstitions shape the complex love life of a young British woman.
The Future Lasts a Long Time The Future Lasts a Long Time
Crime 1996 14 mins Location: Fens, The
Dream-like short film starring Samantha Morton, in one of her earliest screen credits, as one half of a couple on the run who hide out in the Fens.
The Stream The Stream
Documentary 1999 12 mins
Duncan Jones, director of Moon, Source Code and Warcraft, presents this ambitious Iron Age short about the star-crossed romance between a slave and gentry girl.
Dead London Dead London
Drama 1996 20 mins Location: Farringdon Station
Ewan Bremner and Dexter Fletcher star as a pair of morbid fortune tellers in this modern tale of dark arts.
Rave Rave
Documentary 1997 12 mins
Partying like it's 1997. We follow a rave DJ instigator rigging up decks in abandoned warehouses, a nosebleed 'techno tourist' who chases the hardcore around Europe and a girl addicted to... partying.
Keeling House (Fun Palace outtakes) Keeling House (Fun Palace outtakes)
Amateur film 1963 3 mins Silent Location: Bethnal Green
Scenes from Keeling House, a council block in Bethnal Green, filmed in 1963 for Joan Littlewood’s film about London passtimes.
Conservative News Review No. 5 Conservative News Review No. 5
Documentary 1950 12 mins Location: Bethnal Green
"Set the People Free" - Tories take to the streets in the lead-up to the 1950 General Election.
Dickens' London Dickens' London
1924 12 mins Location: Strand
Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.