Film screenings, workshops and discussions programmed in collaboration with artists Aqsa Arif and Kialy Tihngang, as part of BFI’s Too Much: Melodrama on Screen.
This micro-season has been inspired by artist Michelle Williams Gamaker’s forthcoming film Strange Evidence, coming to Glasgow for its Scottish premiere in 2026.
The MERLODRAMA! programme invites audiences to delve into the legacy of film star Merle Oberon and question the historical forces that compelled her to conceal her mixed Sri Lankan, Indian, and British heritage, to maintain a white identity until her death in 1979. We look at Oberon’s legacy, pairing classic melodrama titles with contemporary artists’ moving image, to curate a weekend of events that take a deep dive into representations of race and resistance on screen under the Hays Code.
Friday 5th December
6:30PM Wuthering Heights • The Breaking Story • O’ Pierrot
1939 classic with Merle Oberon as Cathy opposite Laurence Olivier’s Heathcliff alongside specially selected artists’ shorts by Sin Wai Kin and Tanoa Sasraku.
Saturday 6th December
1:30PM Imitation of Life • Life of Imitation • Protector of the Children
A daring exploration of race, class and identity beneath a glossy surface of domestic melodrama, alongside shorts by Ming Wong and Maya Gurung-Russell Campbell.
4:30 – 6PM WIP Workshop
Join artists Aqsa Arif and Kialy Tihngang for a free work-in-progress workshop exploring film through the lens of ‘Fictional Healing’.
6:30PM Temptation
An exclusive preview of a short clip from Michelle Williams Gamaker’s new film ‘Strange Evidence’ followed by a rare screening of the 1946 film noir it draws from. Followed by a Q&A.
Sunday 7th December
2:30PM Karishika
A Nigerian classic supernatural horror tells the story of Karishika, Queen of Demons, who has been sent by Lucifer to the world to kill, destroy, and tempt people.
5:00 – 6:30PM Community Meal
Free, all welcome! Join us at the Roma Cultural Centre between screenings for curries and conversation.
6PM Devdas
An epic Bollywood classic that tells a story of forbidden love amidst social class differences and family opposition.
