Join us for an afternoon screening of Menelik Shabazz’s Burning an Illusion (1981). Burning an Illusion places a Black female character at the centre of the narrative in a way that was unprecedented in British cinema up to that point. The film’s focus is on Pat Williams (Cassie McFarlane), a 22-year-old office worker who narrates her story of love, strife and political awakening in early 80s London. Pat’s thoroughly conventional aspirations are dramatically challenged after an incident of police violence results in the incarceration of her boyfriend (Victor Romero Evans). Her progress is at once specific – rooted in her lived experience as a Black woman at this time – and archetypal, constituting a classic journey of self-realisation that takes the character from a state of innocence to experience.
Enjoy the film and snacks as part of this series. Come early or stay late to visit our galleries—free admission is included with your ticket!
Screening Room, YBCA
Tickets: $15
Ticket includes the film, snacks—while supplies last—and gallery admission.
The film starts promptly at 2pm and there are no trailers. Please arrive a few minutes early to be seated.
Free for YBCA Members.
