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Original Film Title: Was I there, or was I there?
Director’s Name: Simon Reay
Writer’s Name: Simon Reay
Producer: Barny Revill, Maddy Darrall
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Country of Filming: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 37 minutes 30 seconds
Film Description:
Gary Charles Rowlands has an unseen past. He bought a 35mm film camera in the early 80’s for photographing aeroplanes. But captured something entirely different when he went on his first anti-fascism march. As a black resident of West London he couldn’t escape its impact. And ever since he’s been taking photographs of some of the most significant protests in history. However, these photographs have remained unseen until his neighbour – cinematographer, Simon Reay – started talking to him during lockdown. Together they scanned hundreds of negatives and Gary’s story began to unfold. A story that reveals Gary’s own arrest, a reactionary decision to study criminology, and a window into an era of rising fascism that powerfully reflects our modern times.