Cinema Rediscovered: My Beautiful Laundrette

My Beautiful Laundrette established the career of writer Hanif Kureishi, launched the cinema star that is Daniel Day-Lewis and catapulted director Stephen Frears into the cinema fast lane.

Omar (Gordon Warnecke), son of a Pakistani immigrant, embarks on a venture to renovate his uncle's laundrette with the help of his childhood friend, ex-National Front member Johnny (Day-Lewis), with whom he develops a gay relationship.

This controversial culture-clash comedy captured the tensions of multiculturalism and Thatcherism whilst its central gay inter racial relationship was both praised and criticised.

Today, the issues it grapples with still feel relevant, and its deliberately awkward politics of new money, entrepreneurial possibility and neoliberalism, coupled with the presence of disenfranchised white working class, and the foregrounding of a gay relationship make the film resonate loudly 40 years on.

You may also like the following events from Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast:

• This Wednesday, 20th August, 06:00 pm, David Lynch: The Straight Story (35mm) in Belfast
• This Thursday, 21st August, 03:00 pm, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai in Belfast
• This Thursday, 21st August, 08:45 pm, David Lynch: The Straight Story (35mm) in Belfast

Also check out other Workshops in Belfast, Arts events in Belfast, Literary Art events in Belfast.