Some filmmakers have unrealistic expectations for their work, but Aneil Karia is not one of them. 'I'm not deluded enough to think that it's going to bring down the government,' he says of his new film, Vote Gavin Lyle. Yet, he adds, you never know. This funny, clever, superbly acted satire stars Jack Lowden as a wannabe Reform-style parliamentary candidate for the fictional middle-England constituency of Fletcham and Wold. At just 16 minutes, it skewers the far-right mindset, not the minority-bashing street thugs, but the cannier, well-spoken Farageists who dominate the tendency's leadership.
Without giving away the film's final flourish, it's fair to say there's an element of empathy for its central character. Karia explains: 'I don't think it's interesting or useful to look at these people – far-right politicians, councillors, prospective candidates – and just say what nasty bastards they are. What strikes me is they're just as vulnerable and scared as the rest of us. We've slipped into a culture of intellectual ping-pong, people yelling at each other. As a filmmaker, I wanted to get under that and observe the humanity beneath.'
Karia brings a personal edge to the film: 'I grew up in Ipswich with plenty of people who I still know who probably vote Reform.' Lyle is a memorable creation, with a Partridgean awkwardness and pandering for attention. The film's existence is somewhat unlikely: Karia is an established feature director who last year released a well-received adaptation of Hamlet starring Riz Ahmed. His 2020 film Surge, featuring Ben Whishaw as a breakdown-prone airport security officer, had many admirers. In between, Karia won an Oscar for another short, The Long Goodbye, a terrifying what-if drama about violent far-right raids on British Asian families. Vote Gavin Lyle takes a lighter, funnier, but equally politically committed tack.
Returning to the short film format may not seem an obvious step, but Karia stresses their value: 'I find them creatively rich, a playground for bolder choices and experiments. Comedy hasn't been part of my journey, so I wanted to try something different.' His track record in shorts puts him in the unusual position of being as well known for small-scale projects as features. Besides The Long Goodbye, Karia was chosen by Stormzy to shoot Big Man, the musician's first venture into filmmaking. Earlier, Karia worked with British rapper Kano on short films and music videos after meeting while directing episodes of Top Boy, where Kano played Sully.
One curious element of Karia's new film is its release via WePresent, the arts platform of WeTransfer, the file-sharing website. Karia calls them a 'unicorn' – one of the few sources for backing. Half a decade ago, their connection with Ahmed got The Long Goodbye off the ground. Holly Fraser, WePresent's editor-in-chief, explains: 'What started as highlighting artists turned into original commissioning. One of the earliest was a film with FKA twigs, and it snowballed.' WePresent boasts an impressive roster: along with Ahmed and Karia, they've made films with Letitia Wright and Little Simz, and art projects with Marina Abramović. Their films with Karia don't pull punches politically. 'It's never been a secret what side of the political spectrum we sit on,' Fraser says. 'Artists are well placed to decipher the world. I've been disappointed in rhetoric that art shouldn't have a place in politics. I think it's rubbish.'
Karia is now starting work on a TV series adapted from Kaliane Bradley's sci-fi novel The Ministry of Time, inspired by John Franklin's failed Arctic expedition. Meanwhile, Vote Gavin Lyle is out in the world. 'I want it to be entertaining and thought-provoking,' Karia says. 'Hopefully it gets people thinking that often the people who purport to be our saviours are as lost and inauthentic as we all seem to be.' Vote Gavin Lyle is on YouTube and WePresent.
