All White in Barking

New Zealand Premiere

All White in Barking explores the less outspoken and more subconscious attitudes towards foreigners and racism in a small English borough. Barking is a town that is coming to terms with the huge influx of immigrants in the last few years and its original inhabitants feel like they are losing control of their town.

The common working class people interviewed reveal a variety of attitudes towards foreigners, ranging from acceptance to right-out racism. Susan and Jeff finally except a dinner invitation from their Nigerian neighbours and have to get used to the ‘new smells’ and ’different tastes’ of their neighbours’ culture. Then there is Dave, the BNP activist with a mixed-race grandson, who does not hide his discomfort and fear of African people.

All White in Barking shows that racism is often much more complex than it initially appears. The racism in this film is sometimes scary and quite possibly confronting to the viewer, but even so, All White in Barking is an upbeat experience, revealing the joy to be found in new experiences. It speaks to universal circumstances as immigration has meant that all traditional orders are being challenged by the newcomers.