Riz Ahmed may be most famous for his work in films such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016, Gareth Edwards) and Venom (2018, Ruben Fleischer), but with a little deeper digging, the British actor, rapper, writer and producer reveals himself to be an activist who uses the platform of cinema to present urgent stories and fight for a more empathetic world.

2019 saw the inception of Ahmed’s production company, Left Handed Films, which has produced the 2022 Oscar nominee Flee (2021, Jonas Poher Rasmussen), following an Afghan refugee navigating life in Denmark on the verge of marrying his boyfriend and Joyland (2022, Sami Sadiq), a transgender love story set in Pakistan. Ahmed said himself that Left Handed Films’ aim is to ‘flip the script’, which is abundantly clear through the cultural breadth of the company’s filmography. Through his increasing profile in Hollywood, Ahmed has carved out a space for underrepresented perspectives, moving away from mainstream cinema’s white centrism.

From the beginning of Ahmed’s career, his British-Pakistani, Muslim and second-generation immigrant experience have played a crucial role in his choice of projects. The film within this vein that stands out the most and is more important than ever to engage is in The Long Goodbye (2020, Aneil Karia). This eleven-minute short accompanies Ahmed’s rap album of the same name. The album and film frame Britain’s relationship with its Asian population as abusive by depicting violence against a fictionalised version of Riz Ahmed and his family. Choosing to play a version of himself, Ahmed bluntly and effectively portrays the anxieties of being a racial minority in present-day Britain. The film itself may be fictional, but the people behind it, their fears, and the country they live in are real. It provides a glimpse into Ahmed’s perspective on post-Brexit Britain and his place, or lack thereof, in this nation.

at this moment, in the summer of 2024, amid increasing far-right violence across Britain, seeking out empathetic art is crucial. Misinformation and resistance to awareness are dangerous to our livelihoods, so watching films like The Long Goodbye is key to understanding the Islamophobic and Anti-Immigrant landscape that has led up to the violent outbursts across the country. In The Long Goodbye, these truths reveal themselves.

The Long Goodbye can be found on for free on Riz Ahmed’s YouTube channel.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons