MERLODRAMA! Southside Film Festival
Offline are proud to present MERLODRAMA! – a weekend of screenings, workshops and discussions dedicated to the enigmatic 1930s film star Merle Oberon.
About MERLODRAMA! Southside Film Festival
| 5th Dec 2025 to 7th Dec 2025 | |
| See event description for details | |
|
The Deep End 21 Nithsdale Street, Glasgow South Side G41 2PZ |
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| Sliding Scale Pricing: Free - £20 | |
| Visit the event website here | |
| Follow offline_glasgow on Instagram |
MERLODRAMA! Southside Film Festival: Film screenings, workshops and discussions as part of BFI’s Too Much: Melodrama on Screen.
The MERLODRAMA! programme invites audiences to delve into the legacy of film star Merle Oberon and question the historical forces that compelled her to conceal her mixed Sri Lankan, Indian, and British heritage, to maintain a white identity until her death in 1979. We look at Oberon’s legacy, pairing classic melodrama titles with contemporary artists’ moving image, to curate a weekend of events that take a deep dive into representations of race and resistance on screen under the Hays Code.
The programme culminates in a Nollywood / Bollywood double bill – the rarely screened 1996 Nollywood horror, Karishika (with 4K restoration by Seek & Find) and the 2002 Bollywood classic Devdas. Keep fuelled through this intensive season finale with a community meal at the Roma Cultural Centre between screenings!
We are grateful to our hosts The Deep End and The Roma Cultural Centre. This programme is funded by Film Hub Scotland and Creative Scotland through the Open Fund.
*Schedule*
Friday 5th December
6:30PM Wuthering Heights • The Breaking Story • O’ Pierrot]
1939 classic with Merle Oberon as Cathy opposite Laurence Olivier’s Heathcliff alongside specially selected artists’ shorts by Sin Wai Kin and Tanoa Sasraku.
Saturday 6th December
1:30PM Imitation of Life • Life of Imitation • Protector of the Children
A daring exploration of race, class and identity beneath a glossy surface of domestic melodrama, alongside shorts by Ming Wong and Maya Gurung-Russell Campbell.
4:30 – 6PM WIP Workshop
Join artists Aqsa Arif and Kialy Tihngang for a free work-in-progress workshop exploring film through the lens of ‘Fictional Healing’.
6:30PM Temptation
An exclusive preview of a short clip from Michelle Williams Gamaker’s new film ‘Strange Evidence’ followed by a rare screening of the 1946 film noir it draws from. Followed by a Q&A.
Sunday 7th December
2:30PM Karishika
A Nigerian classic supernatural horror tells the story of Karishika, Queen of Demons, who has been sent by Lucifer to the world to kill, destroy, and tempt people.
5:00 – 6:30PM Community Meal
Free, all welcome! Join us at the Roma Cultural Centre between screenings for curries and conversation.
6PM Devdas
An epic Bollywood classic that tells a story of forbidden love amidst social class differences and family opposition.
*Access Information*
All films will have subtitles in English
The venue is wheelchair accessible
The Q&A will be live captioned
There are gender neutral toilets at the venue
All films are rated U or PG except Karishika and the artist shorts which are unrated. Our team estimates that Karishika is a 12A and the selection of artists shorts would all be a U.
Babes in arms are welcome
If you have any additional access requirements you think we can help with please get in touch with us at leonie@offline-glasgow.org
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