My Beautiful Laundrette

About the movie

The Thatcher era was a tough one for people in the periphery of the British society. Young Pakistani man Omar Ali lives in London’s southern suburbs, and is assigned the task of managing a run-down laundrette after having worked briefly for his uncle. After getting involved with the Pakistani community of London, Omar is attacked by a gang of right-wing extremist street thugs. It turns out their leader is Omar’s childhood friend Johnny, and the two work together to overcome their dissensions by resuming not only their old friendship, but also an interrupted romantic relationship.
My Beautiful Laundrette won several awards for Hanif Kureishi’s beautiful screenplay and was the first film to earn three-time Academy Awarded actor Daniel Day-Lewis any awards. Addressing issues as homophobia and racism, My Beautiful Laundrette is as relevant today as it was in Thatcher’s England.

Participating