Don't hate the media, become the media. Jello Biafra
Mos Hannan & Usayd Younis
After Eight - The Story of Satpal Ram
19. British Shorts, Berlin | 2026
JAN 22–28
AFTER EIGHT: THE STORY OF SATPAL RAM
Directors: Mos Hannan & Usayd Younis
Festival Screening:
Documentary / Animation
Sat 24 | 17:00 | Sputnik Kino 1
Images © Black & Brown
JAN, 23, 2026
After Eight tells the story of Satpal Ram, uncovering a landmark British miscarriage of justice and the global campaign that secured his release. But freedom brought its own struggle, as he now faces the enduring demons of his past.
Hello Mos and Usayd, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us about your short documentary After Eight: The Story of Satpal Ram, what does it mean be at British Shorts, Berlin with your short film?
Mos Hannan (MH): I’ve always heard lots of great things about British Shorts, so I’m excited to be here, especially with our film in the festival! It’s also a great excuse to slip away to Berlin for a weekend.
Usayd Younis (UY): As a Berliner for the last 2.5 years it is super exciting to have the film coming to my new home. Over that time I’ve seen and heard a lot about British Shorts so it is such a thrill to be included in the festival’s line-up.
Your UK Premiere took place at Folkestone Documentary Festival, where it won the Whicker Award for Best Short Documentary, what has it meant to you to get this type of recognition for your film?
MH: Incredibly validating! The project took years to get to the finish line, with so many twists and turns for us in the process. The moment Jane Ray announced us as winners, it felt like the urgency of preserving Satpal’s story and our journey as filmmakers felt seen. I couldn’t remove the smile from my face for a good hour.
What’s that feeling like watching your film with an audience for the first time?
MH: I always felt the pressure of doing Satpal’s story justice. With his journey entailing so many failures at every level of the criminal justice system - I’d find myself nervous at the thought of missing the mark, especially right before audiences would watch. However, responses were extremely positive, emotional and reassuring, especially from his previous campaigners. I even had one gentleman approach me after our premiere, holding on to my hand expressing how much he resonated with Satpal’s story, having been inside himself. Reactions like that are very encouraging.
UY: It’s always nerve-wracking seeing how people respond to a film. With After Eight the first audience were actually the main contributors in the film – so that was the real test! Their response was overwhelming and incredibly positive, so I felt reassured showing it to wider audiences after that.
Owing to the the role former Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw played in prolonging Satpal Ram’s initial release in 2020, have there been any plans/discussions to screen After Eight in Parliament or seek comment from the new Labour Government?
UY: Yes actually. John McDonnell MP (who was stripped of his Labour whip, ironically) helped with Satpal’s campaign and features in the film. We’re planning to coordinate with his office to arrange a Parliament screening. It should be noted that these events are not mandatory for ministers to attend by any means, but to have this story which had Parliamentary attention at the time back in the halls of power is significant.
When did you first discover Satpal Ram’s story?
MH: I first encountered Satpal Ram’s case while researching the era of the ‘post-pub curry culture’, back when late-night curry houses were the final stop of a night out. My father owned a restaurant which I grew up working in and around the same time Satpal was attacked, he too was violently assaulted and hospitalised. I began doing field research and upon speaking to various restaurant owners across the country, their accounts revealed a tide of racial violence that existed from the 1970s to the 2000s. Asian men attacked in their restaurants, some murdered, others imprisoned after defending themselves against racist attacks. It was here when I encountered the name Satpal Ram.
Photo: Stefan Ruiz
Why was now, forty years after Satpal’s imprisonment, the right time to share this story?
MH: It's striking how significant Satpal's story is to today's political zeitgeist. We’re in a time of rising racism and emboldened far-right politics and his story has never been more relevant. Satpal was attacked just one year after the Handsworth riots. This was 40 years ago. While we were in the edit, the Summer of 2024 race riots were taking place in what felt like the same climate of racial tensions from the 80s. In the last year we’ve seen an increase in racist attacks towards non-white communities across the UK. It really reveals how little has changed and how important learning from the past is, especially from cases like Satpals. This was only fueling our urgency to get the story out as soon as possible.
With the political climate as it is right now in the UK did you have any apprehensions about bringing Satpal powerful story and experiences to the big screen?
UY: The fact that there is a question of apprehension or fear when presenting our narratives says a lot. I know there are people who would rather not see the story of a global anti-racist campaign that carried the slogan “Self defence is no offence”. And yet the fact that what happened to Satpal is by no means consigned to history is exactly the reason why it is so important that the film is seen far and wide.
What was it like working with Satpal on this film?
MH: It was difficult, there was a lot of back and forth over the years. The truth is Satpal is a deeply traumatised person. This required a lot of patience, support and ensuring Satpal felt safe throughout every step of the process. But despite this, he’s a larger than life character and would often make me laugh. We had some good moments over the years of making After Eight. It was a pleasure and an honour to spend a lot of time with him, getting to know his life, family and friends.
Due to the personal connection you both have to Satpal’s story how did you take care of your mental and physical health during this process?
MH: It’s still something I’m navigating. Working with contributors that are vulnerable and have complex trauma is never easy. It takes an incredible amount of due diligence and often that boundary between filmmaker and contributor can blur. However, it’s important to take some space for yourself. What worked well for us was working with the organisation Film In Mind, a therapy service for filmmakers whether individuals, teams or contributors. They were incredibly useful for us to use for our contributors as well as our navigation through the difficult access this film entailed.
What was the most challenging aspect of bringing After Eight to the big screen?
MH: Most challenging of all was navigating our access with Satpal. It’s hard to imagine exactly what he went through. Not only the physical abuse, but psychologically he had taken a battering. Convincing Satpal to speak took the bulk of the four years in making this film. Reopening old wounds was difficult for Satpal. He was often worried about how he’d be perceived as his health has been severely affected by the violence he endured in prison, alongside the paranoia of still being on life license. At times, it was like trying to find a way to preserve a story that felt like it was slipping away. What got us to the finish line were the friends who remained deeply connected to Satpal over the years and managed to support him to the end of this process.
During your research what where some of the things you discovered about this history that really surprised you?
MH: It’s hard to pin point a key moment that sticks out. But I suppose, after everything, it’d have to be the fact Jack Straw vetoed the Parole Boards recommendation to release him on the basis that Satpal had not admitted guilt. His decision undermines the judicial system as a whole. Satpal served an additional two years, during which his mother passed away. He describes this as “one of the darkest days of his life”. It’s like Satpal was stuck a never ending quagmire with each year adding to the theft of his life. This always stuck out to me and leaves my chest feeling a little heavy.
As well as co-directing Mos you also edited After Eight - The Story of Satpal Ram and Usayd you served as producer, how did taking on these additional roles help guide you as directors?
MH: It was a great dynamic for me! Being an editor it informed a great deal of my directing. While shooting I knew what I needed to help me in the edit room, making me more intentional. This could be capturing more emotionality in my subjects to extra shots to stitch up scenes. It paid dividends while cutting. Crafting the story came with many challenges, but knowing the footage like the back of my hand, it helped me navigate these roadblocks, finding creative pathways to progressing the narrative.
UY: Mos brought the idea behind After Eight to me in search of a producer, so I took on that role before also stepping into the co-directing position. There has actually been a tremendous amount of production work required for this 30 minute film, so I would actually strongly advise against taking on multiple roles if you can avoid it. The caveat being we all know that independent documentary often requires everyone chipping in to do what it takes to make the most compelling film possible!
Have you always had a passion for filmmaking?
MH: I believe film and documentaries function as a democratising tool whereby we can present real, dignified images of ourselves. Being a non-white British-Muslim, we’ve been bastardised in Western media for decades. Controlling our own narrative is crucial to combating oppressive stereotypes and reshaping public images of ourselves. This led me to becoming a filmmaker as I wanted to tell my own stories and in a way that I felt was authentic and true to who we are.
UY: My entry into documentary filmmaking was political. I spent some time in South Africa in 2010 and I was taken aback by the inequality there. I undertook a project to draw parallels in global inequality, and ended up making a documentary about inequality in post-Apartheid South Africa. The experience of making the film as a way to educate myself and others was like nothing else - I felt like I had truly gone on a journey. And every subsequent film has felt the same.
How did black and brown films come about?
UY: In 2016 we released a feature documentary Generation Revolution. The film is the UK’s Black Lives Matter story, depicting the activism of black and brown folks on the streets of London. We wanted to continue telling stories that centre the global majority and thus black & brown films was born. We have produced a number of works addressing topics from environmental racism to cooperative ways of working, with After Eight being the latest completed project.
What themes are you hoping to explore with future films?
UY: My goal is to make work that depicts the full breath of our communities. I’m currently directing a cinematic feature documentary about the grandson of Malcolm X. His is an untold story, leading a tumultuous life in the shadow of his grandfathers towering image. The film explores the burden of legacy and generational tragedy.
"There is some agony at the prospect of revisiting a closed project, but I can imagine if the circumstances dictated I would be open to the idea."
- Usayd Younis
What would you say have been the most valuable lessons you’ve taken away so far from your films?
UY: Sometimes the most difficult stories to tell are the ones that are most worth telling.
Would you ever revisit any of your short and expand them into features?
UY: I think there is a place for this, but generally I tend to see my films as completed pieces that I can then move forward from. There is some agony at the prospect of revisiting a closed project, but I can imagine if the circumstances dictated I would be open to the idea.
And finally, what message do you how your audiences will take away from After Eight: The Story of Satpal Ram?
UY & MH: We hope people leave feeling inspired. If there’s one thing we can take away from Satpal and all the campaigners we’ve met along the way, it’s that a small act of protest, once collectivised, can lead to change. The story of Satpal Ram is a vital reminder of that truth.