Shy Radicals (2020)
By
Hamja Ahsan
Image description: a film still from Shy Radicals documentary. Five people stand in a row, with their clenched fists raised to their mouths - the ‘shy power’ salute. They are wearing petrol blue boiler suits and berets, with black turtleneck jumpers. They are standing outside a brick building with green shutters. Image credit: Shy Radicals documentary, Hamja Ahsan / Black Dog Films.
Shy Radicals is a film portrait of Hamja Ahsan and the story behind his remarkable book and satirical manifesto, which calls for all shy, quiet, and introverted people to unify and overthrow Extrovert-Supremacy.
Drawing together communiques, covert interviews and underground histories of introvert struggles (Introfada), Shy Radicals: The Anti-systemic Politics of the Militant Introvert was a detailed documentation of the political demands of shy people. Radicalized against the imperial domination of globalized PR projectionism, extrovert poise and loudness, the Shy Radicals are a vanguard movement intent on trans-rupting the extrovert-supremacist politics and assertiveness culture of the 21st-century. The movement aims to establish an independent homeland Aspergistan, a utopian state for introverted people, run according to Shyria Law and underpinned by Pan-Shyist ideology, protecting the rights of the oppressed quiet and shy people. This anti-systemic manifesto, a quiet and thoughtful polemic, is a satire that uses anti-colonial theory to build a critique of dominant culture and the rising tide of Islamophobia.
This documentary, inspired by the book, follows Hamja as he deals with the trauma and despair of his brother’s extradition case, whilst traveling the world inspiring and educating others through creativity and activism. It was produced by Black Dog Films and Director, Tom Dream.
To watch the trailer for the Shy Radicals documentary, click the link below:
“In Shy Radicals, Hamja Ahsan has not simply created an artwork; he has created a world that blurs the boundaries between creator and creation, between real life and the life of the imagination, between reality and an imagined fiction in which he is a leading character.”
