A couple looks hopefully into the future. They soon discover the obstacles they must overcome to be accepted. As generations evolve their position alters in what was once a foreign land.

ROOTS is an experimental short film shot on 16mm film in the Bangladeshi neighbourhood of Poplar in Tower Hamlets, East London. An area that has undergone mass regeneration in recent years. The film explores what it means to be 'British' through the experience of immigrants who adapt their identity to fit in with the cultural norms and values of a new environment.

ROOTS reflects on the artists’ own experience as a second-generation South Asian Brit. She examines the process that migrants must go through in order to be accepted, and questions at what stage an immigrant becomes integrated into British society as ‘one of us’?

Hussina Raja is a British-Kashmiri multidisciplinary artist based in London. Her work explores social-political issues surrounding notions of identity, heritage, belonging and culture through film, photography, installation, writing and performance. She is interested in the impact of diaspora migration and the emergence of subcultures in shaping politics, popular culture and social constructs to-date. Her artistic process is based on research, experimentation and collaboration with artists across disciplines, and community groups, particularly those marginalised by the mainstream. She often uses her personal experiences and encounters as a starting point for creating work.