In Camera
UK 2023
Dir: Naqqash Khalid
Cast: Nabhaan Rizwan, Amir El-Masry, Rory Fleck Byrne
English / 96m
Coming soon
Twenty-something Aden (Nabhaan Rizwan) dreams of becoming a successful actor, but the nightmarish grind of the audition circuit, with its callous rejections and upsetting micro-aggressions, is starting to take its toll. His flatmate, junior doctor Bo (Rory Fleck Byrne) is also stressed to the point of burnout. But then, newcomer Conrad (Amir El-Masry) joins them, and – inspired by Conrad’s optimism and assurance – Aden takes it upon himself to find a new part to play.
Full of pointed notes about an industry rife with prejudice and hypocrisy, In Camera deploys elements of surrealism and fantasy to trace how its young British-Asian protagonist’s sense of self is affected by the tokenism of a world he hopes to conquer. Candid and acidly funny, with an unsettling eye for the warped and bizarre, it’s a playful, stylish satire not just of showbiz but also the myriad absurdities of modern life, with a complex, supple central performance from rising star Rizwan.
“a bold and inventive drama... hopefully In Camera provides plenty more opportunities for Khalid and Rizwan, who so richly deserve them based on the strength of this feature”
— Little White Lies
“Carried by an extraordinary performance from Nabhaan Rizwan, Naqqash Khalid's exciting, elastic debut feature casts one man's identity crisis in a dizzy array of dimensions... A simultaneously playful and savagely pointed satire”
— Variety
“In Camera, with its vivid use of colour and its brazen compositional swings, has the rare power of being incisively hilarious, witty, and monumental without beating its audience over the head”
— rogerebert.com