Return to Sender at Southampton Arts Center

Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation will be screened at Southampton Arts Center on Sunday November 19, 2:00 – 4:00 pm. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Jeremy Dennis, Minerva Perez, and Brenda Simmons. This event is free and open to the public but registration is needed. Pls register at: SouthamptonArtsCenter.org

Film Synopsis

Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation is a short, experimental film directed and produced by Mara Ahmed. It pushes the documentary medium in unexpected ways by opening with three contemporary South Asian American women who recreate British colonial postcards from the early 20th century. Dressed in lavish traditional attire and jewelry and shot exquisitely in a darkened studio, the women emulate the awkward poses of the postcard women, only to subvert the colonial male gaze and acquire autonomy by choosing an action of their own. This symbolic ‘returning’ of the Orientalist gaze is layered with discussions about Eurocentric beauty standards, representations of South Asian women in media and culture, stereotypes, othering, identity and belonging. The film hopes to create community by facilitating conversations about erasure and the politics of representation.

Interview with Gianna Volpe on WLIW-FM

NOVEMBER 17, 2023 | HEART OF THE EAST END
Multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker Mara Ahmed joins Gianna Volpe on the WLIW-FM Heart of The East End for the Friday Morning Tea underwritten by Village Overhead Doors ahead of the screening of her documentary, “Return To Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation” at Southampton Arts Center this Sunday at 2 pm with a post-screening panel afterward between Ahmed, Brenda Simmons of the Southampton African American Museum, Jeremy Dennis of Ma’s House BIPOC Arts Center and Minerva Perez of OLA of Eastern Long Island. Full episode here.

Panelists

The screening will be followed by a community discussion led by Jeremy Dennis (Fine art photographer, Lead Artist & President of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio), Minerva Perez (Executive Director of Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island), and Brenda Simmons (Executive Director and Founder of Southampton African American Museum).

More information

For a press kit or more information, pls email:

Contact@NeelumFilms.com