Director and Editor - Shaaray Sharif     Subjects - Shaaray Sharif and Urvi Goyall    Camera Oporator - Laurie Elliott

Short Film Description

With a Smile and a Thank You began as an act of appreciation. A quiet, intimate celebration of cultural pride. The film was initially intended to honour tradition, to document the beauty and meaning of traditional clothing, and to share a moment of connection with heritage. It was meant to serve as a gentle reminder of where one comes from, and of the richness carried in making culture visible and proud.

But when the participants stepped outside in traditional dress, they were met with racism. The street became a site of confrontation. What was meant to be a film about cultural appreciation quickly evolved into a document of everyday discrimination. The footage captured was raw and unexpected, but it revealed a truth that couldn’t be ignored.

Later, returning to the same spaces dressed in Western clothing, the difference was staggering. They moved unnoticed. No stares, no comments, no threats, just silence. And that silence spoke volumes. It laid bare how visibility is policed, how assimilation is rewarded with comfort, and how cultural expression is still perceived by many as foreign, threatening, or unwelcome.

The film now stands as a reflection on that shift — a confrontation with the hypocrisy of tolerance, the fragility of belonging, and the violence that often hides behind polite indifference. With a Smile and a Thank You is no longer just about appreciation. It is about the cost of being seen, the burden of difference, and the quiet resistance in choosing to remain visible anyway.

Premiered January 2022, screened at the Into The New Festival March 2022