Hard Hat is a melancholy comedy about three immigrants who meet on a cash-in-hand construction job in today’s London.
Our friends at Collabor8te spoke to the director, Karan Kandhari, about his motivations. You can read the interview in full on their website.
Where did the idea for Hardhat come from?
I was actually researching for another film I was writing, set against a similar backdrop and a lot of what I came across and people I met along the way informed what became Hard Hat. I was also tired of how immigrants are portrayed as ‘noble’ in a lot of films and I really just wanted to make a film about these people, these humans – in this particular situation.
It is comic but shot through with real pathos and sympathy – is this subject matter that is close to your heart?
Life is both sad and funny and that’s what I’m trying to capture in my work. I’m drawn to outsiders, misfits, people who don’t fit into boxes who exist on the fringes so to speak. They are who identify with, so I guess it is pretty close to my heart.
The film received the Audience Award in 2010, and was presented Rushes Soho Shorts Festival 2012.
Visit Collabor8te for more information on the short film festival.
