Basir Mahmood’s films capture social identities and class distinctions inherent in the activities of daily life. In a highly formal style, with restricted framing and deep focus, he records often unknowing subjects undertaking humble, menial tasks that reveal aspects of their social and economic context. The environments are active and fluid, while the frame is constrained and draws us into the unfolding performance.

My father 2010 offers a close view of a sewing needle and the hand of the elderly man attempting to thread it. The agonising routine invites the viewer’s empathy while also building suspense, and conjures our own associations with elderly loved ones, as the title suggests. Through the vulnerability of the subject and his frustration, in a daily effort so insignificant it would usually go unnoticed, Mahmood quietly represents the tiny struggles of everyday life.