The Shy Radicals film, based on Hamja Ahsan’s book of the same name, is now available to watch in full on YouTube.

Directed by Tom Dream for Black Dog Films, and featuring Arlo Parks and Art School Girlfriend, the film is a portrait of award-winning artist, activist and author Hamja Ahsan, and the story behind his remarkable book and satirical manifesto Shy Radicals (Book Works, 5th edition 2021), which calls for all shy, quiet, and introverted people to unify and overthrow Extrovert-Supremacy, imagining a ‘shy utopia’.

In his book, Hamja Ahsan has not simply created an artwork, he has created a world that blurs the boundaries between creator and creation, between real life and the life of the imagination, between reality and an imagined fiction in which he is a leading character. The documentary follows Hamja as he deals with the trauma and despair of his brother’s extradition case, whilst traveling the world inspiring and educating others through creativity and activism.

Directed by Tom Dream, produced by Black Dog Films and funded by the BFI Doc Society and National Lottery Fund

Hamja Ahsan will have a table at the Pagemasters Zine Fair at South London Gallery on 2–3 September 2023 – more info here.