ROC Cinema will be screening Mara Ahmed’s newest film, Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation.

Ahmed is an interdisciplinary artist and award-winning activist filmmaker. After taking a filmmaking class at RIT, she began exploring the relationship between personal identity and how society impacts that.

Funded by the NYS Council of the Arts (NYSCA), the film is a short, experimental documentary directed and produced by Ahmed. It follows the story of three contemporary South Asian American women who recreate British colonial postcards from the early 20th century. This symbolic return of what Ahmed calls ‘the Orientalist gaze’ brings up discussions about Eurocentric beauty standards, representations of South Asian women in media and culture, stereotypes, identity and belonging.

The screening will be followed by a panelist discussion with the hopes of creating community by facilitating conversations about erasure and the politics of representation.

Tickets can be purchased at maraahmed.com. General tickets are $18 and student/senior tickets are $16.

Date: Saturday, May 4

Time: Noon – 2 p.m.

Location: 957 South Clinton Avenue

More:Visual Studies Workshop celebrates Mara Ahmed’s new film in dialogue with VSW’s Archives

Genae Shields is the business & development impact reporter. Reach out at gshields@gannett.com or on Instagram:@genaebriphoto for questions, comments, or concerns.