Sonita Gale is a British-Indian film director, writer, and producer based in London, known for the political documentary Hostile (2022), which explores the Home Office’s ‘hostile environment’ policy towards migrants in the UK.
Sonita Gale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 4 June 1975 Bilston, Wolverhampton |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker |
| Known for | Hostile (2022) |
Early life
editBorn and raised in Wolverhampton, Gale was one of ten children born to Indian immigrant parents. Her mother and father were Sikhs who emigrated from Punjab following the Partition of India in 1947; her mother walked for 16 consecutive days from Lahore to Punjab before traveling to the UK. The couple went on to own a convenience shop in Bilston, Wolverhampton.[1] Gale cites her upbringing in a "mixed community" [2] in the West Midlands as inspiration for her films, which often grapple with themes of migration, diaspora, community and belonging.[3]
She attended Hall Green School and Bilston Community College, before studying for a BSc in Psychology at London Guildhall University.
Gale has spoken in interviews about the racial abuse she received growing up, which included being called racist slurs and being chased down a street by the National Front.[4][5][6]
Career
editBefore embarking on her career as a filmmaker, Gale was a headhunter at Harvey Nash and Glotel.[7]
In 2011, Gale established her production company, Galeforce Films. Her first production, Andrew Carnegie: Rags to Riches, Power to Peace (2015), charted the rise of 19th century industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It was narrated by actor Brain Cox and broadcast on BBC Scotland.
Gale has produced a number of other short films and series including International Health Service (2020) with BAFTA-nominated documentary filmmaker Ursula Macfarlane and Happy Epidemic (2020), a web series produced from home during the coronavirus pandemic featuring former Channel 4 News journalist and anchor Jon Snow.
Gale is currently embarking on her first short film, while also developing a feature film about the life of Andrew Carnegie to be co-produced with Nicole Ansari, starring Brian Cox.
Hostile (2022)
editIn 2022, Gale directed, produced and wrote the documentary Hostile, which examines the human stories behind the UK government’s ‘hostile environment’ immigration policy ushered in by the Clegg-Cameron coalition. She made the film during the Coronavirus pandemic, saying the community response “made me think of my childhood growing up in the Midlands with Sikh parents, [where] my father’s corner shop was the hub of the community.”[8]
The film explores the experiences of four Britons from Black and Asian backgrounds, including an NHS worker who had ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) during the Coronavirus pandemic under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; a victim of the Windrush scandal who was detained and threatened with deportation between 2015 and 2017 despite living in the UK since the age of eight; and a couple who served more than 350,000 meals to NHS staff and vulnerable people during the pandemic.[9]
The film also features a number of prominent voices on immigration policy, including MP Stephen Timms, writer and academic Maya Goodfellow, campaigner Patrick Vernon, spoken-word artist George the Poet, MP Zarah Sultana, and musician Nitin Sawhney.[10]
Hostile premiered at Raindance Film Festival on 29 October 2021 and was longlisted for awards by BAFTA and BIFA.[11] Gale has since given interviews with David Lammy on LBC,[12] Mariella Frostrup on Times Radio, and Amelia Gentleman in The Guardian.[13]
Personal life
editGale is married with two children and lives in North London. She is a keen theatergoer, an avid Prince fan and a follower of the Tracy Anderson fitness method.
Filmography
edit| Film | Credit(s) | Accolades |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Carnegie: Rags to Riches, Power to Peace (2015) | Producer |
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| International Health Service (2020) | Producer |
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| Happy Epidemic (2020) | Producer |
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| Hostile (2022 film) (2022) | Director, writer, producer |
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References
edit- ^ "Conversation with Sonita Gale", Association of Women in the Arts. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Coulibaly, Abiba (4 March 2022) "Sonita Gale on Hostile, her documentary about migrant experience in the UK". British Film Institute. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Sonita Gale, IMDb. Retrieved 18 Sep 2024. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4164570/?ref_=nmbio_ov_i
- ^ Khan, Unzela (4 February 2022). "'As the daughter of migrants I was called racist names and was scared to walk to school'". MyLondon. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Lister-Fell, Frankie (11 July 2024). "Primrose Hill director's film shows human cost of ‘hostile’ policy". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Baldwin, David (7 February 2022). "Filmwire Spotlight: Sonita Gale". flatpackfestival.org.uk. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Jason (15 October 2022). "A Hostile Environment – With Sonita Gale." On the Hill. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Jason (15 October 2022). "A Hostile Environment – With Sonita Gale." On the Hill. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Gentleman, Amelia (21 Jan 2024). "‘Waiting is mental torture’: how Hostile exposes the human cost of Britain’s immigration policies". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Coulibaly, Abiba (4 March 2022) "Sonita Gale on Hostile, her documentary about migrant experience in the UK". British Film Institute. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ "Conversation with Sonita Gale", Association of Women in the Arts. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ "Sonita Gale interviewed by David Lammy on LBC". 5 February 2022. hostiledocumentary.com. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.
- ^ Gentleman, Amelia (21 Jan 2024). "‘Waiting is mental torture’: how Hostile exposes the human cost of Britain’s immigration policies". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 Sep 2024.