A Film Screening and Discussion Led by Kush Badhwar
Join us at G.A.S. Lagos on April 30th 2026 for Work Starts Now, a film screening and discussion led by current resident Kush Badhwar. The programme brings together three of Kush’s short films: We in a 1 room kitchen, Work Starts Now, and Blood Earth, which explore labour, resistance, and creative expression, from the power of song in political movements to the rhythms of everyday survival in contemporary urban India.
In Work Starts Now (2014), Kush reflects on the making and unmaking of political rallies, foregrounding the labour behind their construction and the quiet camaraderie that emerges in their dismantling. We in a 1 room kitchen (2013), developed from a trip to Mumbai undertaken by Kush and Indian Filmmaker Wala, moves across three sites: the rooftop of a 28-storey apartment block in Andheri, a hidden corner of Mahim Fort, and a trash-filled riverbed in Mankhurd. Through these locations, the film stages a set of conversations that engage perspectives on development, history, and waste, offering a layered reflection on the city. Blood Earth (2013) centres on Kucheipadar village in Odisha, a bauxite-rich region marked by conflict between Adivasi communities and mining interests since India’s economic liberalisation. The film traces how song operates as both a creative and political force within the Kashipur resistance movement, interweaving moments of farming, village life, political assembly, and the act of recording. Through this, Kush constructs a nuanced interplay between voice, music, silence, and noise.
Following the screening, Kush will lead a conversation unpacking the themes within the films, opening up space for questions and discussion.
Event Details
Date: 30th April, 2026
Time: 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: 9b, Hakeem Dickson Drive, off T.F. Kuboye Road, Oniru, Lagos
Registration for this event is free, however it is mandatory to RSVP to secure your spot.
About Kush Badhwar
Kush Badhwar works across filmmaking, artistic and urban research as ongoing processes of being with ideas and places over time. He has been exploring the gradual making of counter-narrative around rapid and drastic changes in uses of water and land around urban peripheries.
Image courtesy of Kush Badhwar.
Kush's residency is realised in collaboration with the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
