Break

Break is a film by visual artist Edwin Mingard, commissioned by Ben Uri and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, as part of the centenary exhibition, 'Out of Chaos: Ben Uri - 100 Years in London', it premiered on 10 December 2015 at the Inigo Rooms at Somerset House, London. It tells the story of a few days in the life of Yousef, a recent arrival to London from Egypt. As Yousef makes plans to bring his wife and young daughter to the capital, he is forced to confront the reality of living as a migrant in a big city: overwork, poor living and working conditions, a lack of rights and the mental toll of being so far from those he loves. Certain costumes, scenes and shots in the film were inspired by or responded to artworks from the Ben Uri collection including Mark Gertler's Rabbi and Rabbitzin (1914), Emmanuel Levy's Crucifixion (1942), Alfred Wolmark's Sabbath Afternoon (1909) and Amy Drucker's For He Had Great Possessions (1932).