Watch Akram Khan: Homeland - The Making of Desh

Akram Khan: Homeland - The Making of Desh is a documentary film that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the contemporary dance production, Desh, by world-renowned British-Bangladeshi dancer and choreographer Akram Khan. The film follows Khan as he embarks on a journey to reconnect with his ancestral homeland of Bangladesh and to explore the themes of cultural identity, displacement, and belonging through dance.

The film begins with Khan returning to Bangladesh, where he was born, and visiting various locations that have personal significance to him, such as the house where his father grew up and the village where his mother was born. By tracing his family's history and the country's struggle for independence from British rule, Khan seeks to better understand his own identity as a British-Bangladeshi artist and to illuminate the complex cultural tensions and contradictions that he grapples with in his work.

From there, the film moves on to the creative process behind Desh, which premiered at London's Sadler's Wells Theatre in 2011. We see Khan and his collaborators, including the composer Nitin Sawhney and set designer Tim Yip, brainstorming ideas, experimenting with movement, and pushing the limits of their craft to bring this innovative and deeply personal work to life.

One of the film's strengths is the way it captures the collaborative nature of contemporary dance, in which choreographers, composers, designers, and dancers all contribute to the final product. We see how Khan and Sawhney's musical and rhythmic sensibilities inform one another, how Yip's evocative set design enhances the mood and themes of the piece, and how the dancers, many of whom come from different cultural backgrounds, find their own ways of interpreting and embodying Khan's vision.

Throughout the film, we get glimpses of the stunning visuals and intricate choreography that make Desh such a mesmerizing and emotionally charged work. Whether it's Khan's explosive and angular movements, the slow and hypnotic group sequences, or the more intimate and expressive solos, each element of the dance seems to reflect a different facet of the complex cultural and personal narrative that Khan is exploring.

Yet what makes Akram Khan: Homeland - The Making of Desh so compelling isn't just the beauty and intricacy of the dance itself, but the larger ideas and questions that it raises about identity, creativity, and cultural exchange. As we see Khan grappling with his own sense of displacement and longing for connection in a rapidly changing world, we can't help but empathize with the universal human experiences that his work so poetically expresses.

Overall, Akram Khan: Homeland - The Making of Desh is a fascinating and deeply moving film that gives viewers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind one of contemporary dance's most innovative and thought-provoking works. Whether you're a fan of dance, music, or simply a good documentary, this film is sure to leave you inspired and moved by the power of art to transcend boundaries and connect us all.