Bute Street Film Night: SHABU

Come and enjoy an immersive film experience, with a night of specially curated short & art house films by our friends at Bute Street Festival. Experience cinema differently whilst socialising amongst cinema goers in a chic converted Hat Factory.

A precocious Rotterdam teenager, Shabu isn’t doing great. After stealing and crashing his grandmother’s car – and getting a remote scolding from her via Skype – he owes her €1,200 to be paid at the end of the summer when she’s back from Suriname. He takes on a series of odd jobs to save up the cash, but finds them boring and would much rather hang out with his best friend Jahnoa or girlfriend Stephy (although he often has a hard time choosing which).

Then, spurred on by the dog days of a sun-dappled urban summer, inspiration hits – and Shabu decides to stage a block party in order to showcase his talents as a rapper and earn back his grandmother’s trust.

Shamira Raphaëla’s hilarious, endearing and indefatigably upbeat documentary is powered by the charm of its subject; the good-natured, street-smart, sensitive and resourceful Shabu. Exploring the architecturally striking, working-class Rotterdam neighbourhood of De Peperklip (The Paperclip) and its multifarious community, it’s a joyful, evocative, and optimistic watch.

This film contains flickering or flashing lights that may affect those with photosensitive epilepsy

The release and special events for SHABU have been made possible with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery

Running Time: 75 minutes, Rated 12 A - infrequent strong language, moderate bloody images