Robots of Brixton (a short film by Kibwe Tavares)
This short, 5 min sci fi film by Kibwe Tavares raises questions about the future of AI/Robot rights and draws parallels to the civil rights movement in general and the 1981 Brixton riot in particular.
Synopsis: Brixton has degenerated into a disregarded area inhabited by London’s new robot workforce – robots built and designed to carry out all of the tasks which humans are no longer inclined to do. The mechanical population of Brixton has rocketed, resulting in unplanned, cheap and quick additions to the skyline.
The film follows the trials and tribulations of young robots surviving at the sharp end of inner city life, living the predictable existence of a populous hemmed in by poverty, disillusionment and mass unemployment. When the Police invade the one space which the robots can call their own, the fierce and strained relationship between the two sides explodes into an outbreak of violence echoing that of 1981.
