Set against the social tensions of ‘80s Britain, My Beautiful Laundrette follows the relationship between Omar, a young British Pakistani man (Gordon Warnecke) and Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis).

At the start of their relationship the two renovate and then run a laundrette. The film paints an intimate yet sharply political portrait of modern Britain as personal desires intersect with racial conflict, class mobility and family pressure.

Originally a low budget film shot on 16mm for Channel 4 it helped launch the career of Day-Lewis and features a soundtrack produced by Stanley Myers and Hans Zimmer. Witty, tender and confrontational, it remains a landmark of queer and multicultural cinema.

‘The film’s brilliance lies in its refusal to simplify — it allows love, greed, tenderness and political anger to coexist, making its characters feel alive rather than symbolic.’ – Derek Malcolm, The Guardian

Presented on 35mm film prints from the NFSA collection.