Gritty Corners

When the New Stockholm Film Commission accepts her funding proposal for a documentary, Zeynab Abdi is “flabbergasted” by the outcome. Wanting to explore the effects of gentrification within her former neighbourhood, she explains her connection to the place: “The child of political asylum seekers, she strategically discloses her personal history, namely, the adjacent social housing project into which she was born and raised.” She speaks to the selection committee of “its cultural importance. Its swift dismantling. The political climate that foretells the potential demise of Cipher Falls.” After her pitch, the producers simply shake her hand and ask when she can begin.

This introduction to Zeynab sets up one of the main themes of Valérie Bah’s brilliant and incisive Subterrane : the exposition, economy, and gatekeeping of stories. Before walking into the meeting, the young filmmaker reflects on “what it would mean to sell her project” to an organization...