THE WATCH LIST WITH ADEEL AKHTAR
“I feel like MY FIVE FAVOURITE FILMS CHAnGE EVERY DAY”
The BIFA-winning star of Four Lions, The Nest and Ali & Ava shares the five films that currently make his list of favourites.
1. MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (1985)
“I wasn’t acting at the time but I saw the film had an Asian man as the main protoganist. I loved that.”
2. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999)
“This movie is an example of a filmmaker [Spike Jonze] just following their curiosity and making something incredibly original.”
3. DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989)
“This was the first film we ever watched as a family.”
4.
DADDY LONGLEGS (2010)
“The Safdie Brothers first film is in this mumblecore vein of New York filmmaking that I just love.”
5. The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
“Much like My Beautiful Laundrette, Roger Michell’s mini-series/movie was one of the first times I’d seen an Asian lead on screen.”
Started as a way to end our scrolling during the first COVID-19 lockdown, The Watch List is a series of film recommendations handpicked for you by those in the know - actors, directors, filmmakers and writers whose work has been inspired by the films that came before them.