Priya Ahluwalia Releases 'Beloved,' Her Directorial Debut With Black Dog Films

Navi Ahluwalia
·2 min read

Designer Priya Ahluwalia premiered her first short film Beloved, as a director in partnership with Black Dog Films from Ridley Scott Creative Group.

Celebrating Ahluwalia's "From Bollywood to Nollywood" collection from FW22, the film debuted at Soho House as part of an all-new film festival hosted by the designer. Drawing inspiration from the bold imagery and dramatic plots from traditional Indian and Nigerian cinema, the festival showcased a range of Ahluwalia's previous fashion films alongside new shorts from Black and Brown filmmakers.

"Bollywood and Nollywood films were one of the few places I could experience people like me in ways mainstream media didn’t represent us: love, joy, glamour, entertaining, passionate, vulnerable," Ahluwalia shares in a press release. "Now, film has become one of my favourite mediums to showcase stories from my community, as well as my collections. I love how film has the power to connect to its audiences, transport them and drive emotional engagement."

Beloved marks Ahluwalia's first film after being signed to Black Dog Films and seeks to explore love in its purest and most honest forms. Described by the director as "a multifaceted display of Black and Brown love stories," the film acts as "An ode to the visualisation of love stories we love to watch in Bollywood and Nollywood cinema but rarely get to enjoy in Western media." She explains "I wanted to showcase variations of love and companionship whilst celebrating the incredible cinematography and soundscapes of Bollywood and Nollywood."

Global Head of Black Dog of the Ridley Scott Creative Group, Martin Roker, adds that "The world that Priya has constructed through fashion and culture only brings the 'Beloved' film to the forefront. This is Priya's first film with BD, and I'm delighted that Priya has signed to the U.K. and US to RSCG's black dog films for further projects. With Priya being a multi-disciplined
creative, not only is Priya a perfect fit for Black Dog but this only strengthens both brands going forward."

Watch the new film above.