A young black woman in England becomes increasingly frustrated with her life with a lazy, demanding boyfriend. With the help of friends, she seeks something better, and begins to question her attitude to love, life, and desire for middle-class respectability and security through marriage.

The groundbreaking debut from Menelik Shabazz, Burning an Illusion was the first British film to feature a Black female lead. Filmed around Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill during the Thatcher years, this fiery love story is a powerful, aspirational tale of political and emotional emancipation.