If there's one film currently on release that demands discussion, it's Sorry to Bother You. Boots Riley's debut feature is a film that raises both questions and eyebrows: a provocative examination of race, labour and society that rivals a Jonathan Swift satire with its savagery, vulgarity and downright weirdness.

Set in an uncanny Californian dystopia, it tells the story of an African American telemarketer who trades in his voice, his friends and his soul to climb the corporate ladder - only to find something horrific at the top. Cassius Green is our unfortunate Gulliver; a cultural explorer shipwrecked in the void between street-level solidarity and a world of obscene excess. He must navigate a candy coloured nightmare vision of Oakland on a voyage beset by Riley's addled plotting and crazed technique, two blunt forces that combine to make Sorry to Bother You an unapologetically confrontational proposition. Don't let the title fool you: this is overwhelming filmmaking designed to leave audiences in a punch-drunk scramble.

That's why we're pleased to support ARC Stockton to hold a special panel discussion after their screening on Tuesday, 8 January, giving audiences the chance to piece together what they've seen, pick out the challenges posed by the film and dive into the thorny conversations it inevitably sparks. Propeller Awards funding will allow ARC to host cameraman Elvis Katoto, writer Casey Spence and academic Ami Nisa for a conversation focusing on the movie's strategies of representation and its social critiques. This event forms part of ARC's regular Film Fans programme where audiences are encouraged to contribute to friendly, relaxed post-film discussions chaired by the venue's Programme Coordinator, Daniel Mitchelson.