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Black British Filmmaking
A selection of shorts and features by black writers and directors, from milestones of the 60s and 70s to contemporary hits.
For much of the history of British film and TV, black stories were overseen by white filmmakers. By the 1960s, black writers and directors were demanding to tell their own stories, in their own way. This collection celebrates the work of black storytellers who have enriched our understanding of the black British experience. Landmark features like Horace Ové's Pressure (1975) and Menelik Shabazz's Burning an Illusion (1981) stand beside earlier milestones in short filmmaking by Lionel Ngakane and Lloyd Reckord, and 1990s work by Isaac Julien and Julian Henriques. And you'll find hits by leading lights in new black British cinema, including Noel Clarke, Destiny Ekaragha and Debbie Tucker Green. The collection also highlights the work of Ngozi Onwurah, who became the first black British woman director to get a UK theatrical release with her extraordinary debut feature Welcome II the Terrordome (1995), a controversial dystopian fable unavailable for many years.
Ten Bob in Winter Ten Bob in Winter
Drama 1963 12 mins Location: Westminster
An early classic of Black British cinema about the intriguing social dynamics that arise as a ten shilling note is passed around the black community.
Tunde's Film Tunde's Film
Documentary drama 1974 40 mins Location: Stepney
Tired of being hassled by the police and with no job opportunities, a group of teenage East End lads plan to rob a bank.
Jemima + Johnny Jemima + Johnny
1966 29 mins Location: Notting Hill
Touching short about the friendship between a white boy and a black girl in 1960s Notting Hill.
The Body Beautiful The Body Beautiful
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1990 24 mins
Autobiographical account of a mother-daughter relationship, exploring beauty standards and female sexuality.
Flight of the Swan Flight of the Swan
Drama 1992 12 mins
A young black ballerina rejects prejudice and finds her African spirit in Swan Lake.
White Men Are Cracking Up White Men Are Cracking Up
Drama 1994 20 mins
The fatal fascination with the myth of the black feminine mystique is uncovered in Ngozi Onwurah's short
The Homecoming: A Short Film about Ajamu The Homecoming: A Short Film about Ajamu
Drama-documentary 1995 17 mins Location: Brixton
Queer activist and artist Ajamu prepares to leave Brixton for an exhibition of his work in his hometown, Huddersfield
We the Ragamuffin We the Ragamuffin
1992 26 mins Location: Peckham
Julian Henriques' urban musical showcases the style, vernacular and vibrancy of British Caribbean Dancehall culture.
Kanga Kanga
Drama-documentary 1992 15 mins Location: Brixton
Early 90s London gets a vibrant dose of African culture in this mini odyssey fusing dance, music and fashion.
Baby Baby
Drama 2010 25 mins
A young woman attracts the attention of a street criminal after she prevents his gang from pick-pocketing.
Cedar Wood & Silk Cedar Wood & Silk
1995 14 mins
Insightful exploration of the relationship between a Jamaican mother and her British-born daughter.
Home Away from Home Home Away from Home
1993 11 mins
A powerfully bittersweet image of the loneliness and sacrifice in migration stories, centred on a Nigerian-British family
Caribbean Honeymoon No. 1 Caribbean Honeymoon No. 1
Travelogue 1960 17 mins
‘My People!’ Connor returns to his birthplace of Mayaro to celebrate his homeland’s natural beauty and manufacturing, capturing pre-independence Caribbean islands in all their glorious warmth.
Caribbean Honeymoon No. 2 Caribbean Honeymoon No. 2
Travelogue 1960 15 mins
Shown at the 1960 Edinburgh international Film Festival, this dazzling travelogue records Guyana’s idyllic flora and the industries that supplied raw materials for British homes.
Bound for Lagos Bound for Lagos
Romance 1960 31 mins
Commissioned in 1960 to mark Nigeria’s independence, Connor directs and stars in this troubled production about shifting social relations in an emergent West African middle-class.
Blues Is My Middle Name Blues Is My Middle Name
Drama 1999 14 mins
Troubled relationship amidst a background of a Jazz Club scene.
Carnival Fantastique Carnival Fantastique
Documentary 1960 18 mins
Vibrant documentary that captures Trinidad's famous street carnival in 1960.
The Big Pride The Big Pride
Drama 1961 57 mins
Three convicts escape from prison in British Guyana but cannot find personal freedom.
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