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We Are Parable present Who We Are
An online takeover exploring the artistry behind Black British Film.
In our Subscription selection of specially curated collection of Black British Films, we celebrate the filmmaking pioneers such as Menelik Shabazz, Campbell X and John Akomfrah that tell us Who We Are.
Until the end of July, you will be able to access all of the films that we've selected here for free by signing up for a 14-day trial of BFI Player.
- Anthony and Teanne Andrews, co-founders We Are Parable
PressurePressure
Drama1975121 minsDirector: Horace Ové
Hailed as Britain's first black feature film, Pressure is a hard-hitting, honest document of the plight of disenchanted black youths in 1970s London.
Horace Ove's 1975 was the first film we named in this collection. Showing the disconnect between first and second generation Caribbean immigrants, we follow the story of Tony, a smart young man, unable to get a job in 1970's West London. With cameos from Norman Beaton and Ram John Holder, it is thought of as Britain's first Black feature film.
Burning an IllusionBurning an Illusion
Legal and Courtroom drama1981102 minsDirector: Menelik Shabazz
Menelik Shabazz’s pioneering first feature traces the emotional and political growth of a young black couple in Thatcher’s London.
Menelik Shabazz firmly centres the Black British Female gaze of Thatcher's Britain in the early 80's with Burning An Illusion. Cassie McFarlane is wonderful as Pat a woman who enters a relationship with Del (Victor Romero), which takes her on a journey of personal growth, from wide eyed optimism to discovery of self.
Young Soul RebelsYoung Soul Rebels
Drama1991105 minsDirector: Isaac Julien
The Queen's Silver Jubilee beats to the sounds of Funkadelic, Sylvester and the O'Jays in Isaac Julien’s feature debut.
Youth culture meets identity politics in this part-thriller, part-gay love story set in London in 1977, days before the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Stud LifeStud Life
Drama201287 minsDirector: Campbell X
Campbell X's debut feature is a sexy, young and cool gay romance taking a unique look at a slice of British urban life.
Campbell X directs a funny and fresh take on gay romance in London. We follow JJ, a "stud" who falls in love with Elle, and is ultimately forced to choose between her and her best mate Seb.
The Stuart Hall ProjectThe Stuart Hall Project
Documentary201399 minsDirector: John Akomfrah
Composed of film, music and photographs from the archives, a fascinating portrait of the life and times of the founder of cultural studies and the New Left Experience.
John Akomfrah traces the life of cultural commentator Stuart Hall and his experiences as he became a pioneer in cultural studies. Soundtracked by Miles Davis and with Hall's distinctive voice the only one we hear, we understand more about the man who was one of the key figures in the resurgence of the New Left.
Second ComingSecond Coming
Drama2014105 minsDirector: debbie tucker green
What if an immaculate conception took place in a South London household? Idris Elba stars in a subtle, thought-provoking and original family drama.
Nadine Marshall is brilliant as a woman who is pregnant, but hasn't slept with her husband for some time. Written and directed by debbie tucker green and co-starring Idris Elba, Second coming is an expertly told parable on the breakdown of a family.
A Moving ImageA Moving Image
Drama201674 minsDirector: Shola Amoo
The gentrification of London’s Brixton is examined in this probing and stylistically ambitious debut feature.
Shola Amoo's debut feature is a thought provoking story about gentrification. Nina (Tanya Fear) returns to her hometown of Brixton to realise it's changing in front of her very eyes. Using real life footage of the Reclaim Brixton in demonstration in 2015, this film is a gem.
The Last TreeThe Last Tree
Drama201999 minsDirector: Shola Amoo
Femi, a young British boy of Nigerian heritage, has to adapt to the new environment of inner-city London, in this outstanding, BIFA-winning drama from Shola Amoo (A Moving Image).
Shola Amoo’s semi-autobiographical second feature is a beautifully shot and profoundly moving coming-of age drama, following the journey of a British boy of Nigerian heritage who struggles to adjust when he is uprooted from his life with his foster mother in rural Lincolnshire, to live with his birth mother in inner-city London.
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