Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
This film is certified
- This film contains scenes of a graphic nature and homophobic abuse, viewer discretion is advised
I Am Samuel
Kenyan couple Samuel and Alex remain committed to each other despite the danger and hardship facing them in Peter Murimi’s moving documentary portrait.
Documentary 2020 68 mins
Director: Pete Murimi
Overview
This is as much a film about Kenya’s complex cultural landscape as it is about two young men who must keep their love a secret. As Murimi notes, ‘Most Kenyans are poor and live in rural areas or informal urban settlements where they cannot afford to hide dangerous secrets like their sexuality’. Filmed over the course of five years, I Am Samuel details how daily life is navigated, with both men negotiating their place in the world as heirs to a traditional way of life. At the same time, we are privileged to witness their commitment, daring and imagination as figures in the queer Kenyan underground. Murimi holds his gaze as he stares this fraught and troubling subject in the face.
Screened at BFI London Film Festival 2020 and BFI Flare Festival 2021.
This film contains scenes of a graphic nature and homophobic abuse, viewer discretion is advisedRelated
Documentary
Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story
Documentary 2018 101 mins Director: Steve Sullivan
Frank Sidebottom was a pillar of alternative comedy of the late 80s/early 90s, and this charming documentary remembers the man behind the papier-mâché head.
Lawrence of Belgravia Lawrence of Belgravia
Documentary 2011 85 mins Director: Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly's stirring and acclaimed character study of enigmatic musician Lawrence (Felt, Denim and Go-Kart Mozart).
My Nazi Legacy My Nazi Legacy
Documentary 2015 96 mins Director: David Evans
What if your father was a Nazi? This is the harrowing question raised in David Evans’ thought-provoking documentary.
Why We Fight Why We Fight
Documentary 2004 99 mins Director: Eugene Jarecki
An unflinching and award-winning look at the anatomy of American war-making.
The Pearl Button The Pearl Button
Documentary 2015 82 mins Director: Patricio Guzmán
Patricio Guzmán’s lyrical, illuminating follow-up to Nostalgia for the Light explores the fateful role played by water in Chile’s tragic history.
Sound It Out Sound It Out
Documentary 2011 75 mins Director: Jeanie Finlay
Jeanie Finlay's elegaic account of the very last record shop in Teesside, UK.
3 You Must See
Berberian Sound Studio Berberian Sound Studio
Drama 2011 92 mins Director: Peter Strickland
In 1970s Italy, a timid British sound engineer joins the crew on a violent horror film. But the disturbing world of the film soon seeps into reality.
The Duke of Burgundy The Duke of Burgundy
Drama 2014 104 mins Director: Peter Strickland
Peter Strickland’s visually and aurally intoxicating tale of sadomasochistic power-play is a daringly erotic sensory feast.
White Colour Black White Colour Black
Drama 2016 83 mins Director: Joseph A. Adesunloye
A young mixed heritage man confronts the psychological complexities of his identity in this essential, truly cinematic discovery for anyone interested in Black British cinema.
Enemy Enemy
Drama 2013 91 mins Director: Denis Villeneuve
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as doppelgangers in this dark, pulsating thriller from Denis Villeneuve.
Frantz Frantz
Period drama 2016 114 mins Director: François Ozon
The ever-prolific François Ozon directs this richly-evocative period piece, set in the aftermath of World War I.
In Fabric In Fabric
Drama 2018 119 mins Director: Peter Strickland
A beautiful blood-red dress unleashes a curse on its wearers in Peter Strickland's erotic and twisted horror.
New
Goodbye Solo Goodbye Solo
Comedy 2008 87 mins Director: Ramin Bahrani
The pairing of a Senegalese taxi driver and a grumbling old-timer in North Carolina is the basis for the latest insightful portrait of human behaviour from Ramin Bahrani.
Chop Shop Chop Shop
Drama 2007 81 mins Director: Ramin Bahrani
Hopeful and heartbreaking second feature from the director of Man Push Cart.
Catch the Fair One Catch the Fair One
Thriller 2021 86 mins Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
Haunted by the disappearance of her younger sister two years prior, a former champion boxer (Kali Reis) leaves no stone unturned in her brutal search for answers.
Servants Servants
Drama 2020 81 mins Director: Ivan Ostrochovský
Ivan Ostrochovský’s stark drama about a seminary’s struggles for religious independence under Communist rule is both beautiful and brutal.
Tides Tides
Drama 2017 100 mins Director: Tupaq Felber
Four thirtysomethings find some much-needed time to reconnect in this beautifully observed and subtly insightful debut.
Rojo Rojo
Thriller 2018 105 mins Director: Benjamin Naishtat
Set in a pre-coup d’etat Argentina, successful lawyer Claudio (Darío Grandinetti, Wild Tales) leads a comfortable life – until an altercation in a restaurant and a split-second decision slowly unravel everything he has built up.