14 December 2022 – 12 January 2023 Kiln Theatre, Kilburn High Road, London NW6
“A proper local legend. Married five times. Mother. Lover. Aunt. Friend. Alvita will tell her life story to anyone in the pub – there’s no shame in her game. The question is: are you ready to hear it? Because this woman’s got the gift of the gab: she can rewrite mistakes into triumphs, turn pain into parables, and her love life’s an epic poem. They call her The Wife of Willesden…”
Adapted from Chaucer’s, ‘The Wife of Bath’, by Zadie Smith, the play is brilliant, with a stunning performance by Clare Perkins. She held the stage for the 95mins the play ran. Absolutely brilliant.
Update: We saw it too late in this second run to give you a heads up, but it is now available to stream on National Theatre at Home.
London musicians who have influenced and been influenced by the reggae sound emanating from the record shops, clubs and recording studios of Harlesden, North West London
A little Throw Back Thursday (TBT) article, to when Brent was the London Borough of Culture in 2020. Brent is a borough in Northwest London and is one of the most diverse boroughs in the country with over 55% of its residents born outside the UK (This is the highest proportion in England and Wales).1
A lot of the 2020 planned celebrations went online as the Pandemic took hold, and so as not to forget the fabulous content, stories and histories, I’m sharing this page about, “London musicians who have influenced and been influenced by the reggae sound emanating from the record shops, clubs and recording studios of Harlesden, North West London.”2
The 66th BFI London Film Festival has arrived, and as always, there are films ‘galore’ over 12 days.
Films are available to watch in cinemas with screenings around the UK, online, and include access to free events and films, all listed below.
Here are our 2022 selection of feature and short films, awards, and free events:
GALAS
Opening Night Gala
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical– Matilda Wormwood was never wanted by her parents. She’s abandoned, with only library books for company – books far more sophisticated than most adults can absorb. When the authorities notice Matilda has never attended school, her parents hastily sign her up for Crunchem Hall, run by the fearsome Miss Trunchbull.
Wed 5 | Thur 6
Director: Matthew Warchus. Screenwriter: Dennis Kelly. Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Luke Kell. Cast: Emma Thompson, Alisha Weir, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough. Country: UK
Closing Night Gala
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – This spiritual sequel to the whodunit ‘Knives Out’ sees a disparate sextet of former colleagues and (to varying degree) friends each receive an intricate puzzle box, which holds within it an invitation to attend an elaborate murder mystery party at their founding member’s beachside mansion.
Sun 16
Director- Screenwriter: Rian Johnson. Producers: Ram Bergman, Rian Johnson. Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr. Country: USA
American Express Gala
Empire of Light – Hilary manages a seafront picture palace. Once an opulent multiscreen cinema with a dance hall overlooking the sea, now only one screen remains open, albeit a grand one. In preparation for a regional premiere of Chariots of Fire, Hilary and her colleagues spruce up the venue. Outside, the town itself is crumbling, with a rising far-right presence.
Wed 12 | Thur 13
Director- Screenwriter: Sam Mendes. Producers: Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes. Cast: Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Toby Jones, Colin Firth. Country: UK
The Mayor of London’s Gala
Till – While in Mississippi for a family visit, 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped and murdered after being wrongfully accused of harassing a white woman. When it became clear that the white establishment was unconcerned with bringing his killers to justice, Emmett’s mother Mamie turned reluctant activist, her fight becoming a major catalyst for the US Civil Rights movement.
Sat 15 | Sun 16
Director: Chinonye Chukwu. Screenwriter: Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp, Chinonye Chukwu. Producers: Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly, Frederick Zollo. Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Tosin Cole. Country: USA
Special Presentations
Nanny – In this complex and tense portrait of labour, privilege and motherhood, Aisha is a Senegalese nanny, working undocumented in New York for a wealthy white family, looking after her ward Rose. Meanwhile, her son remains at home in Senegal, as she tirelessly works to raise money for him to join her. As Aisha’s relationship with her employers gains complexity, so too does her connection to home, finding herself haunted by figures from West African folklore like the water spirit Mami Wata and the trickster god Anansi.
Fri 7 | Sat 8
Director- Screenwriter: Nikyatu Jusu. Producers: Nikkia Moulterie, Daniela Taplin Lundberg. Cast: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Leslie Uggams. Country: USA
BFI Flare special presentation
The Inspection – Ellis has been homeless for ten years, after being kicked out of his home when he was 16 by his mother. Knowing well that as a queer Black man the odds for his untimely death are higher than most, and wanting to die ‘as someone’, Ellis decides to enrol in the Marines. Ellis is not as successful at obscuring his sexuality, making him a target for hazing in his new world of toxic masculinity and ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.
Brother– In this adaptation of David Chariandy’s bestselling book, Michael is forced to revisit a family tragedy when his childhood sweetheart Aisha returns to their Toronto neighbourhood. Growing up as young Black boys in a neighbourhood prone to gang violence and police brutality, older brother Francis was Michael’s best friend, protector and even parent when their Jamaican mother worked night shifts. As they grow older, Francis and Michael’s lives diverge.
Saint Omer – Rama, is a writer who travels to northern France to follow the trial of Laurence, a young African woman accused of killing her daughter. As she listens to the various testimonies, Rama’s own condition – as an artist, a lover and a Black woman in France – also falls into a questioning perspective in this stylistically spare take on the courtroom tradition.
Mon 10 | Tue 11
Director: Alice Diop. Screenwriter: Alice Diop, Amrita David, Marie NDiaye. Producers: Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral. Cast: Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda. Country: France
First Feature Competition
Medusa Deluxe – A high-stakes hairdressing competition descends into paranoia and chaos after a participant is viciously murdered. The cast of volatile models, designers, hairdressers and security guards bicker, clash and accuse one another of murder in this astonishing faux single-take comedy-thriller.
Fri 7 | Sat 8 | Sat 15
Director- Screenwriter: Thomas Hardiman. Producers: Michael Elliott, Louise Palmkvist Hansen, Lee Groombridge. Cast: Clare Perkins, Kayla Meikle, Lilit Lesser. Country: UK
Our Lady of the Chinese Shop[Nossa senhora da loja do chinês] – A Chinese shop owner and part-time poet puts a plastic figure of the Virgin Mary up for sale, assuring potential buyers of its holy power. The presence of the object sets off a chain of events: a mourning mother finds some solace, a barber founds a new cult and a young boy seeks revenge for his missing dog.
Kanaval: A People’s History of Haiti in Six Chapters – Every brushstroke of a painted mask and stitch of an elaborate costume informs a narrative. Every facet of the annual carnival, from the extravagant masks to the dazzling costumes and magnificent street pantomimes, tells a story about the people of the southern Haitian port town of Jacmel.
Thur 6 | Fri 7 | Fri 14
Directors: Leah Gordon, Eddie Hutton Mills. Producers: Natasha Dack-Ojumu. Country: Haiti | UK
Drop Out – No matter how he looks at it, Tobi knows his good, hard-working African mother is not about to let him be a drop-out, despite how successful he is on these streets.
Director: Ade Femzo. Cast: Ade Femzo, Kemi Lofinmakin, Iain Gordon, Daniel Attoh. Commissioned by: John Boyega, Converse Create Next Film Project. UK | 6 Min
The Ritual to Beauty – The meaning of beauty is experienced through three generations of Dominican women. We learn about their beauty ritual and a pain buried deep in the denial of their Blackness.
Director: Maria Marrone, Shenny de Los Angeles. Cast: Shenny de Los Angeles, Eugenia Marina Belliard Rojas, Cheny Bright. USA | 14 Min
Immersive Art and XR Competition
Black Movement Library – Movement Portraits – This documentary project explores the world and the stories of five Black performance artists living and working in New York City. Audiences explore the artists’ respective practices to see how movement has been used as a tool for the preservation of Black culture.
Available to experience at 26 Leake Street | 5-16 Oct | 11am-9pm Also available to watch on Oculus TV
Lead artist: LaJuné McMillian. Director: Manuel Molina Martagon. Producers: Yvonne Mpwo. Sound and music: Lamb, Jeremiah Johnson, RaFia Santana. Country: USA
Strands
Love
Pretty Red Dress – Travis has just been released from prison and it quickly becomes apparent that everything’s changed while he’s been gone. While girlfriend Candice is on the up and auditioning to star in a musical, daughter Kenisha is struggling in school and her relationship with her mum is tense. So when Travis buys Candice her dream dress for an audition, rather than smoothing over the family’s problems, it ends up creating even more.
Sun 9 | Thu 13
Director- Screenwriter: Dionne Edwards. Producers: Georgia Goggin. Cast: Natey Jones, Alexandra Burke, Temilola Olatunbosun. Country: UK
Tori and Lokita– To obtain residence papers, teenager Lokita must convince the authorities that Tori – with whom she made the perilous journey from West Africa – is her younger brother. At the same time, to pay off the violent couple who smuggled them into Belgium. They have only one another as support, but then they’re separated…
Mon 10 | Wed 12
Director- Screenwriter: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Producers: Delphine Tomson, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Cast: Pablo Schils, Joely Mbundu. Country: Belgium | France
Debate
Bobi Wine: The People’s President – Kyagulanyi has long been a critic of Yoweri Museveni – President of Uganda since 1986 – using his fame as an actor and popstar to campaign against him, often resulting in imprisonment and torture. But with his involvement in and the increasing popularity of the Resistant Movement Party, Kyagulanyi, better known to his supporters as Bobi Wine, has become a significant force across the country’s political landscape.
Sat 8 | Sun 9
Directors: Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp. Producers: Christopher Sharp, John Battsek. Country: Uganda
If the Streets Were on Fire – Through BikeStormz, social activist Mac has created a movement for kids across London that creates a safe space to be free and express themselves beyond any threats, hurtling through the postcode-neutral space of London’s heart. Yet as they find ways to express themselves through biking, they are challenged with the threat of arrest by the police and accusations of anti-social behaviour.
Sat 8 | Mon 10
Director: Alice Russell. Producers: Julia Nottingham, Gannesh Rajah, Lynn Nwokorie. Country: UK
The Store – Set in a near-future Sweden, where jobs are scarce, margins are tight and corporate profit trumps all. All but a hair’s breadth away from homelessness, zero-hours contract workers squabble over shifts at the discount supermarket while store manager Eleni, a new mother forced to return to work too soon, frantically pumps breast milk in the staff toilets.
Wed 12 | Thu 13
Director-Screenwriter: Ami-ro Sköld. Producers: Lovisa Charlier. Cast: Eliza Sica, Daysury Valencia, Arbi Alviati. Country: Sweden | Italy
Laugh
Chee$e – What do you have to do to get your big break? For Skimma, tired of life in his small Caribbean village and faced with impending parenthood after a one-night stand, the answer is easy – you start a weed empire by stealing goods from your local Rastafarian and storing them in wheels of cheese.
Xalé – Awa and Adama are 15-year-old siblings living in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Dakar. Following the death of their grandmother, the children stay with their uncle Atoumane, who is arranged to be married to their cousin Fatou. But she has no feelings for Atoumane and her rejection of him catalyses an act of violence that tears the family apart. Ten years later, Atoumane returns to the village, where there is a sense of trepidation, particularly felt by Awa, whose life was irrevocably altered by him.
After Sherman – For Jon-Sesrie Goff, home is a deeply unique place, having grown up in a small Gullah Geechee community. Centred around a conversation between the director and his Reverend father, this is an expansive portrait of African Americans searching to preserve their sense of identity, grapple with a collective past and move beyond the tragedy of the Charleston shooting.
Mon 10 | Tue 11
Director- Screenwriter: Jon-Sesrie Goff. Producers: blair dorosh-walther, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich, Jon-Sesrie Goff. Cast: Rev Dr Norvel Goff Sr. Country: USA
Aisha – A young Nigerian woman seeking asylum in Ireland, after fleeing her home following the violent murders of her brother and father. She is adrift in a sea of overly complicated administrative process, whilst simultaneously enduring daily micro-aggressions at both her temporary residence and the salon in which she works. With no one to turn to, Aisha finds an unlikely ally in sweet-natured Conor (the ever-excellent Josh O’Connor), an employee at her accommodation centre who is himself struggling with painful memories from the past.
Thu 6 | Sat 8
Director- Screenwriter: Frank Berry. Producers: Tristan Orpen Lynch, Aoife O’Sullivan, Donna Eperon, Sam Bisbee. Cast: Letitia Wright, Josh O’Connor. Country: Ireland
Know Your Place – Robel is just about keeping it together following the death of his father. He is tasked by his mother to deliver a suitcase full of medicine and money for a sick relative in Eritrea. When that goes awry, Robel is forced on a journey through the changing landscape of Seattle – the tightly knit Eritrean and Ethiopian communities, prejudiced police force and gentrifying white residents – to find his place, not just in his city but his own life.
Thu 13 | Fri 14
Director- Screenwriter: Zia Mohajerjasbi. Producers: Ty Walker, Zia Mohajerjasbi. Cast: Joseph Smith, Natnael Mebrahtu, Selamawit Gebresus. Country: USA
Nayola – This animation follows three generations of women in the aftermath of Angola’s civil war. It’s 2011 and young Yara, who lives with her grandmother Lelana, revels in writing and performing rap music. To her, it’s a more peaceful form of guerrilla action. Both are still processing the horrors of the conflict that plagued Angola and coping with the 1995 disappearance of Yara’s mother, Nayola, after she went looking for her husband, a missing soldier.
Fri 7 | Sun 9
Director: José Miguel Ribeiro. Screenwriter: Virgílio Almeida. Producers: Ana Carina Estróia, Arnoud Rijken, Camille Raulo, Geert Van Goethe, Jean-François Bigot, Jorge António, Linda Sterckx, Michiel Snijders, Serge Kestemont, Tomás Oom Martins. Cast: Elisângela Kadina Rita, Feliciana Délcia Guia aka Meduza, Vitória Adelino Dias Soares. Country: Portugal | Belgium | France | Netherlands
Shabu – Shabu, a 14-year-old Dutch-Surinamese wannabe rapper, is not having the best of summers. Having stolen and then crashed his grandmother’s car, he owes her €1,200, to be paid at the season’s end when she returns from Suriname, and he’s forced to take on a series of odd jobs. Spurred on by the realities of life in his Rotterdam estate, Shabu decides to stage a block party to showcase his talents as a rapper and get back into his grandma’s good books.
Super Eagles ‘96 – One Man and His Shoes (LFF 2020) director Yemi Bamiro delivers an engrossing history of the Nigerian national football team, affectionately known as the Super Eagles. This fascinating documentary not only details how the team grew in stature, it locates them within the country’s politically turbulent recent history – through the various coups, the imprisonment and execution of writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and many others, and the corporate scandals resulting from widespread pollution.
Thu 13 | Sat 15
Director- Screenwriter: Yemi Bamiro. Producers: Lia Nicholls, Julia Nottingham. Country: UK | Nigeria
Create
The African Desperate – The reality of being a Black woman in the predominantly white contemporary art world – MFA student Palace is interviewed by three archetypal white faculty members, who unashamedly discuss the merit of her graduation work in relation to her ethnic origin whilst pretending to be mindful of radical Black thought. Clearly this is not the first time Palace is experiencing this kind of excruciatingly patronising conversation. Her degree complete, Palace somewhat reluctantly proceeds to the graduation party where she and her fellow students can be together one last time.
Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande – Documentary about the British Black super group of self-taught musicians from South London. The sons of Windrush parents, their music combined influences from funk, calypso, soul and jazz, all brought together to intoxicating effect. Following three great albums and some success in the US, they split in 1975, after being largely ignored in the UK and having experienced abhorrent racism from the music industry. However, their recordings never stopped inspiring and influencing generations of artists and fans, from Jazzy Jay and The Fugees to My Morning Jacket and MC Solar.
Thu 13 | Sun 16
Director: Tim Mackenzie-Smith. Producers: Tim Mackenzie-Smith, Matt Wyllie. Country: UK
God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines – This film revisits the African-American origins of techno music. What’s the image that comes to mind when you think of techno? For most, it will likely be white men performing to huge crowds at festivals, laser shows and all-night clubs. What you might not think of is young African-American men in Detroit, influenced by the country’s history of dance music, and playing around with drum machines and synthesizers.
Thu 6 | Sat 8
Director: Kristian R Hill. Screenwriters: Kristian R. Hill, Tom Quarterman, Tim Roddy, Jennifer Washington. Producer: Jennifer Washington. Country: USA
Meet Me in the Bathroom – At the beginning of a new millennium, rock music in New York had grown stale. But in Brooklyn, where people who could no longer afford to live in Manhattan were moving, young musicians were forging a new, scuzzy, DIY music scene. From humble beginnings came the bands that defined an era – from The Strokes and dance-influenced mavericks LCD Soundsystem to women of colour trying to find their place, such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O and Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches. A time capsule capturing a very different America (the events of 9/11 are particularly moving here).
Fri 14 | Sat 15 | Sun 16
Directors: Dylan Southern, Will Lovelace. Producers: Vivienne Perry, Sam Bridger, Marisa Clifford, Thomas Benski, Danny Gabai, Suroosh Alvi. Country: UK
Family
The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess[Le Pharaon, le Sauvage et la princesse] – A trio of animated stories: in Sudan, young nobleman Tanwekamani and high-born Nasalsa are prevented from marrying due to her family’s desire that she should only be betrothed to a Pharaoh. In Medieval France, a young prince is expelled from the royal court and lives in the wild, helping people in need, to the annoyance of his father, the King. And in 18th-century Turkey, a penniless prince who has perfected the art of doughnut making is determined at all costs to meet the Rose Princess.
Sun 9 | Sun 16
Director- Screenwriter: Michel Ocelot. Producers: Christophe Rossignon, Eve Machuel, Philip Boeffard. Country: France
Neneh Superstar – 12-year-old Neneh dreams of attending the ballet school at Opera de Paris. It only accepts the most promising children from the whole of France, but Neneh’s raw talent guarantees her one of the coveted seven spaces available. But as she starts training, and despite her best efforts, it becomes clear that as a Black student Neneh is treated differently by her fellow pupils and the school’s teachers, prompting her to question her future there.
Sat 8
Director- Screenwriter: Ramzi Ben Sliman. Producers: Sidonie Dumas. Cast: Oumy Bruni-Garrel, Maïwenn, Aïssa Maïga. Country: France
Treasures
Contras’ City + Badou Boy – Contras’ City sets the self-conscious grandeur of Dakar’s colonial architecture against the sights and sounds of its local people, their ironic distance heightened by a soundtrack that veers between traditional kora and the Marseillaise. Badou Boy is even more dazzlingly inventive in its sound design, sketching a gallery of vibrant local characters into a wonderfully witty, darkly satirical play on Chaplin-esque comedy, as a policeman pursues the titular street urchin across the city.
Tue 11 | Fri 14
Contras’ City – Director: Djibril Diop Mambéty Badou Boy – Director- Screenwriter: Djibril Diop Mambéty. Cast: Lamine Ba, Al Demba Ciss, Christoph Colomb. Country: Senegal
The Passion of Remembrance – From Sankofa – the radical film collective – this film interrogates the Black British experience, fusing dramatic scenes of family life with documentary and mystical elements, to give richly imaginative witness to a ‘post-colonial’ identity that encompasses generational, class, sexual and gender differences. Vividly manipulated footage of urban unrest, police brutality, gay rights marches and the miners’ strike, alongside chopped-up sequences showing a buzzing London night life, are intertwined.
Sat 8 | Wed 12
Director- Screenwriter: Maureen Blackwood, Isaac Julien. Producers: Martina Attille. Cast: Anni Domingo, Antonia Thomas, Ram John Holder. Country: UK
Short Films
Watch short films for free 5 to 23 October on BFI Player.
Night Walks and Happy Never Afters – Love comes in many different forms and although it might not always be ‘till death us do part’, those brief encounters aren’t any less meaningful, nor the dark thoughts less intense. Wed 12
Outdoors – There’s an immediate chemistry between Bim and Nathan, but a chance encounter may jeopardise their tentative-yet-promising relationship before it even begins.
Director: John Fitzpatrick. Cast: Gabriel Constantin, Sam Goodchild, Nathan Ives-Moiba. UK | 13 Min
The Path of Most Resistance– There’s always a story to tell about the ups, downs and in-betweens of life. Every now and then, we get a little jolt that throws us off course. But it’s the way we navigate the obstacles – and each other – that matters. Wed 5
For Heidi – Sticking it to the man is often about defiance, but for Heidi this act of rebellion is a deeply personal act of remembrance.
Director-Screenwriter: Lucy Campbell. Cast: Charlotte Comer, Chloe Lea, Delroy Brown, Aliyah Soyinka. UK | 10 Min
Pram Snatcher – Becoming a parent is a daunting time for anyone and this hard-living couple just need one more big service station blow-out before they finally settle on the right course for their family.
Director-Screenwriter: Theo James Krekis. Cast: Jeanie Crystal, Michael Socha, Chris Forbes. UK | 12 Min
Spinning – When life is thrown out of sync for Robert, getting in his car and driving around town helps him keep one foot in his old life. But at some point, he needs to accept that things have changed.
Director: Sam Spruell. Cast: Patrick Baladi, Divian Ladwa, Bethan Mary-James, Jonny Phillips. UK | 10 Min
My Eyes Are Up Here – Sonya is a super-busy, sought-after model and dating doesn’t really fit her lifestyle. However, a one-night stand with a clumsy but considerate man changes her perspective.
Director: Nathan Morris. Cast: Ben Cura, Jillian Mercado, Pooky Quesnel, Colin Hoult. UK | 13 Min
Sticks of Fury – There are few things more important than linkin’ gyal, but when an opportunity arises to put some youngers in their place, Tobz knows what time it is.
Director: Yuan Hu. Cast: Samuel Anoon, Keiyon Cook, Demmy Ladipo. UK | 7 Min
Ritual and Magick – We experience a fever dream of Afro-futurism, a link between queer identity and ritual longing, and explore how dance and meditation connect us to our inner and outer beauty. Thu 11
Flowers – An Afro-futurist tale of love reclaimed through poetic storytelling to imagine how a Black fairytale would look.
Flowers – An Afro-futurist tale of love reclaimed through poetic storytelling to imagine how a Black fairytale would look.
Feel the Rush of Adrenalin – Your heart pulsates as you feel that rush of adrenalin. In our hyper-connected and demanding world, we embark on journeys that will alter the course of their lives forever. Sat 15
Mono No Aware – It’s late at night in Los Angeles. Kia and Iris seek expressions of love, sexuality and friendship in musical moments that provide the soundtrack to their lives. [Contains sexual content.]
Director-Producer: Quinton Kienow Dominguez. USA | 34 Min
Mars – Charlie Acaster longs to be a normal teenager. On an extraordinary night, she embarks on a magical journey. Inspired by Yungblud’s song Mars.
Director: Abel Rubinstein. Cast: Yasmin Finney, Leah Choudhry, Pete MacHale. UK | 20 Min
Short Films for Free
London Calling: Stories We Tell Ourselves – We all invent and rely on narratives in life. Whether we’re averting diplomatic crises, saving face in front of our peers, or grappling with mortality, sometimes what we need most desperately is to create our own reality. Sat 8 | Sat 15
Held – A teenage boy struggles to accept that he is the victim of a brutal and humiliating attack.
Director-Screenwriter: Toby Wharton. Cast: Rasaq Kukoyi, Ebenezer Gyau. UK | 12 Min
The Bower – In 1991, Seb takes Terri to Dungeness to witness Derek Jarman’s sainting by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Thirty years later, Terri takes Jude there following a difficult discovery.
Director-Screenwriter: Marco Alessi. Cast: Sharon D. Clarke, Paul Hilton, Jade Anouka, Arian Nik, Stuart Thompson. UK | 19 Min
Goodnight Henry – When the Prime Minister dies in scandalous circumstances, his advisor must salvage Britain’s trade deal with the visiting French ambassador, whilst limiting the damage a chambermaid may cause to the country’s reputation.
Director: Isher Sahota. Cast: Joseph Marcell, Sharon Roon, Ryan Gage. UK | 12 Min
London Calling: Crucibles of Connection – Four shorts that cut through to the very heart of human – or humanoid – relationships, reminding us that people are never as predictable as we think, and when we do manage to truly connect with someone, it’s rarely in ways we expect. Sat 8 | Sat 15
BabyDolls – Billy discovers he’s a toxic boyfriend once his BabyDoll begins to mirror his behaviour.
Director-Screenwriter: Calvin Demba. Cast: Frankie Wilson, Saffron Hocking, Louisa Harland. UK | 10 Min
Mai Jeruom – Bev and her family anticipate the verdict of her son’s trial.
Director-Screenwriter: Adjani Salmon. Cast: Clare Perkins, Gary Beadle, Jo Martin. UK | 15 Min
Hard to Reach – When an anxiety-fuelled mentor takes his disruptive teenage student on a photography trip, an altercation on a train leads to a cathartic exchange that changes them both.
Director-Screenwriter: Darryl Foster. Cast: Darryl Foster, Cory McClane. UK | 14 Min
Lions – Rosie, a Congolese teenager recently arrived in London, discovers the unwelcoming side of life in Britain when a misunderstanding with two window cleaners escalates into conflict.
Director-Screenwriter: Beru Tessema. Cast: Melodie Wakivuamina, Ka-Neileo Cope, Kurt Egyiawan, Morgan Watkins, Todd Carty. UK | France | 25 Min
Independent Film Trust Indie Film Fete Showcase – Indie Film Fete explores narratives overlooked or dismissed by the mainstream, including LGBTQIA+, race, gender, disability and neurodiversity, giving audiences the chance to gain access to film content that will enlighten and change perspectives. If you want to see films that make a difference, this one is for you. Sun 16
Uncle – Writer/director Michelle Jones lost her uncle (Kenneth Serverin) in 1995 when she was 14 years old. This film, based on fact, is a London-set coming of age story about a teenage girl whose uncle – who had no criminal record – dies in prison awaiting trial. Director: Michelle Jones
Baba – DCI Akono Baba is struggling to resolve a case involving a murder suspect with multiple personalities, offering a world of possibilities with a bigger puzzle to piece together. Director: Jess Collett
Free events – open to all.
FILM
The People’s Piazza: A History of Covent Garden – Over four centuries the Covent Garden Piazza has been a market, a meeting place, and a site of protest, performance and renewal. In this documentary David Olusoga walks back in time to explore its tumultuous 400 year history, and with the help of a host of experts and eye-witnesses, conjures up the ghosts of the past – market traders, orphans, sex workers and activists. Sun 9
Director- Screenwriter: Chris Durlacher. Presenter: David Olusoga. Producers: David Olusoga, Mary Crisp, Mike Smith, Prof. James Bennett, Prof. Will Saunders, Sarah Smyth, Ben Luxford, Gillian Scothern, Rhidian Davis, Deby Pinnock.
TALK
Destination Dancefloor – Following on from God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines and its examination of the cultural and technological roots of techno in Detroit, Mixmag’s Duncan Dick (author of Destination Dancefloor: A Global Atlas Of Dance Music And Club Culture) is joined by director Kristian R. Hill and a panel to discuss the film and explore how the genre has become such a huge worldwide phenomenon. Sun 9 | 16:00-17:00
MUSIC
DJ Night: God Said Give ’Em Drum Machines– A night of old-skool House and Techno with DJ Mista Pierre, the electronic music phenomenon created by 1980s Black artists that transformed dance music and blossomed into the multi-billion dollar EDM industry that it is today. Fri 7 | 21:00-01:00
DJ Night: Getting it Back– Inspired by the documentary Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande, DJ Perry Louis spins a purely vinyl set of 1970s funk. Alongside Cymande expect to hear the likes of Hi Tension, Light of the World, Central Line, Second Image, Delegation, Hot Chocolate, and Beggars & Co. Fri 14 | 21:00-01:00
Pitchblack Playback: Cymande – Cymande (1972) – An immersive album listening session in the dark! To compliment the LFF screening of Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande, Pitchblack Playback’s listening session in the dark takes you back to the Brit-funk legends’ 1972 debut. Packed with their heavily-sampled, virtuosic fusions of funk, jazz, soul and African styles, it makes for a hugely invigorating listen. Staying in your seat will be a challenge. Sat 15 | 15:00-16:00
29 September – 2 October 2022 Genesis Cinema, 93-95 Mile End Road, London E1 4UJ
This year’s programme has several films with strong black female protagonists, including the opening night film, a special preview of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s anticipated historical epic THE WOMAN KING[29 Sept] – starring Viola Davis alongside Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and John Boyega, it’s the story of the all-female Agojie warrior unit who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s.
OPENING NIGHT: THE WOMAN KING + DIRECTOR INTRO
There’s a special Black History Month gala screening of STUDIO 17: THE LOST REGGAE TAPES[30 Sept], presented in partnership with Kush Films and including a reggae party with a guest live performance. Screening in celebration of Jamaica’s 60th Year Independence Anniversary, the film features interviews with the likes of Jimmy Cliff, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly Dunbar, Levi Roots, and Maxi Priest.
Studio 17: The Lost Reggae Tapes + Party
Emmy-award winning director Daresha Kyi’s documentary MAMA BEARS[1 Oct] features as one of its main protagonists an African American mother whose love for her gay daughter has challenged her beliefs and made her a fierce advocate for the entire queer community. And award-winning documentary FRAMING AGNES[1 Oct] features an all-star cast of transgender artists and performers, including Pose star Angelica Ross, alongside archive footage featuring the likes of Laverne Cox.
Mama BearsFraming Agnes
There’s also another chance to see THE GRAVEDIGGER’S WIFE[2 Oct], a multi-award winner at the Africa Movie Academy Awards and a champion at film festivals.
The Gravedigger’s Wife
Other films include: the closing night UK Premiere of PURE GRIT[2 Oct], documenting a young Native American bareback horse racer; andTO KILL THE BEAST[30 Sept] following a teenage girl on the hunt for her long-missing brother.
Pure GritTo Kill the Beast
Find more details of these and other films and events via the Fragment Festival website: www.fragmentsfest.com
“The second edition of the Brent Biennial, In the House of my Love, brings together artists and community groups whose works explore the many meanings of homemaking. The Biennial asks how, and why, the act of making home can be a form of resistance and survival within the context of hostile environments—including those of racism, homophobia, ableism, climate catastrophe and political austerity.
I Carry It With Me Everywhere
In the House of my Love takes place in three cluster locations in the south of the borough: Kilburn, Willesden and Harlesden. Presenting 12 artists’ projects, sited in 10 different venues and public spaces, open and free for audiences to visit throughout the summer months.”
#Windrush: Brent Celebrates Windrush Day 2022 – Live Stream event from Willesden Green | 1 to 1:45pm
Recipe for a Happy Mind – Linett Kamala’s Caribbean Kitchen Studio
Brent, Harlesden born artist Linett Kamala brings her vibrant Caribbean Kitchen Studio installation inspired by the kitchen of her mother, Annie Thompson to The Library at Willesden Green for one day only.
Join Linett and guests via live stream as they explore the power of the plant-based food from the Caribbean diaspora.
A celebration of books and everyone who brings them to life
Mon May 23, 2022 | 19:00 – 02:00 | London and Online
“They affirm, connect and energise all who have a hand in creating books and all who read them, by showcasing the authors and illustrators who who have stirred our hearts and imaginations, and the industry behind the scenes who have brought them to readers.”
Winners:
Overall Winner and Children’s Non-fiction Book of the Year
You Are A Champion How to be the best you can be – Marcus Rashford, Carl Anka
The final panel of judges crowned the winner of Children’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year, You Are a Champion, as The British Book Awards’ Overall Book of the Year. They felt it was an “authentic”, “singular” book that impressively retained Marcus Rashford’s voice.
Illustrator of the Year Winner
Dapo Adeola
Adeola’s work centres on visibility and representation and his collaboration with Malorie Blackman in 2021, We’re Going to Find the Monster, reimagined Marty Monster for a new generation with created Charlie, a Black child with vitiligo, leading the adventure. Hey You!, written and illustrated by Adeola, in collaboration with 18 other Black illustrators, was also named Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year.
Début Fiction Book of the Year Winner
Open Water – Caleb Azumah Nelson
Caleb Azumah Nelson’s Open Water was a standout début in this category. It is a “story that needs to be told”, agreed the judges. At once a love story and an “honest” portrayal of the Black experience in south London, the début examines masculinity in a “beautiful, vulnerable” way.
Non-Fiction: NarrativeBook of the Year Winner
Empireland : How Imperialism has Shaped Modern Britain – Sathnam Sanghera
Sathnam Sanghera’s first history book examines how imperialism has shaped modern Britain, and Empireland awed the panel with its content, impact and publishing. “Brilliant”, “powerful” and “moving” were just some of the accolades given by the judges, who described the book as a “journey of discovery”.
Discover Book of the Year Winner
Keisha The Sket – Jade LB
Keisha the Sket was commended by the judges for showcasing the “poetry, rhythm and place of a talented writer”, a then-13-year-old Jade LB. #Merky Books produced a tripartite book containing the original, unedited story (written in Noughties text speak), the rewritten edited story, plus essays from contemporary writers.
Choosing this winner marked a “historical moment” for the judges, who fell in love with Dapo Adeola’s “visionary” picture book featuring the work of 18 Black illustrators (plus Adeola) in collaboration. Inspired by Black Lives Matter, Adeola wanted to draw attention to the variety of people that make up the Black diaspora.
Author of the year Winner
Marion Keys
Fiction Book of the Year Winner
Sorrow & Bliss – Meg Mason
Pageturner Book of the Year Winner
Small Pleasures – Clare Chambers
Fiction:Crime and Thriller Book of the Year Winner
The Dark Remains – William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin
Non-Fiction: LifestyleBook of the Year Winner
The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present – Paul McCartney
Children’s Fiction Book of the Year Winner
When the Sky Falls – Phil Earle
Audiobook: Non-Fiction Book of the Year Winner
Windswept & Interesting – Written and narrated by Billy Connolly
Audiobook: Fiction Book of the Year Winner
Wizards of Once: Never and Forever – Cressida Cowell, narrated by David Tennant
Shortlisted Books to note:
Children’s Fiction Book of the Year
Ace of Spades – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Début Fiction Book of the Year Winner
Assembly – Natasha Brown
Luster – Raven Leilani
Mrs Death Misses Death – Salena Godden
Discover Book of the Year
Maybe I Don’t Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery – David Harewood
Children’s Non-fiction Book of the Year
First Questions and Answers: What is racism? – Katie Daynes and Jordan Akpojaro, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat
Grown: The Black Girls’ Guide to Glowing Up – Melissa Cummings-Quarry and Natalie A Carter, illustrated by Dorcas Magbadelo
Audiobook: Non-Fiction Book of the Year
What Happened to You? – Written and narrated by Oprah Winfrey and Dr Bruce Perry
Will – Will Smith and Mark Manson, narrated by Will Smith
“The Black Cop is the winner of the British Short Film category at the 75th British Academy Film Awards. This intimate portrait of Gamal ‘G’ Turawa, an ex-Metropolitan police officer, explores his memories of racially profiling and harassing black people and homophobia in his early career.”
Lin Kam Art
You Are A Champion How to be the best you can be – Marcus Rashford, Carl Anka 
Dapo Adeola
Open Water – Caleb Azumah Nelson
Empireland : How Imperialism has Shaped Modern Britain – Sathnam Sanghera
Keisha The Sket – Jade LB 
Hey You – Dapo Adeola
JampotMedia 