29 SEPTEMBER – 8 OCTOBER 2006
SOUVENIR GUIDE £1 BR ING ING TH E UN SE EN TO LIG HT WW W. BF MM ED IA .CO M
V E N U E I N F O R M AT I O N
CONTENTS
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29 September – 5 October 2006 Forward AMC Theatres UK Ltd Broadway Plaza, 220 Ladywood Middleway, Birmingham B16 8LP Tickets £5.00 /£3.50 bfm members & cons Group of 10 people: ticket £3.50 each Special bfm Festival Pass for AMC screenings www.amccinemas.co.uk Booking line 0870 755 5657
Introduction Midlands Overview Timetable Idlewild -gala Screening
4 October – 8 October 2006
Hip-hop Article
LIGHT HOUSE The Chubb Buildings Fryer St Wolverhampton www.light-house.co.uk: Booking line: 0871 200 2000 Tickets: £4.90/ £3.70 bfm members & cons Group of 10 people: ticket £3.70 each Special bfm Festival Pass £28.00 for any eight Light House screenings throughout the festival.
Us Strand
Tickets are available from all cinema box offices or online. Visit www.bfmmedia.com for the latest information.
Caribbean Strand
Faith Strand Latin Strand Africa Strand
Uk Talent: Rulers & Dealers Uk Talent: Ashley Walters
Discounts: Why not take out a bfm film club annual membership which will give film lovers great discounts on bfm: film club screenings · international festival screenings ·
Short Film Awards: Profile- Malachi Profile - John Le Rose Hip-hop Horror Seminars
bfm Midlands Office ACMC 339 Dudley Road Birmingham B18 4HB bfm Midlands Hotline (0121) 678 6039
Festival Credits
www.bfmmedia.com
Email us on membership@bfmmedia.com or call the festival hotline on 0121 678 6039 for more information.
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A F R FI CO AR NW A R D
Stephen Timms, Chief Secretary to the Treasury
“Congratulations on bfm’s 8th International Film Festival. I am delighted to see such a wide range of films being screened in London, and in the Midlands too. Britain’s diversity is increasingly a source of admiration from around the world, and a source of our economic prosperity too. The festival will help promote greater understanding of different cultures, raise awareness and bring diversity and choice through world cinema, which all parts of the community can enjoy. One of the Government’s strategic priorities is to increase the impact of culture and sports to enrich individuals’ lives, strengthen communities and improve the places where people live now and in the future. The celebration of cultures through this festival supports these aims and is going – I know – to be hugely enjoyable. I wish the festival every success.”
“Film is about telling stories. Yet again, the talent showcased and diversity of films being exhibited demonstrates great storytelling and is truly impressive. I’d like to congratulate everyone involved. This is why Skillset is delighted to work closely with bfm and is happy to support the bfm International Film Festival.”
Dinah Caine, Chief Executive of Skillset
"I am delighted to see the bfm International Film Festival continue to go from strength to strength. This year's programme is, as ever, truly international in flavour, and I am sure that the movie-goers will come away inspired, provoked, and moved by the cinema on offer.
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David Lammy MP for Tottenham Parliamentary under Secretary of State Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
INTRODUCTION
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“Bringing the Unseen to Light” One of the festival’s main aims is to bring black world cinema to you. Many of the films we are screening are not available to view elsewhere, you will not find most these films in your cinemas, on TV at your local Blockbusters or even among the pirates. This why our festival was establish so that we all can embrace a new world of cinema. So here is your chance to see some of what you have been missing.
In addition to our magazine and monthly film club screenings we also have our own film review TV programme Rollin’ on Sky Digital Channel 183 - Passion TV. Go to www.bfmmedia.com for more information on the range of bfm services.
Ionie Richards, Festival Director
Menelik Shabazz, Festival Founder
We thank the Hip-Hop Association of America and Something from Brazil, who have both collaborated with us on several screenings within this year’s programme, all our sponsors for their support to help make this event a success and we thank you, the audience, for your continued attendance to this key event in our annual festival calendar. So sit back and feast on the fantastic selection we have for you this year. Priscilla Igwe, Executive Director
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As well showcasing international work the festival places importance in providing a vehicle for black British talent, giving them a unique opportunity to show their work to mainstream audiences and this year is no exception. We have come a long way in the last year as the bfm brand expands and goes from strength to strength. We are delighted that we have not only been able to extend the festival in London this year but we will take it to the Midlands at the end of September so that regional audiences can also enjoy the fantastic programme we offer to our London audiences.
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MIDLANDS OVERVIEW Welcome to bfm international Film Festival in the Midlands. This is the second event in partnership with bfm, the first one took place during bfm’s inaugural year in 1999. While there have been numerous screening events across the region over the years, ranging from one day to a whole weekend, this is the first ever ten days festival dedicated to world cinema in the region that we are aware of.
Pauline Bailey
We have begun forging a number of partnerships with other stakeholders in the region and hope to develop many more over time to make this Midlands event a regular occurrence. Thanks to Screen West Midlands and the UK Film Council it has been possible to expand on bfm’s outreach that started so many years ago. I hope we can extend the partnership to include the East and South Midlands and other interested parties within the Black Country.
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We have a number of strands to appeal to a wide range of audiences, which include, US/Latin American, Hip-Hop, UK Talent, Caribbean and Faith strand, plus an African strand. There’s also been a bumper pack of entries for the Midlands Shorts Award with many African-Caribbean and Asian filmmakers from the region submitting their work. This package is being screened at both AMC and Light House cinemas (voting will take place at AMC and winners are to be announced at the Lighthouse screening). There is also a diverse array of FREE seminar/workshop events to choose from for those budding filmmakers across the region. Whatever you decide there’s something to choose from for all the aspiring writers, producers, and directors amongst you out there. Enjoy and help us make this a festival of many to remember in years to come. Check out the website for all the latest information on www.bfmmedia.com Pauline Bailey Festival Coordinator 0121 678 6039 midlands@bfmmedia.com
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SKILLSET
Skillset supports talent across the film industry through its five year film skills strategy, A Bigger Future which addresses the skills and creative development of the entire workforce to help ensure that UK film talent has the world beating skills needed to compete in an increasingly tough global marketplace. Since the launch of A Bigger Future in September 2003, £3m has been invested in the continual professional development of the existing workforce and £2.3m in training new entrants, benefiting more than 3200 individuals. Highlights to date include: Skillset Screen Academy Network – centres of excellence in film education across the UK. The Network, which consists of 6 Screen Academies and 1 Film Business Academy, is endorsed by the UK film industry as providing the best education and skills development for the future workforce at a further, higher and postgraduate level. The 7 academies in England, Scotland, and Wales will share over £5m funding and will work together to provide new courses - including the first ever film MBA - summer schools, work placements, master classes, bursaries, online learning resources and a talent scout programme to help develop the brightest and the best.
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To find out more visit www.skillset.org/academies Guiding Lights Guiding Lights is a groundbreaking and innovative new mentoring project pairing 26 of the hottest new talents in the UK - from directors and producers to distributors and sales agents - with established industry figures such as Gurinder Chadha; Julian Fellowes; Michael Kuhn; and Paul Greengrass. Mentoring is an invaluable way to tap into the knowledge and experience of others especially in the film industry where many vital skills are learnt on the job.
Timeshift – an initiative to help experienced film professionals with primary child care responsibilities return to work by providing job sharing roles on film productions. Animation Bridge – an intensive 12 week specialised programme in Maya animation techniques for experienced animators held at Aardman Animations in Bristol. Grips Apprenticeship Scheme – an 18 month placement based scheme with monthly one day workshops. Escape Studios VFX | Production Grade – production training for aspiring CG artists consisting of 5 months full-time training at Escape Studios working on production projects followed by a 2-month work placement at a top UK post-house. Skillset Film Lab – a year long programme of workshops for actors to develop their skills in the medium of film led by high-powered practitioners including Brain Cox and Ewan MacGregor. Angels Wardrobe Scheme – an 18 month structured, work based training programme within Angels, the world's leading costume company, for prospective wardrobe assistants. New Producer Training Scheme – a 1 year scheme run by Samuelson’s Productions placing new producers across the film value chain. For more information on visit www.skillset.org/film
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T I M E TA B L E - A M C C I N E M A B I R M I N G H A M DATE
TIME
VENUE (SCREEN NO)
SHORTS FEATURES
Fri 29 Sept Opening Night Film
20.30
AMC
Idlewild Cert 18
Sat 30 Sept US/Hip Hop Strand
14:00
AMC
*4Real (24mins) *Beyond Beats and Rhymes USA, 82mins
16:00
AMC
Anne B Real
16:30
AMC
Flip the Script 86mins
20:30
AMC
Diary of a Tired Black Man (100mins) Q&A with Director
Sun 01 Oct Faith Strand
16.00
AMC
Preaching to the Choir, USA,103mins
Africa
18.30
AMC
A Black Scholar Investigates Colonialism (26mins) + Slave Reparations: The Final Passage (28mins) + Lions Mountains (54mins) & Louis Buckley Director tbc. Total run time 108 mins
Faith Strand
20.30
AMC
Reunion
Mon 02 Oct Latin Strand
18.30
AMC
*Resistencia (51mins) + *Inventos (50mins)
20.30
AMC
Love & Suicide, 90mins
Tues 03 Oct UK Talent
18.30
AMC
Rulers & Dealers UK, 93 mins
20.30
AMC
UK Midlands short Awards programmeAudience Vote 8 UK shorts ( run time 105mins 50 sec mins)
Wed 04 Oct Caribbean
18.30
AMC
Queens of Sound , Austria/Jamaica, 74mins
20.30
AMC
Coping with Babylon US/Jamaica,80mins
18.30
AMC
Police Beat 80mins & Release 13mins
20.30
AMC
The adventures of Super N*gger (15mins) Bastards of the Party (95mins)
Thurs 05 Oct US
T I M E TA B L E - L I G H T H O U S E W O LV E R H A M P T O N
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DATE
TIME
VENUE (SCREEN NO)
SHORTS FEATURES
Fri 06 Oct Opening Night Film
20.30
Cinema 1
Madea’s Family Re-union,USA, 107mins
14:00
Cinema 1
Winning Lisa 20mins Lark & Cher 50 mins
14:15
Studio
Letter to the President,USA,90mins
16.00
Cinema 1
Icons, 13mins * United Nations of Hip Hop(9:30min) + *Bling: Consequences and Repercussions (11:30mins *Docta Know (10:16)+ *Hali Halsi (30mins) * Male Groupie (20mins)
16:15
Studio
*Estilo (11mins) + *Haste Siempre 60 mins
18.15
Cinema 1
Love Trap (105mins)
18:30
Studio
**Programas (80mins)
20:30
Cinema 1
Gold Digger Killer 74mins,
16.00
Cinema 1
Diary of a Mad Black Woman 116mins
16:15
Studio
Dream to Change the World 75mins
18.15
Studio
The Origins of Aids, Canada/France,90mins
18:30
Cinema 1
Midlands Short Programme + winner of audience voted film 105mins 50 sec
20:30
Cinema 1
Sun 8th Oct US/UK Talent
Closing Film Diary of a Tired Black Man (100mins) Q&A with Director tbc
*Screenings presented in collaboration with ‘The Hip-Hop Association’
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Sat 7 Oct US/Hip Hop /Latin Strand
GALA OPENING NIGHT SCREENING -AMC
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Set against the stunning backdrop of a 1930s Southern speakeasy, Idlewild explores the lives of the club’s shy piano player, Percival (André Benjamin), and the club’s showy lead performer and ladies’ man, Rooster (Antwan Patton). Combining drama, music and Cinema Idlewild stylish portrays a series of struggling performers in their quest for love, fame and success. Written and directed by first time feature film director and longtime OutKast music video collaborator, Bryan Barber, Idlewild beautifully showcases lavish musical numbers choreographed by legendary performer and three-time Tony winner Hinton Battle. Set in the 1930s ‘Deep South’ Idlewild features an invigorating array of new songs from OutKast, who has created the soundtrack for the movie. The all-star cast is a roster of some of the most notable performers in film and music today. In addition to Andre Benjamin (Be Cool) as Percival and Antwan Patton, who stars as Rooster, the
multi-talented cast includes Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible), Oscar® nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Crash), stunning newcomer Paula Patton, Faizon Love (Just My Luck), Malinda Williams (Soul Food), comedian Bruce Bruce (Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector), legendary recording artist Patti LaBelle (On the One), singer Macy Gray (Training Day), veteran stage actor Bill Nunn (Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3, Do the Right Thing), Tony® Award winner Ben Vereen (Why Do Fools Fall In Love) and Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner Cicely Tyson (The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman). Set against the stunning backdrop of a 1930s Southern speakeasy, Idlewild explores the lives of the club’s shy piano player, Percival (André Benjamin), and the club’s showy lead performer and ladies’ man, Rooster (Antwan Patton). Combining drama, music and cinema Idlewild stylish portrays a series of struggling performers in their quest for love, fame and success. 29 Sept – 8.30pm AMC Cinema Cert 15
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Idlewild
In collaboration with the US Hip-Hop Association, bfm are pleased to bring to the festival over 20 hip-hop films from the US, Africa and Latin America, many tackling common issues of political and social policies, racism, corruption and the impact of hip-hop as an instrument to effect change. We have full length features such as Anne B Real, Golddigger Killer a hip-hop horror, Letter to the President that looks at US politics over the last 30 years, to global musical excursions into Africa in documentaries such as Docta Know and Bling: Consequences and Repercussions. We also include Latin films that give a voice to the youth in countries like Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico. The Hip-Hop Association was founded in 2002 in Harlem to foster, facilitate, and preserve hip-hop culture! Their mission is to utilize the culture as a tool to encourage critical thinking, social change and unity, while empowering communities through media, education, preservation, and leadership initiatives.
Through H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] media initiative the association has produced the largest hip-hop film festival in the world, highlighting the best films and filmmakers. Its mission is to create cultural sustainability & industry longevity by supporting the use of hip-hop culture as a tool for social awareness & youth empowerment. The organisation works with aspiring and experienced filmmakers, encouraging them to develop and create new work that showcases positive images of hip-hop culture. "The Community of filmmakers inspired by hip-hop culture is much larger than many people realize. It is inspiring to see this work gaining increasing recognition. These filmmakers have an important voice that resonates globally, enriching the entire filmmaking community," says Rolando Brown, Executive Director of the Hip-Hop Association. This partnership with bfm will provide a unique opportunity to showcase the best of global hip hop to hungry UK audiences. For more information on the Hip-Hop Association and it’s initiatives visit www.hiphopassociation.org.
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HIP-HOP
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16 US
bfm brings a touch of not just Hollywood but a broad US indie strand to this year’s festival from blockbusters like Idlewild A musical set in the Prohibition-era American South, starring Andre Benjamin (Outkast) and films like Flip the Script a drama comedy featuring well-known actress Robin Givens to quirky small independent budget films like Police Beat which cast a rare eye on the US from an immigrant’s perspective and an unusual film under a new banner called hip-hop horror Golddigger Killer showing the underbelly of the culture. The US strand includes not just feature films but strong documentaries that will challenge such as Bastards of the Party on gang violence set in Los Angeles, providing a critique on a section of the community that is at risk of imploding.
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We also have the film that everyone is talking about - Diary of a Tired Black Man. First-time filmmaker Tim Alexander, who enjoys being provocative, says there's a disease out there that he calls the "angry black woman syndrome" that must be identified, diagnosed and treated. Is this film the response to films like Diary of Mad Black Woman? Starring Kimberley Elise which deals with relationships family, faith, female empowerment. Watch them both and you decide. This year the festival has attracted a huge interest from US directors to our London festival keen to promote their films to UK audiences which will be regional premieres at the Midlands festival. Sheila Marie Norman Reunion, Frank B Goodin II, Love Trap, Parrish Smith, Programas, Tiayoka McMillan Flip the Script, Miles Maker, Lark and Cher are just some of the wide selection of films we have on offer.
Anne B. Real* Dir: Lisa France USA, 2003, 90mins This coming of age tale set in the heart of New York is about a teenage girl Cynthia who uses the Diary of Anne Frank as her muse, as well as the events in her life, creates her own journal through rhymes. Cynthia is an introverted girl longs to be a hip-hop star but hides her true talent from others, only practicing her rhymes in the privacy of her own bathroom. Will Cynthia finally break free from all that is holding her back and embrace her true self? 11 Sept, 6.30pm : ICA Cinema 2
Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs in on Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture* Double Bill Dir/Producer: Byron Hurt USA, 2006, 60mins This 2006 Sundance Film Festival selection is a riveting documentary that examines representations of manhood, sexism and homophobia in hip-hop culture. Features highly revealing interviews with famous rappers such as Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, along with cultural commentary from Michael Eric Dyson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Kevin Powell, and Sarah Jones.
17 Dir/Producer: Sol Guy, Josh Thome. USA, 2006, 24mins 4 Real is a series of shows that takes celebrity guests on adventures around the world to expose real stories of real heroes creating real change on real issues. This series of half hour shows highlights young leaders, who under extreme circumstances are doing innovative and inspirational work. 30 Sept -2pm, AMC Cinema
Flip the Script Regional Premiere Dir: Terrah Bennett Smith, USA, 2005, 86mins This romantic comedy tells the charming story of six college friends in their 30s brought back to Los Angeles for the untimely death of a mutual friend. Forced with having to plan a funeral together, the friends use the occasion to reacquaint themselves with each other which results in the re-surfacing of old feelings and unfinished business. The film explores the heartbreaks and joys of life through friendship and love. Cast includes Miguel A. Nunez Jr. and Robin Givens. 30 Sept-6.30pm AMC Cinema
Diary of a Tired Black Man
Regional Premiere Dir: Tim Alexander, USA, 2006, 100mins This film is causing a stir in the US even before it is released. Diary of a Tired Black Man, a movie ostensibly designed as an answer to what many may regard as “brother-bashing, revenge comedies� such as Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Waiting to Exhale. This is the story about complex relationships between black men and black women. It follows the life and relationships of a successful black man looking for love. He is constantly challenged by the anger of the black women he gets involved with. Watch the movie and join the debate into the reality of black relationships. 30 Sept-8.30pm AMC Cinema Screening followed by director Q & A
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4 Real*
18 US
Police Beat + Supporting Short
Bastards of the Party + Supporting Short
Regional Premiere Dir: Robinson Devor, USA, 2005 , 80mins English and Wolof (Subtitles) Crime drama attempts to chart the emotional state of a Seattle cop from Senegal as he responds to crimes around the city and obsesses about his girlfriend, who may or may not be sleeping with another man. An unusual portrait of an immigrant new to the United States.
Regional Premiere Dir: Cle Sloan, USA, 2005, 95mins Bastards of the Party traces the rise of the notorious Bloods and Crips gangs in Los Angeles. While serving a jail term on a murder rap, Sloan, a member of the Athens Park division of the Bloods, began exploring the history of the Southern California street gangs the Bloods and the Crips. The documentary examines five decades of gang violence in Southern California between the notorious Los Angeles street gangs the Crips and the Bloods, the so-called bastard children of the radical 60s Black Panther Party. The film reveals the staggering dance of death between police and blacks that would come to haunt future generations. 5 Oct -8.30pm AMC Cinema
Release (Supporting Short)
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Regional Premiere Dir: Nadine Patterson, UK/USA 2006, 13mins Mira received an opportunity to work in America and leave behind her husband and daughter in the UK. Can the family survive this separation? 5 Oct -6.30pm AMC Cinema
The Adventures of Supern*gger (Supporting Short) Regional Premiere Dir: Alrick Brown, USA, 2005, 15mins The Adventures of Supern*gger: Episode I, The Final Chapter is a fantastic tale of a superhero who comes face to face with his arch-nemesis‌ who will prevail? The story is a satire on the state of police brutality. 5 Oct -8.30pm AMC Cinema
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GALA OPENING NIGHT SCREENING
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Madea's Family Reunion Dir: & Writer Tyler Perry, 107mins, USA, 2006 bfm International Film Festival opener in Wolverhampton is the Regional Premiere of Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion which grossed over $30m on its opening weekend at the US box office. The film follows on from the success of Perry’s previous film the award-winning Diary of a Mad Black Woman starring Kimberly Elise which was well received at last year’s festival. ased upon the acclaimed stage production, Tyler Perry’s Madea's Family Reunion continues the adventures of southern
matriarch Madea begun in the hit film Diary of a Mad Black Woman. An unstoppable force of nature, Madea may have finally taken on more than she can chew. She has just been court ordered to be in charge of Nikki, a rebellious runaway, her nieces Lisa and Vanessa are suffering relationship trouble, and through it all she has to organize her family reunion. The cast includes Tyler Perry, Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield, Boris Kodjoe, Henry Simmons, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Maya Angelou and Cicely Tyson. 6 Oct-8.30pm Light House Cinema 1
21 Letter to the President*
Winning Lisa & Supporting Short Regional Premiere Dir: Nikki Young USA, 2005, 50mins He loves you...he loves you not...he breaks your heart... and now he wants you back? Sometimes love is a rollercoaster ride. What would it take to make you ride one more time? Winning Lisa is a romantic comedy about two people trying to find their way back together through spiritual growth, forgiveness and redemption.
Dir: Thomas Gibson, USA, 2004, 90mins This feature-length documentary showcases hip-hop's close-knit ties to America's social and political policies in the last thirty years. Witness rap's birth from civil rights and black power movements and its own progression from being music heard at weekend block parties to its lyrics being debated in the halls of Congress. It delves deeply into President Ronald Reagan's policies that negatively affected minority communities and inspired pioneer rap artists such as Grandmaster Melle Mel and Run DMC to tell the whole world about it in song. Artists such as Russell Simmons struggled to get laws overturned that targeted those minorities. 7 Oct-2.15pm Light House Studio
Regional Premiere Dir: Miles Maker, USA, 2006, 20mins (Supporting Short) Lark & Cher confronts inter-related issues of sexuality and religion when secret lovers risk an intimate moment with dire consequences! Lark is trapped between her family's religious beliefs and her romantic relationship with Cher. When fate forces Lark's hand, will she make a choice, or will someone choose for her? Lark & Cher features compelling performances, high drama and a shocking conclusion. 7 Oct-2pm Light House Cinema 1.
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Lark & Cher
22 US
Golddigger Killer Regional Premiere Dir: Jeff Carroll, USA, 2006, 74mins Award-winning horror story that reveals the not-so glamorous side of “Playas” and “Golddiggers” mentality and how they interact. A rape victim seeks to rid the world of misogyny. Set in the flashy world of hiphop and poetry with cameos by some of the hottest poets seen on HBO Def Poetry and comics seen on BET. Awarded Best Feature at the H2O Hip Hop Film Festival and Best horror at the Miami Underground Film Festival. (Scenes of violence & strong language) 7 Oct-8.30pm Light House Cinema 1
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Love Trap Regional Premiere Dir: Frank B Goodin II USA, 2005, 105mins, In Love Trap we meet Richard – a smooth talking law student – hanging out with the guys at a local sports bar. When Angel – a seductive vixen in a red dress – appears from nowhere and smothers him with attention, he’s embarrassed to be in a situation that most guys wish for. Faced with temptation, Richard makes an innocent suggestion that, in an incredible fashion, wrecks his life. Insightful tale that questions the true nature of love. 7 Oct-6,15pm Light House Cinema 1
23 Diary of a Mad Black Woman Regional Premiere Dir Darren Grant, USA, 2005, 116mins, US box office hit and award nominated film written by Tyler Perry. The story focuses on Helen McCarter (Kimberly Elise), who has seemingly had the perfect life with husband Charles McCarter (Steve Harris) when he suddenly announces that he wants a divorce. Through the assistance of her family, faith, and a twist of fate, Helen finds the strength and empowerment she needs to get control of her circumstances. With a little help from Madea. 8 0ct-4pm Light House Cinema 1
Diary of a Tired Black Man for love. He is constantly challenged by the anger of the black women he gets involved with. First Time Filmmaker Tim Alexander says there is a disease out there that he calls the “angry black woman syndrome.” He says it must be identified, diagnosed and treated. Tony Sewell writes from the Voice newspaper that the film is “payback time for us men.” Is it really this simple? Watch the movie and join the debate into the reality of black relationships. 8 Oct-8.30pm Light House Cinema 1 Screening followed by director Q & A
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Closing Night Film Regional Premiere Dir: Tim Alexander, USA, 2006, 100mins A sell out at the festival’s London screenings, this film is causing a stir in the US and UK even before it is released. Diary of a Tired Black Man, a movie ostensibly designed as an answer to what many may regard as “brother-bashing, revenge comedies” such as Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Waiting to Exhale. This is the story about complex relationships between black men and black women. It follows the life and relationships of a successful black man looking
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FA I T H Films like The Passion of the Christ (2004) and The Da Vinci Code (2006) brought box office successes and a renewed interest in faith films in recent years. This revival has brought not only secular but new main steam audiences to faith based films many of which has sought to question and tackle wider societal issues. The exciting range of films we have selected offers all of these. Medea’s Family Reunion starring Tyler Perry is very much from this stable as well as Preaching to the Choir both films provides a common platform to stories of redemption and forgiveness.
Reunion Regional Premiere Dir: Sheila Marie Norman/Prod: Jerry Norman III 2005, USA, 109mins A dying woman Dominique (Carolyn Owens) begrudgingly attends her family reunion, which is plagued with internal family rivalries including a longstanding antagonism between her and her younger sister Ce Ce (Trisha Mann). A story of forgiveness and healing. 1 Oct- 8.30pm AMC Cinema
Preaching to the Choir
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Regional Premiere Dir: Charles Randolph Wright, USA, 2005, 103mins Estranged since the death of their parents years ago, twin brothers, Teshawn and Wesley Tucker, have taken radically different paths in life. Wesley has become a minister in a Harlem gospel church while Teshawn perpetrates the gangster lifestyle as hip-hop star Zulu. Teshawn and Wes must confront their own demons and attempt to work out their differences. Through the intersection of gospel and hip-hop, the sacred and the secular weaves a story of unconditional love and redemption. Starring Tim Reid, Patti LaBelle & Eartha Kitt. 1 Oct- 4pm AMC Cinema
26 L AT I N
The 8th bfm International Film Festival in collaboration with both Something from Brasil’s 2nd UK Brasilian Film Festival and the US based Hip-Hop Association pay homage to Afro-Brazilian Cinema and to showcase the influence and impact of hip-hop on Latin American societies.
Documentary Shorts double bill Programme looking at the influence of hip hop in Latin societies against a backdrop of racism, corrupt governments, and poverty in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, oppressive social conditions in Cuba and war torn Columbia
Brazil has the largest population of African descent out of the continent of Africa and certainly the richest body of cinematic work concerning the black experience in Latin America. Internationally-renowned filmmakers such as Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Carlos Diegues, Glauber Rocha, Paulo Cezar Saraceni, Zozimo Bulbul and Joel Zito Araujo, have immortalized the rich human experience of one of the most vibrant groups in the New World. Zeze Mota, Grande Otelo, Milton Gonçalves, Zozimo Bulbul, Mauricio Gonçalves and many other powerful Afro-Brazilian actors and actresses have contributed in front of the camera to the personification of many of the characters that made history in Brazilian cinema.
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bfm and The 2nd UK Brasilian Film Festival will showcase a startling look at the racial situation of black Brazilians from diverse walks of life - musicians, politicians, activists, social workers, actors, street kids, etc…- in contemporary Brazil. It addresses political, economic, social and cultural issues. Films that have contributed to a new analysis of the black experience in Brasil and escapes the stereotypes generally associated with the country. In association with the Hip-Hop Association, bfm also provides a rare and insightful documentary short programme on Latin hip-hop. Estilo Hip-Hop, Inventos: Hip-Hop Cubano Contemporary Cuba and Resistencia focuses on the influence of hip-hop in Latin countries against a backdrop of racism, corrupt governments, poverty in Brasil, Chile Mexico and oppressive social conditions in Cuba and war torn Columbia.
Inventos: Hip-Hop Cubano* Dir: Eli-Jacobs Fantauzzi Cuba/USA, 2003, 50mins Cuban hip-hop provides a unique insight into contemporary Cuba. Inventos follows some of the pioneers of this musical movement to their homes, the stage and as they travel abroad for the first time. Just as Hip-Hop in the U.S. began as a form of creative self-expression bringing awareness to oppressive social conditions, Cuban hip-hop demonstrates the indestructible spirit born from a people suppressed by the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Both cultures reflect similar social struggles and shows, if brought together, can build a collective community dedicated to spreading messages of truth and empowerment globally.
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L AT I N Resistencia: Hip-Hop in Colombia*
Programas**
Dir: Tom Feiling UK, 2002, 51mins Resistencia offers a rare look at the hip-hop street subculture in civil war-torn Colombia, while at the same time exploring how traditional Latino music is being infiltrated by rap. The film explores how young Colombians feel about the crisis afflicting their country and the impact it has on their lives. These youths turn to rap as a way to express their points of view on the long-running violence, cultural crisis and the global cocaine trade. It shows how hip-hop culture has a major impact far from the "bling bling" of the U.S. music industry. 2 Oct- 6.30pm AMC Cinema
Regional Premiere Dir: Parrish Smith, Brazil, 2006, 80mins Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s most travelled destinations, partly due to it’s country’s exotic women, and greatly due to the ‘garota de programa’ or in short ‘programa’. Programas exposes the prostitution and sexual tourism on beaches of Copacabana, within the landscapes of Rio de Janeiro. Driven by poverty and sheer opportunity, the cameras follow five programas as they vividly explain their worth and graphically reveal their remarkable lifestyles. Award winner of the Indie Black Film Festival. 7 Oct - 6.30pm Light House Studio
Love & Suicide
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UK Premiere Dir: Luis Moro and Lisa France US/Cuba, 90mins. Award winning love story that follows Tomas (Kamar de los Reyes: One Life to Live) and Nina (Daisy McCrackin: The Unseen) as they’re guided through Havana by Cuban taxi driver Alberto (Moro). 2 Oct- 8.30pm AMC Cinema
28 L AT I N
Hasta Siempre? Until Always & Supporting Short Double Bill Regional Premiere Dir:Ishmahil, Cuba, 2005, 57mins. Cuba embraced tourism in the early 90’s as a means of surviving the collapse of the Soviet Union. As a result, the Island has begun to witness many changes, which now threaten the integrity of the revolution: racial discrimination, prostitution, consumerism and the re-emergence of class divisions. Hasta Siempre examines the results of the Cuban revolution from a Cuban Perspective and asks the question: Can the revolution survive after the death of Fidel Castro?
Estilo Hip-Hop (Short Version)*
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Dir: Loira Limbal and Virgilio Bravo, USA, 2004, 11mins Estilo Hip-Hop is a documentary work-in-progress that chronicles the lives of people who are picking up the fight for justice where the revolutions of the 60’s and 70’s left off in Latin America. Estilo takes you on a journey with people who are using hip-hop culture to fight against racism, corrupt governments, and poverty in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Cuba. The trailer being shown is a short version of the film and features the hip-hop movements of Brazil and Chile. 7 Oct-4.15pm-Light-House Studio
30 AFRICA
This year we have an African strand which brings the spotlight on South Africa, Tanzania, Senegal, The Congo, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and the rest of the African continent. We also have a selection of documentaries featuring global African hip-hop such as United Nations of Hip Hop from Senegal and Halsi Halisi that takes a look at the rising popularity of hip-hop in Tanzania, to historical documentaries on slavery such as A Black Scholar Investigate Colonialism by Ralph Bunche.
A Black Scholar Investigates Colonialism: Ralph Bunche Dir: William Greaves, USA, 2004, 26mins Studying and recording his observations on the impact of colonialism on indigenous societies and cultures, Dr. Ralph J. Bunche traveled throughout Africa and around the world. Rare archival footage along with Dr. Bunche’s scholarly analysis gives an insight into the roots of many of today's current events. Interviews with John Henrick Clarke, amongst others. Narrated by Sidney Poitier.
We feature two different films that take a look at the political, historical and social impact on Sierra Leone. Lions Mountain explores colonialism past and present and Bling: Consequences and Repercussion a short but fascinating film takes a look at the issue of conflict diamonds in areas like Sierra Leone and how hip-hop drives the trade with devastating impact.
African short programme. A series of three short films to be screened on 1 Oct 6.30pm AMC Cinema Total run time 108mins plus trailer.
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Slave Reparations: The Final Passage Dir: John Eiser, USA, 2004, 28mins Slave Reparations: The Final Passage documentary provides a historical background on the current controversial movement and answers the most often voiced arguments against the payment of reparations to African-Americans through interviews with some of the movement’s most prominent proponents, including Prof. Manning Marable, Dr. Alvin Poussaint, Rev. Herbert Daughtry, Richard E. Barber, and others.
Lion Mountains: A Journey through Sierra Leone’s History Dir: Louis Buckley, UK, 2006, 54mins This documentary is about a journey through Sierra Leone, West Africa, seen through the eyes of the filmmaker. The film looks at pre-colonial Sierra Leone, the beginning of European and African trade, the difference between African and European slavery and some of the effect of Western imperialism and colonial rule. Screening followed by director Louis Buckley Q&A. (tbc)
31 African short programme. A series of six short films to be screened on 7 Oct 4pm Light House Cinema 1 Total run time 93.30mins plus trailer.
Icons Midlands Premiere Iconographer: Pablo Menfesawe-Imani UK, 2005 13.30 mins ICONS of a Golden Dynasty the short film is a visual narrative of montage reflecting and accompanying the art work of Pablo Menfesawe-Imani
Bling: Consequences and Repercussions* Dir: Kareem Edouard USA, 2005, 11mins Bling: Consequences and Repercussions tackle the issues behind hip-hop’s obsession with diamonds and the continued illegal diamond trade in Africa. Kanye West’s music video, Diamonds from Sierra Leone, introduced the topic of conflict diamonds to the urban communities. Bling looks to further educate the hiphop generation about the murder and carnage caused by the world’s greed for diamonds.
United Nations of Hip-Hop*
Docta Know* Dir: Owen Kohl, Ozren Milat, USA, 2005, 10mins Over the past decade, hip-hop culture has boomed in Senegal. Docta is one of the few artists that have made a name for himself as both a rapper and as a graffiti artist. Docta reflects on the importance of hiphop to Dakar's youth and discusses its relationship with Islam. The film features a tour of Dakar’s most well-known graffiti murals as well as street scenes from the city.
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Dir: Christina Choe, USA, 2005, 9mins A short documentary about hip-hop and globalization in Senegal, West Africa. In the film, emcees talk about African debt dependency, Islam, unemployment, and poverty over powerful beats. Interviews with the Senegalese hip-hop community is accompanied by stunning footage of Tupac murals, mosques, and barefooted b-boys. This film is a work in progress seeking additional funding to complete production in Cuba and The Middle East.
32 AFRICA Hali Halisi*
The Origin of Aids
Dir: Martin Meulenberg,The Netherlands/Tanzania, 1999, 30mins Hali Halisi (a Swahili expression meaning "the real situation") portrays rap as an alternative medium in Tanzania. Rappers and experts give their views on the hip-hop scenes and their thoughts on the importance of rap as a medium for communication and an instrument of change. The film features MC’s including Mr II (Sugu), Deplowmatz, Gangwe Mobb, GWM, X Plastaz and Bantu Pound. Lang: Swahili with English subtitles
Dir: Peter Chappell & Catherine Peix, Canada/ France, 2003, 90mins The Origin of Aids explores a controversial theory about the beginnings of the disease. In the 1950s, American and Belgian missionaries in the Belgian Congo widely distributed polio vaccine to children in a bid to wipe out the crippling disease; however, evidence now suggests that Hilary Koprowski's oral vaccine may have been tainted, and that the first instances of the disease may be linked to these inoculations. Using interviews, newsreel footage, and documented research experiments, the film examines what could have led to one of the most serious pandemics of the 20th century. 8 Oct- 6.15pm Light House Studio Some Subtitles
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Male Groupie Dir: Kingsley Ogoro & Aquila Njamah, Nigeria, 2006, 90mins Dir: Christopher Scott Cherot, USA, 2004, 20 mins. What happens when you're living the life...but it belongs to your best friend? Two childhood friends who, seemingly on the same path to success, are steadily drifting apart.
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CARIBBEAN
This year we have a selection of five films within our Caribbean strand which features a range of music and factual documentaries dealing with the African Caribbean Diaspora in Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti and the UK. Jamaica’s; Queen of Sound, provides a fascinating insight to female dance hall singers from Marcia Griffiths to Lady G. Coping with Babylon is a documentary which includes some of Jamaica’s legendary Reggae greats such as Freddie Mc Gregor, Luciano and Mutabaruka. We also feature renowned filmmaker Horace Ove’s latest film Dream to Change the World (2006) a tribute to John Le Rose who died earlier this year.
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Queens of Sound– A Herstory of Reggae and Dancehall UK Premiere Dir: Sandra Krampelhuber Jamaica/Austria, 2006, 74mins Queens of Sound– A Herstory of Reggae and Dancehall explores the long neglected female side of Reggae and Dancehall music in Jamaica. Three generations of women in the Jamaican music business tell us about their roles and struggle for acceptance in a male-dominated business. Interviews and performances from world-famous musicians including Marcia Griffiths, Tanya Stephens, Sasha, Cecile, Chevelle Franklyn, Queen Ifrica, Macka Diamond and Lady G to reveal the social, economic, religious, textual and individual aspects of Reggae and Dancehall culture from a female point of view. 4 Oct-6.30pm AMC Cinema
Dream to Change the World Light House Wolverhampton Dir: Horace Ove, UK, 2006, 75mins Draws on the multicultural history of Trinidad and its Diaspora to tell the story of John La Rose, Labour activist, publisher, and poet. Through music and the arts of carnival, steel pan and calypso La Rose leads the viewer through the intrinsic links between the arts and social transformation. 8 Oct-4.15pm-Light-House Studio
Coping With Babylon Dir: Oliver Hill, Jamaica/USA, 2005, 80mins Coping with Babylon looks at the spiritual and ideological beliefs behind Rastafarianism's stereotypical dopedreads-reggae image. This fascinating documentary lets scholars, musicians, converts, schoolmasters and others explain the religion's basic principles, emphasising in turn the teachings of the Bible, Marcus Garvey, and Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. From Jamaica to New York, through interviews, at concerts and rituals, the film highlights the participants’ ideals of liberation and peace while they denounce President Bush, Iraq, and globalization. Features Ascento Fox, Barry Chevannes, Prince Emanuel, Mutabaruka, Half Pint, Luciano, Morgan Heritage, Freddie McGregor. 4 Oct-8.30pm AMC Cinema
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A F R UI CK ATNA L E N T Bfm’s wider mission is to promote UK black film talent. This year we have a mix of experienced and new talent. We feature Horace Ove’s latest documentary Dream to Change the World on the life of activist John Le Rose to up and coming UK director Stephen Lloyd Jackson with his first feature film drama Rulers and Dealers about corruption, betrayal and greed. Our pre-festival screener at the AMC Cinema featured
the much awaited UK film, set in London, Life and Lyrics featuring the UK’s Ashley Walters. Finally bfm’s first Midlands Short Awards gives our audiences an opportunity to view the best of emerging regional black filmmakers. Overall there is a lot of talent in the UK from directors, actors, and writers so sit back and enjoy.
Rulers and Dealers The five top Rulers of London’s gangster syndicates gather for a summit to establish a cease-fire after two years of bloody territorial feuding. A proposal from a Swiss banking conglomerate is put forward stipulating that all five Rulers will be paid 50 Million dollars if they agree to surrender their territories and relocate outside of London, leaving the banking group to transform the capital into the most lucrative metropolis in the world.
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All the Rulers agree to the proposal, with the exception of SOSOFRA, Ruler and enforcer for the south London territories. Without the signatures of all the five Rulers the deal will be called off. Consequently, the remaining Rulers conspire to take matters into their own hands to bring about a
consensus. This is a powerful drama about corruption, betrayal and greed. Set against a backdrop of urban gangsters and political corruption in the inner city streets of London. A crooked politician battles it out with a ‘Yardie’ underworld enforcer in a web of drugs, sex and violence where everyone wants to be a Ruler. Thrilling and, visually dark, the film draws inspiration from such great films as The Godfather, Marathon Man and China Town. A fantastic debut feature from UK Director Stephen Lloyd Jackson. A box office hit at the bfm London Festival. 3 Oct - 6.30pm AMC Cinema Screening followed by Director Q & A
“One of the reasons we were drawn to Life & Lyrics is we felt that it was one of the few black films that is aimed squarely at a mainstream audience. We've had some great films specialised black films, but we applauded Life & Lyrics’ more commercial feel, which was endorsed to a degree by the fact that Universal picked up UK distribution rights. Whilst it tackles gritty issues and problems affecting young people today, Life & Lyrics is at heart a love story with a music side to it that heightens its potential commerciality. Whilst it is laudable that a number of recent black movies have superbly portrayed the grittier sides of life, we think it important that black films are seen by as wide an audience as possible and are capable of wider releases than we usually see. We are very proud of Life & Lyrics. The excellent script has been superbly realised by all involved and there are some outstanding performances from Ashley of course, but also by the rest of the cast, many of whom are new to the big screen. We are pleased to support the Festival again and to work with bfm to promote black film to the widest possible audience and in general.” Sally Caplan (Head of Premiere Fund – UK Film Council)
Ashley Walters Ashley started acting from an early age and has appeared in many TV and stage projects over the years. In 1998, Ashley received critical acclaim playing the lead role in the BBC made-for television film Storm Damage, also starring Adrian Lester, while 2002 saw Ashley on stage at the National Theatre in Paul Miller’s Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads. In 2004, Ashley received a BIFA Award for Best Newcomer for his lead performance in Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy. Since this accolade, Ashley has appeared in 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’, MTV’s drama series, Top Buzzer, Stormbreaker and will soon be seen in Waz and SugarHouse Lane out next year. On the music front, Ashley is better known as Asher D, a member of the 30-strong south London-based collective So Solid Crew who stormed the charts with UK garage and hip-hop anthems such as Oh No (Sentimental Things) (1999) and 21 Seconds (2001). Ashley wrote and featured on six tracks on So Solid’s double-platinum debut LP They Don’t Know which was hailed as one of the most visionary albums of the past 10 years. He continues to make music and will be releasing his mixtape Cure for Cancer and album In Memory of a Street fighter on his own label AD82 Productions in September 2006.
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SHORT AWARDS
bfm Short Awards Midlands 2006 View the dynamic work of emerging regional black UK filmmaking talent. This is an exciting night of industry interaction where the audience casts their vote for the best bfm Midlands short film of 2006. This year’s selection tackles a range of issues that reflect contemporary life. From thought provoking to light comedy the evening will keep you entertained, challenged and on the edge of your seats! We give you a second chance to catch the screenings and award winners at the Light House
AMC Theatres UK Ltd Broadway Plaza, 220 Ladywood Middleway, Birmingham B16 8LP Tuesday 3 October 2006 8.30pm (Screenings Repeated) LIGHT HOUSE The Chubb Buildings Fryer St Wolverhampton Sunday 8 October 2006 6.30pm
Cathy & I Dir: Ekta Walia, UK, 18mins Alzheimer’s has made Jayben a burden to her family and she finds it increasingly difficult to relate to people she was once close to, but a new friendship offers them both hope and belonging.
Holly Bolly,
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Dir: Dishad Husain, UK, 12.05mins Two young film makers Obi and Dil are forced to make the ultimate cross genre film-British Gangster and Indian Bollywood.
39 Awards Categories
The 7th, Dir Jaspal Kandola, UK, 11.50mins A youth confronts a suspicious man that has been watching him day and night, he soon realizes the man wants to settle a score.
The Great Escape, John Sealey, 13mins Explores issues of colonialism, identity and ethnicity. A story of a French colonial soldier and his attempt to escape a German prisoner of war camp in 1941."
Awards Sponsored by Media Skills and Screenwriters Store Best Film - Media Skills & Distribution deal with Future Shorts -audience vote on the night Runner up prize - Screenwriters Store - Scriptwriters software package The evening will be hosted by a celebrity guest to be announced!
Tonight Dir: Mehul Desai, UK, 2.50 mins Amish is bored! Amish is depressed! Amish knows what he has to do next!
Tourettes Haiku, Dir: Balwant Dass, UK, 10.03mins This drama explores the life of a young Asian woman battling against drug addiction and Tourettes syndrome.
Vengance:
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Dir: Michael Ellis, UK, 11.21mins Tony is struggling to come to terms with his sister’s death after a vicious attack.
AFRICAN
BABYLON A European Film Development Initiative Europe is a continent of ethnic and cultural pluralism, but filmmakers of Europe’s varied minorities rarely have the chance to communicate across national boundaries. bfm is one of 8 European organisations that are partners to BABYLON a new European film development initiative launched on Sunday 6th August in Switzerland. It is a new audiovisual programme designed to fill this gap in provision, a European space in which minority filmmakers can speak to each other and to the widest international audience, providing access and inclusion. Through a discovery of shared experience BABYLON celebrates Europe’s cultural diversity, a motor for European integration, an affirmation of solidarity between filmmakers across the Continent. Project development, network building, co-production and distribution will feature in a rolling programme of initiatives which UK black filmmakers can access. A presentation of this new initiative will take place during 8th bfm International Film Festival . To find out more visit ww.scenariofilms.com. Scenario Films, London/Ciné-Sud Promotion, Paris
U K TA L E N T: P R O F I L E
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My Pilgrim’s Progress: Malachi By Shabazz L. Graham Here’s a question for you, “What is a Question?”
My future was set; I would become someone who wields the power to bring these imaginations alive. I’d become a creature of creativity, a developer of concept, a storyteller (of sorts), a maker of films. Armed with an ability to visualise image on paper, a growing faith in MY Creator, (which strengthened my confidence in the creativity He’d given me) and the pleasure of youth, I set out to conquer my dreams. I began drawing and writing my own comic and film concepts. This led to me publishing an independent comic book called Warfare with a friend of mine called Richard Thomas. In 1999, after leaving the care system (many thanks Morpheus) I was given the opportunity to return as a care facilitator on a film documentary project “to be a positive black role model for other young men about to leave the care system”. This project set me off as a live action filmmaker, receiving training from a BBC producer who gave me the key to open the doors to my future as a cameraman. Since then, subsequent production work has honed my skills to produce, edit, direct and write. Deep into my quest I was very fortunate to meet up with two likewise minded gentlemen who owned a record company called Heart Music, Steven Carmichael and Mark Powell, who very much like myself, were determined gifted black business men with vision. They needed someone to run Heart Vision, an idle video production department. I was fortunate enough to be brought on to run Heart Vision Productions and haven’t looked back since. Malachi is an idea I began developing many years
ago, its a moving story about a gifted mixed race boy who goes about trying to film a documentary with his personal digital camera about his separated mum and dad, in order to capture the love that he believes stills exists between them both. It is a race against time as he is battling with the serious illness, Sickle Cell Anaemia. Whilst passionately going about filming his intended “Oscar winning” piece he manages to record mysterious extraterrestrial footage of what he says is the face of God. The story is dedicated to the brave and gifted sickle cell sufferer, Petra Akinsiku, a 13 year old girl from London who won an award for writing a powerful poem about living with Sickle Cell called “Dreamsnatcher” (featured in Sickle Scene summer 2003). The story is also dedicated to Malachi Green, a gifted boy whose single mother and brothers heavily inspired characters in the story. The concept and script of Malachi was recently granted a Millennium Award and given the support of the BBC and Skillset (The Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries). With their assistance a three minute trailer was produced and distributed throughout the film and television industry, with the aim to gain interest for the project. You can see this trailer at www.heartvision.co.uk. The story of Malachi will bring to light the challenges faced by mixed families and the individuals who live with Sickle Cell Anaemia amongst many other things. It is my ambition to develop this powerful story into a feature film and so I am looking for investors who will be willing to support this story. For more information please email shabazz@shabazzgraham.com or visit www. shabazzgraham.com.
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It is a quest! The quest for an answer. Life is a question, we all seek answers. My journey and quest as a filmmaker began when I was 11 years old. I’d grown up as a child of the system, a true Neo, brought up in government run children’s homes from the age of 9 months. I was eventually placed into the foster care of an elderly Trinidadian woman, who I owe the life I now have too. It was there I eventually gained a passionate love for comic books. I began collecting everything I could afford. These stories of super powered beings that lived adventurous lives excited me and expanded my imagination. I wanted a life like that. Every time I’d walk my foster mother’s dog, I’d become my own superhero and go on different adventures, different quests.
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TRIBUTE UK, in which activity, says former educator Winston Best, his "foresight, organising ability and leadership skills contributed significantly to the impact these movements have had on black people's progress and development in this country".
A Dream to Change the World By Milverton Wallace This is a biopic of the man described by the poet Linton Kwesi Johnson as "the most remarkable human being I have ever known". John Anthony La Rose, who died in London in February, aged 78, was poet, essayist, publisher, filmmaker, trade unionist, cultural and political activist. A Dream to Change the World, a thought-provoking, record of part of John's life and of his ideas on culture and politics, deals mostly, but not exclusively, with his time here in the UK.
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John arrived in London in the autumn of 1961 from Venezuela where he had been working as an English teacher. In the following 45 years he became the guiding spirit of Britain's black community in their struggle for racial equality and social justice. His achievements in that time are extraordinary. With his partner, Sarah White, he opened Britain's first black bookshop; established New Beacon Books, a publishing house which would inspire the formation of other black and Asian book publishing ventures; co-founded, with the poet Kamau Brathwaite and the writer Andrew Salkey, the Caribbean Artists Movement, a forum for established and aspirant writers and artists to develop new aesthetics, audiences and opportunities for their work here and in the Caribbean; was chairman of the New Cross Massacre Action Committee, the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners in Kenya, the Black Parents Movement and the Institute for Race Relations; co-founded, with publisher and veteran activist Jessica Huntley and others, the International Bookfair of Radical Black and Third World Books; was founder and chairman of the George Padmore Institute, a library, archive and educational research centre housing materials relating to the life experiences of Caribbean, African and Asian communities in Britain. He played a pioneering role in the development of the Black supplementary education movement in the
John was superbly prepared for these labours by his engagement in his native Trinidad in the anti-colonial struggle. As a result of his political activities, the British colonial authorities banned him from most West Indian islands and he was blacklisted at home as a rebel and agitator. John's social commitments, cultural interests and political passions were multi-faceted: he was equally at ease talking about the economic and industrial implications of nanotechnology or the struggle of the dalits for social and political equality in India. It made him friends and comrades all over the world so much so that friends would joke that John’s information gathering service was the envy of Reuters! Though the heart of the film remains the interview, with John speaking authoritatively and with gentle humour of the long struggle of the Caribbean people to transform themselves and their societies, the Trinidadian filmmaker, Horace Ove, has broadened the canvas to include many aspects of John's life not otherwise touched on. In 2002/2003, Ove added material on John's background and childhood in Trinidad, and on his activities in London, and included interviews with a range of John's colleagues, including David Abdulah and Undine Giuseppi in Trinidad; Brian Alleyne, Gus John, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Michael La Rose, Errol Lloyd, Akua Rugg, Anne Walmsley and Sarah White in England. John's self-effacing reluctance to write his memoirs was notorious, so the choice of the interview format was an inspired one. John liked to talk and he was an erudite and engaging conversationalist, as the conversation with Jamaican artist Errol Lloyd shows. The interview was originally commissioned by the African and Asian Visual Artists Archive (now the Diversity Arts Forum). The final version of the film we see here was edited by Pete Stern and narrated by Errol Lloyd and Moira Stewart. Additional filming in Trinidad and the UK was done with the support of the Institute of International Visual Arts (inIVA). DVD’s are on sale throughout the festival or for more information on the DVD, email newbeaconbooks@btconnect.com
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F E AT U R E
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What is a Hip-Horror Film? By Jeff Carroll You’ve probably never heard of this type of movie before and that is because I made it up to promote my film Holla If I Kill You and Golddigger Killer. Since, then I have had to explain my description Hip-Hop Horror to everybody. I got a lot of attention and that’s just what I wanted. I thought of a lot of ways to describe my film - Urban Horror, Black Horror, or even a Ghetto Horror. I didn’t want to limit it to a type of environment with ‘Urban’ or an economic region with ‘Ghetto’. Even though my film had a predominately African American cast I didn’t want it to be limited to one race. I thought about hip-hop and it’s multicultural make up. Not only did it fit the cast but, also described the soundtrack and even the behavior of the characters. See a hip-hop film is dominated by one of the following as described by Shameka Gumbs founder of the Atlanta Hip-Hop Film Festival. A hip-hop film must have a main dominating element. The plot can be about a member of the hip-hop community like the film Juice or the culture of hip-hop in Wildstyle. The characters could be the founding members of the hip-hop community e.g. House Party or have a hip-hop soundtrack like Honey. This is only one part of the merger between hip-hop and Horror. Horror films are easier because they go back the beginning of film production. I didn’t think that putting a rapper like Busta Rhymes in Halloween Resurrection or LL Cool J in Halloween H2O made these films hip-hop Horrors. Before I define hip-hop Horror let me explain what a Horror film is. There are so many related genres that I asked Eve Blaack (editor of the Hacker’s Source - a magazine that reviews Horrors movies) and Ron Bonk (owner of Sub Rosa Studios) to poll some filmmakers. The filmmakers used descriptions like Slasher, Gore, Monster and Scary used to describe Horror movies. Horror movies include all of the above qualities and characteristics. I would even for the sake of the argument include Thriller, Science-Fiction and Fantasy. Films in general often have more than one of these elements in
them. Horrors are the same, take the classic movie Nightmare on Elm Street which was a Horror movie that had a lot of comedy in it. Hip-Hop Horror films are movies that scare and horrify people set in the popular sub-culture of hip-hop. HipHop Horrors are different from movie like I Know What You did last Summer in more ways than just changing the ethnicity of the cast. In a movie about the consequences of youthful behavior the same things can happen but, the characters would react different. When I was young I used to leave movies laughing with friends about how if we were in the movie it would have been totally different. We would have been playing different games, listening to different music and we would have displayed our disrespect for life differently. Look out for hip-hop to contribute to the Horror genre in the way DMX’s films like Romeo Must Die have done to Action movies. The way In to Deep with LL Cool J and Omar Epps did with gangster flicks. Even the way Chris Tucker and Ice Cube did with the comedy genre. Remember the Blakplotation period with movies like Blackula and Blackenstien? Well get ready for the Hip-hopploitation Era.
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SEMINAR PROGRAMME The Drum , 144 Potters Lane, Aston Birmingham B6
Basic Editing with Avid If you enjoy movies, television, music, videogames, or virtually any other form of electronic media, you have almost certainly experienced the work of the legions of content creators who use Avid solutions to bring their creative visions to life. Avid will be running 3 x 1½ hour sessions on "Basic Editing with Avid" at the following times: 10.00 - 11.30 11.45 - 13.15 14.30 - 16.00 Tuesday 3 October
The Light House, The Chubb Building, Fryer Street, Wolverhampton
Advanced Editing with Avid
Blank Slates
Avid will be running 3x 1½ sessions on "Advanced Editing with Avid”. This avid workshop will show you how to mix content from a variety of sources within the avid application. We'll show you, the cinematographer how to edit DV, SD, High Definition. Confused by whether to shoot in DV, SD, HD. This workshop will answer your technical questions about short video. How to get the most out of tapeless camera's XDCAM Panasonic P2 within the Avid workflow. When you have finished telling your story Avid will show you the best output method.
B3 Media Screening a unique showcase, called Blank Slates, a highly successful digital short film scheme which produces 8 digital films a year, has resulted in producing by some of the best emerging talent from culturally diverse creative communities. This programme includes a Q&A after the screening and the programme of films will run as follows:
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Time: 10.00 - 11.30 11.45 - 13.15 14.30 - 16.00 Wednesday 4 October
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)
Comfort Within Blood Ties Forty Days of Mourning Games That Children Play Laters Seekers Heyday Zoltan the Great
Time: 16.30 – 18.30 Thursday 5 October
All places are limited so please book in advance by 1st October. Email: seminars@bfmmedia.com
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F E S T I VA L C R E D I T S Patrons Earl Cameron Rudolph Walker OBE Nicholas Bailey Festival Founder Menelik Shabazz Executive Director Priscilla Igwe Festival Director Ionie Richards Festival Co-ordinator Pauline Bailey Festival Programmer Nadia Denton Film Researcher Cassam Looch PR/Hospitality Plexus Marketing Jennifer Samuels Advertising & Sponsorship ICR Consultants Seminars Co-ordinator Holistic Arts Short Film Awards Co-ordinator Benjamin Lee
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Volunteers Festival Design Concept and Art Direction Danielle Humphrey Website Designer Lee Daley E-Regeneration
In Association with‌ FilmFour Funders UK Film Council Screenwest Midlands Skillset Sponsors American Embassy Sony Home Entertainment Tourist Development Company Ltd -Trinidad and Tobago Short Film Awards Sponsors Screenwriters Store Media Skills In Kind Sponsors ACMC Bovince BBC Cobra Beer United by One ITV Media Skills The Drum Newstyle Radio Hi8us Boost Avid Upfront Comedy Vibe TV Vivid Media Partners Voice South Africa Times New Nation Printers Bovince Pensord Urban Design and Print
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SPONSORS, SUPPORTERS AND FUNDERS
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lea ers
.co .uk
specialising in: MAGAZINE DESIGN BROCHURE DESIGN
danielle humphrey
FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER didlee85@hotmail.com 07944 564 805 www.leapers.co.uk
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