published on 11 November 2009
Short-film awards close Black Filmmaker's festival
The 11th edition of the Black Filmmaker's (BFM) festival closed yesterday night at BFI Southbank with the screening of the five best short films that entered the competition. And for the first time a scholarship sponsored by the Legacy Media Institute was awarded to a young talented documentarist.
After five days of screenings, premieres and seminars, the BFM festival came to an end. Awards were given for several categories. A successful Top Girl won best female actor, best script and best cinematography, but it was the noir The Hydra that got the audience's favour bringing home best film. All the movies were produced in the UK.
Louis Buckley received a scholarship to study in a six-week programme in Virginia, USA. In his thanks speech he said: "I've been making documentaries to try to understand who we are more and take control of our image, so that we can bring the best of ourselves to the public."
The prize was announced by Tim Reid, CEO of the Legacy Media Institute, an organization supporting young talents within the media industry. In his foundation statement (available here) the African-American actor said: "I've always viewed media as an entertainment and informational resource that could enable members of different groups to share ideas and interests across racial and ethnic barriers."
- A snapshot from Top Girl
Host of the night was award-winning British black comedian Eddie Kadi. He warmed up the cinema with jokes on Fufu, a typical African staple food, and its side effects on the lips and the changes in music trends through the years. He also tackled issues of cultural clash, family life within different societies and integration of the African-Caribbean communities in the UK.
The organizer of the event, Nadia Denton, was overall satisfied of the festival. "This year we've had better audience and better engagement from filmmakers," she said.
The festival is gaining momentum within the international landscape of independent films, giving local directors, actors and scriptwriters the opportunity to launch their projects abroad. And at the same time, the festival is a showcase for African and Caribbean films to catch the attention of the Londoner audience.
Read the full BFM festival brochure to catch up on the films you missed.
THE AWARDS:
- Best actor: Cavin Cornwall, Enter the preacher, dir. Paulette James, UK 2008
- Best actress: Rumbi Mautsi, Top Girl, dir. Rebecca Johnson, UK 2008
- Best cinematography: David Raedeker, Top Girl, dir. Rebecca Johnson, UK 2008
- Best script: Rebecca Johnson, Top Girl, dir. Rebecca Johnson, UK 2008
- Best film: The Hydra, dir. Shola Amoo and Nosa Igbinedion, UK 2009
THE FESTIVAL: WRAP-UP
The festival opened last Friday with the European premiere of Chris Rock's documentary Good hair, a controversial investigation on the use of wigs, weaves and chemicals by African-American women to relax their kinky curls in the attempt to get straight, soft, typically white hair: an effort that moves a $9 billion worth industry.
Not only is the festival a showcase for emerging young directors, but it also gives the chance to tackle with the audience some of the hot issues that black minorities have to face within their local communities. The collection Identity shorts addressed the issues of identity, integration and immigration as the characters of the films were searching for their roots. A good day to be black and sexy developed through five vignettes the themes of sexuality, love and interracial relationships. The intense drama Something is killing Tate revolved around the parabol of decline and rebirth of a young man haunted by a troubled childhood.
African and Caribbean productions were also part of the programme. Nadia Denton hopes that the collaboration with filmmakers from abroad will improve over the next years. She said: "We've already gained interest from Zambia and other countries."
Check the Profiles page for poet and actor Dean Atta's interview. His short film Young, black and gay was presented on Saturday 11 November at the BFM festival.
PROFILE
BEING YOUNG, BLACK AND GAY IN LONDON: POET AND ACTOR DEAN ATTA TELLS US HOW IT IS
When a gesture of affection becomes a political claim
While walking along Southbank with his boyfriend early last year, poet and actor Dean Atta could not imagine that holding hands could become an assertive gesture. He saw it coming as six men who had the looks of thugs approached the couple. But Dean does not have the habit of stereotyping people, so he kept hold of his boyfriend's hand. And they were bullied by the gang of yobs, pushed aside and assaulted.
It was Dean's first and only time that he had been attacked, but he recalls the experience with shock. And nevertheless he does not regret holding his boyfriend's hand that day.
Right after being assaulted the couple ran away and reported to the police. Dean said the officers of the LGBT team who patrol specifically on homophobic attacks were very helpful and sensitive. And even though the thugs were never found, the authorities' support helped Dean and his boyfriend recover from the incident.
Dean is a 25-year-old Londoner with Jamaican and Cypriot descent. He is the author of the poem on which the short film Young, black and gay is based. The 3-minute quickie was commissioned by True Vision productions, broadcast by Channel 4 last September and presented at this year's edition of the BFM festival within the section Identity shorts. It tackles the issues of interracial relationships, bullying and homosexuality.
Listen to Dean Atta reading of Young, black and gay
Dean thinks that interracial relationship, being his boyfriend at that time white, was as much an issue as the fact that the couple was gay. "Somehow it's harder being gay and black for cultural and religious reasons," Dean said. "Whether Christian or Muslim, black families seem to be stricter. In Jamaica, for instance, homophobia is still very strong and being homosexual is against the law."
About his presence at the BFM festival Dean said: "I received great response from people who watched the film. And shooting the film actually helped me greatly come to terms with the experience I had."
Dean is also involved in educational projects with the kids. He teaches them poetry and drama. "The main problem is the lack of education and ignorance. It's ridiculous being judged because of who you're holding hands with," he said. Since university, when he was president of the African and Caribbean society, Dean has been promoting activities to boost acceptance and respect within the community.
At the moment he is looking for funding to translate his monologue Rice and peas into a short film. The piece deals with a topic that Dean considers underrepresented in mainstream media: domestic violence in gay communities. He has also been nominated for the category "Achievement through the arts" at the Spirit of London awards, a new recognition scheme for young talented and motivated Londoners. The awards will be given on 27 November.
Update: Dean Atta received the award at the Spirit of London for the category "Achievement through the arts".
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published on 19 November 2009
Seize the day is the provocative title of a play that reflects on the possibility of having a black Mayor of London. It is performing until 17 December at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn within the Not Black & White season.
Seize the day, written by actor and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah, tells the story of Jeremy Charles, a successful reality TV presenter who gets the chance to run for Mayor of London at the election in 2012. At this time, the ratio of people from ethnic minorities in the capital is expected to be 45%. And Jeremy is black. A chance -and rather brutal- encounter with a brilliant young boy from the ghetto, however, makes him change his mind.
The play gives the chance to tackle a much more sensitive issue: the presence of people from minority groups in society and especially in politics. The likelihood of a black Mayor being actually elected in London is not so remote. More than one in the audience recognized in the character of Jeremy former TV executive and presenter Trevor Phillips, who ran to be Labour candidate for Mayor of London in 1999.
The issue of minorities being represented in politics is still fuelling debate. Here are the reactions of members of the audience after the play.
THE AUDIENCE'S REACTION
Three young people engaged in a discussion right after the play, which all of them enjoyed. However, they said the story itself did not offer new arguments and relied on stereotypes, such as the issue of underachievement by kids from a minority background.
D. Allen, 30, said: "The point of the play mirrored reality in the sense that it mirrored the tightness of the black community."
Then she added: "Another issue is how black communities are perceived after the media coverage. Sometimes we feel victimized."
C. Daniel, 30, said: "Despite the ban of the BBC code of practice, frequently there is a reference to the ethnic origin of a person when reporting crime."
As regards the political issues raised by the play, the benchmark was US President Barack Obama, who "lifted the black community", said Ms Allen.
A third woman said: "A lot of Europeans are not as tolerant as they think they are. How many people are there in politics in Europe if compared to the USA?"
Mr Daniel said: "But London is tolerant."
"No, it's not tolerant. It's underground, if compared to French and Italians who are more upfront about how they feel about minority groups," she added.
Two other members of the audience were interviewed and questioned about the issue of integration in the city of London. They said they were in favour of integration rather than segregation.
"African-Caribbean are becoming integrated," said one of the two women. "Other groups stand on their own. The Chinese, for example, are very mindful, peaceful and hard-working. They contribute in terms of working and setting businesses up. Other groups are not integrated. The Muslim side is something people are concerned about."
The woman was no more available for comment after this statement.
REASONS TO TALK ABOUT IT
In the leaflet of the season, artistic director Nicolas Kent explains why he chose three black playwrights to explore different themes about the current state of London or Britain.
"Now as we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century, and across London Black and Asian children outnumber white British children by about six to four, I thought it important and challenging to look at the society in which we live from the perspective of three leading black writers," he said.
According to the census of 2001, 87.5% of the population in England and Wales identified themselves as White British. In Greater London, however, the ratio is different. According to 2001 census, 71.2% Londoners were White British, whereas the rest of the population belonged to minority groups, the major being Indians (6.1%), Black Africans (5.3%) and Black Caribbeans (4.8%).
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