Black Europe on Film – Europe and the Black Diaspora Film Festival
Zhana 451
Black History Studies and the Bernie Grant Arts Center Present:
Black Europe on Film – Europe and the Black Diaspora Film Festival
May – June 2018
Black Europe On Film – Europe and the Black Diaspora Film Festival is a programme of screenings curated by Black History Studies in partnership with the Bernie Grant Arts Centre celebrating the history and contributions of African people in Europe where their presence is significant but little known. The film festival will feature a selection of documentaries that document, examine and discuss stories from various parts of Europe and each session will end with an engaging post film discussion with audience members.
Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light
Paris
Noir: African Americans in the City of Light is the most
comprehensive and compelling documentary existing on the remarkable
migration of pioneering African Americans to France and the impact
both cultures had on each other.
Weaving
stories and themes from World War I, the Jazz Age of the 1920s up to
the German occupation of World War II, Paris Noir is thought
provoking storytelling that resonates in today's social and political
climate.
More
than a historical documentary, Paris Noir reveals the beginning of
worldwide assertion of African American culture.
Directed, written and edited by critically acclaimed documentary filmmakers Joanne Burke and David Burke, Paris Noir blends rare photographs and archival footage, exciting period music, and insightful commentary by leading scholars and experts.
Sorry
to say we have missed this one. Go here for the trailer:
https://vimeo.com/194942251
UK Premiere of Black Russians
Thursday 24th May 2018 @ 7pm
Black Russians is a feature length documentary that investigates the lives of contemporary AfroRussians aged 10 to 65, born and raised in Soviet Russia.
Their experiences chronicle two ideological currents that have shaped major international events in the twentieth century: race and communism. Intimate interviews with a poet, a film producer, a reggae artist, a businessman and others, all Black and all Russian, guide us through this story of promise and non-discrimination.
Archive images reveal rarely seen footage of Black political leaders in the Soviet Union, like Paul Robeson, Kwame Nkrumah and Angela Davis.
More than a decade after the 'fall of communism', a new Russia struggles to steady itself in the wave of nationalism from within and the pressures of global capitalism from without. Black Russians constructs a deeply personal account of the effects of political issues such as migration, identity and loss on a minority community in the vast remains of the Soviet Union.
Go here for the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f317flab1E&feature=youtu.be
Go here to book:
https://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/book-tickets-2/?eventID=30203&postID=896
Go here to book:
https://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/book-tickets-2/?eventID=30203&postID=896
Gurumbé: Afro-Andalusian Memories
Friday
25th May 2018 @ 7pm
Gurumbé:
Afro Andalusian Memories,
a feature length documentary from anthropologist Miguel Ángel
Rosales, explores the contribution of Afro Andalusians to flamenco as
the art form developed. Gurumbé has won numerous awards in the
festival circuit and it is currently premiering around the world.
Flamenco is synonymous with Spanish culture. Since its
inception, theorists have sidelined the fundamental contribution of
Afro Andalusians. Commercial exploitation of the American colonies
brought hundreds of Africans to Seville to be sold as slaves, forming
a population who over time managed to gain space in a society marked
by racial prejudices. Music and dance were a fundamental part of
their expression and the most important affirmation of their
identity. As the black population began to disappear from Spain in
the late 19th century, so too did their contribution to this
extraordinary art form. In Gurumbé, their story is finally told.
Go here for the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGTiVjgkcO0&feature=youtu.be
Go here to book:
https://system.spektrix.com/berniegrantartscentre/website/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=16801
Blaxploitalian: 100 Years of Blackness in Italian Cinema
Thursday
31st May 2018 @ 7pm
The fight for diversity and increased inclusion in the media, specifically film and television, is not limited to the United States or the United Kingdom, but is a global concern. Much like how #OscarsSoWhite exposed this problem to a new generation of filmgoers, what we are doing with our Blaxploitalian documentary is introducing to audiences precisely how global this issue is, starting with one of the last places you expect to find the African diaspora - Italy. Modern day Italy is racially diverse, yet if you find it difficult to find noteworthy Black characters in American cinema, not just tokens for a feel good diversity quotient, it is ten times worse in Italy and throughout Europe.
The journey through history that Blaxploitalian uncovers the story of how 20th century actors from Africa, the USA, and Latin America became Italian sensations. This is juxtaposed with the struggles of contemporary Afro Italian actors, who are only offered stereotypical roles. But the dedication to their craft, despite these tensions, is a testament to a better future, ripe with higher possibilities that the directors, producers, and actors of Blaxploitalian are working to make happen.
Go here for the trailer: https://vimeo.com/218663984
Go here to book:
https://system.spektrix.com/berniegrantartscentre/website/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=16802
UK PREMIERE
Afro Germany - Being Black and German + German Town: The Lost Story of Seaford Town Jamaica
Friday 1st June 2018 @ 7pm
Black and German: news anchor Jana Pareigis has spent her entire life being asked about her skin color. What is it like to be Black in Germany? What needs to change?"Where are you from?" Afro-German journalist Jana Pareigis has heard that question since her early childhood. And she's not alone. Black people have been living in Germany for around 400 years, and today there are an estimated one million Germans with dark skin. But they still get asked the latently racist question, "Where are you from?" Jana Pareigis is familiar with the undercurrents of racism in the western world. When she was a child, the Afro-German TV presenter also thought her skin color was a disadvantage. "When I was young, I wanted to be white," she says. Parageis takes us on a trip through Germany from its colonial past up to the present day, visiting other dark-skinned Germans to talk about their experiences. They include rapper Samy Deluxe, pro footballer Gerald Asamoah and Theodor Michael, who lived as a black man in the Third Reich. They talk about what it's like to be Black in Germany.
Go here for the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAuq8L0LKas&feature=youtu.be
German
Town: The Lost Story of Seaford Town Jamaica explores the history of German heritage within
Westmoreland, Jamaica. Deep within the isolated, undeveloped
mountains of Westmoreland lies a village with a history and people
unique to Jamaica. It is said that the inhabitants of this village
are descendants of German indentured servants who were used to work
the Jamaican plantations after the emancipation period to substitute
the slave labor that drove the island's economy. Others think they
came under different circumstances as runaway prisoners, former
soldiers seeking a better life after the Napoleonic wars, escaping
the poverty and hardships of their home lands. This documentary
project explores the history and contemporary life of Jamaicans of
German heritage.
This event will take place on FRIDAY 1ST JUNE 2018 from 7pm to 10pm.
Go here for the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFeETh7pKRk&feature=youtu.be
Go here to book:
https://system.spektrix.com/berniegrantartscentre/website/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=16803
UK PREMIERE
TOO BLACK TO BE FRENCH
Thursday 7th June 2018 @ 7pm
In
this documentary film, Isabelle Boni-Claverie explores the role of
race and the persistence of racism in France, as well as the impact
of the French colonial past. Through an exploration of her personal
family history, and interviews with historians and academics, Too
Black to Be French peels back the layers of race relations
in supposedly institutionally colorblind France.
Boni-Claverie, a
French-Ivorian, who grew up in upper class French society, unpacks
how socio-economic privilege doesn't mean protection from racial
discrimination. Boni-Claverie solicits anonymous individuals to speak
on their daily experiences with race, class, discrimination and
micro-aggressions.
Too Black to Be French also features interviews with acclaimed sociologists and historians including Pap Ndiaye, Eric Fassin, Achille Mbembe, and Patrick Simon to help contextualize racial history in France. Boni-Claverie's film starts an urgent discussion on French society's inequalities and discrimination.
Go here for the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTpYd3laCh4&feature=youtu.be
Go here to book:
https://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/see/film-too-black-to-be-french/
Black History Studies
Educating the community to educate themselves
Tel: 0208 881 0660
Mobile: 07951 234233
Email: in...@blackhistorystudies.com
https://www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk/