Projects in genres: Black

Synopsis

TELL THEM YOU LOVE ME explores the extraordinary story of Anna Stubblefield, an esteemed university professor who becomes embroiled in a controversial affair with Derrick Johnson, a non-verbal man with cerebral palsy. Anna says she unlocked Derrick's mind from his body by teaching him to communicate using a keyboard. The relationship that followed would lead to a criminal trial that would challenge our perceptions of disability and the nature of consent. Through exclusive footage and interviews with those on both sides of the case, this feature documentary weaves a riveting and endlessly nuanced story about communication, race, and sex.

Synopsis

Conversations, experiences and freedom dreams of a group of women affected by the carceral state, as encountered through the UK government’s hostile environment policy and prison system. This work is drawn from an extensive five-year collaboration between director Rehana Zaman with a group of Black and Global Majority women. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2023

Synopsis

Fran is a clean-cut middle-aged woman sat in a medical reception, waiting for her wife Nina to join her for an appointment. Despite her neat appearance, Fran's mind seems chaotic, causing intense emotional shifts that make her perception of reality increasingly surreal.

Synopsis

A heartfelt exploration of Michelle and Deja's enduring six-year relationship. Their love is profound, they're newly engaged, and they're aspiring parents. However, an unforeseen infidelity sends tremors through their foundation, leaving Deja grappling with a turbulent mix of anger and a desire to salvage what they hold dear.

Synopsis

GHOSTS OF SOLID AIR is an experiential Augmented Reality (AR) story that you do on your phone - Voices guide you on a journey from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament. As you move, you encounter a ghost world layered right on top of us all the time - shadows who shimmer in and out vision, haunting the streets and whispering messages into the air. These are people from across time who were radicalised through personal experience and forced into disobedient action. Obey those in charge at your peril, they say. Speak up! And you will be heard. Through an encounter with those who have been pushed beyond their tipping point - this experience asks: where does disobedience come from? And is it for love or rage that we break peace with the conditions of now? Walk with the ghosts - and decide for yourself. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2023

Synopsis

A noir-ish tale centred around a packet of menthol Vogue cigarettes, moving between Sri Lanka and the UK. Intrigued by the allure of a mysterious woman and political espionage, our narrator finds herself enticed into an addiction. Created with cut out animation using entirely painted fabric and embroidered parts. Official Selection Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival PÖFF Shorts 2023 - World premiere

Synopsis

At Rodeston High School’s leaving do, Mo has one last chance to tell the girl of her dreams how she feels. Will she be able to tell her how she feels before it's too late with one eyebrow and an assortment of classmates who hinder more than help.

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An observation of the benefits system, NEXT IN LINE centres a refugee doctor who is seeking government financial assistance. At her job centre meeting she faces a harrowing decision – either she works as a cleaner or gets sanctioned.

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A poignant tale of one boy's attempt to cut off a part of himself in the wake of his baptism. Official Selection Venice Film Festival 2023 - World premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2023 - Short Film Competition

Synopsis

A man regales his peculiar obsession with chairs to his new psychiatrist.

Synopsis

A true story captured through poetry. Director and poet Konadu Yiadom Gyamfi follows the journey of Stella, a female welder from Uganda. Shot in Ghana, the film showcases the profound impact of faith in guiding her towards success in a world that often challenges her path as a woman. “There are so many diverse and captivating stories to be explored within this beautiful and complex continent but we don’t often hear the stories of women from their own mouths. Platforming stories like Stella’s is how we start moving forward in portraying Africa and its people.” Defying expectations through her resilience and passionate dedication to her craft, Stella transcended early challenges she faced by entering into a programme for young women, now a working welder in spite of societal beliefs regarding women’s roles. Evolving over several months of close collaboration between Stella and Gyamfi, the film illustrates Stella's life and the local landscape through insightful conversations tracing her path into welding, lensing a remarkable reality that confronts narratives on African women that strip away their agency. Official Selection Afrofuture Film Festival 2023 Official Selection Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival

Synopsis

The extraordinary untold story of how a pioneering group of American women, from very different walks of life, fought to break into the most macho sport of all: boxing. In their day, Marian 'Lady Tyger' Trimiar, Cathy 'Cat' Davis and 'Pretty' Pat Pineda were famous, earning headlines as they battled against sexist 1970s society for the right to fight. But today, they live anonymously, and in many cases, in poverty - their groundbreaking contributions to sport ignored by the men who've written boxing history. RIGHT TO FIGHT uncovers the hidden origins of women's boxing, and the remarkable story of the pioneering women who put their lives of the line to earn the right to fight each other in the ring. This is an inspirational story, but it is not a hagiography - the narrative takes dark and surprising twists and turns as the women's stories unfold in unexpected ways. Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2023 - World premiere