British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

Rebel Dread

Synopsis

The story of Don Letts, a first generation Black British cultural mover and shaker, filmmaker, musician and raconteur. The film frames Don’s story with the Enoch Powell Rivers of Blood speech in 1968 and the “hostile environment” immigration policy of 2018. That’s the backdrop and the context of Don’s life – trying to find a place in the world. So we cover his relationship with the nascent punk scene – how rastas and punks found a common bond, both outside the mainstream, and how he introduced dub reggae to the punks. How he became part of the inner circle of the Clash, and how Johnny Rotten took him to Jamaica. He then became a top promo director (London Calling, Chain Gang, Pass the Dutchie) and then he formed a band, Big Audio Dynamite, with his old friend Mick Jones and made music that incorporated dance, reggae, rap, film samples and rock n roll. On leaving BAD Letts became a feature director, won a Grammy for his documentary WESTWAY TO THE WORLD: THE STORY OF THE CLASH, and is now a leading cultural commentator.

Details

Year
2020
Type of project
Features
Running time
86 min
Format
Digital
Director
William E. Badgley
Producer
William E. Badgley, Mark Vennis, Phil Hunt
Executive Producer
Don Letts, Christos Michaels, James Swarbrick
Editor
Eric Pritchard
Screenwriter
William E. Badgley
Director of Photography
William E. Badgley, Alasdair Ogilvie
Composer
Ben von Wildenhaus
Principal cast
Don Letts, Jazzie B, Mick Jones, John Lydon
Film Image
© Don Letts Private Collection

Genre

Music Dance

Categories

Documentary

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

A Moviehouse Entertainment (UK), Head Gear Films (UK), Molasses Manifesto (US) production

Moviehouse Entertainment

Black Hangar Studios
Lasham Airfield
Alton
Hampshire
GU34 5SG

Head Gear Films

Ashley House, 5th Floor
12 Great Portland Street
London
W1W 8QN

Sales Company

Moviehouse Entertainment

Black Hangar Studios
Lasham Airfield
Alton
Hampshire
GU34 5SG

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Here to Be Heard: The Story of the Slits Here to Be Heard: The Story of the Slits

Director: William E. Badgley

Year: 2017

The Slits who formed in London in 1976 were the world's first all girl punk band. Contemporaries of bands such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols, they were the pioneering godmothers of the musical movement know as "Punky Reggae". This documentary tells the story of the band and the lives of the women involved, from the band's inception in 1976 to the bands end in 2010 at the death of lead vocalist Ari Up. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2017 - World premiere Official Selection Rotterdam International Film Festival 2018

Music Dance
Dancing on Road Dancing on Road

Director: Lauren Gee

Year: 2024

Documenting and celebrating the Black British female roller-skating community, showcasing its long history and fixture within popular culture. Blurring the boundaries between documentary and music video, this experimental film reveals the expansive network of London’s Black skate scene through two key individuals that share their stories and delve into what this space and their skate crews and mentors provide them. This joyous exploration gives visibility to a subculture that to many outsiders is unknown but is made familiar through its nostalgic lens which pays homage to the sports DIY and music-led roots. Official Selection Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival 2025

Black Dance Music
Glaciers Requiem Glaciers Requiem

Director: Saddiq Abubakar

Year: 2026

In isolation on Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Nigerian-born modular synthesis artist Colloboh transforms glacial and oceanic recordings into sonic compositions - uncovering a dialogue between ice and sea that reshapes his understanding of consciousness, ecological collapse, and humanity’s place within both. As his process unfolds, Colloboh transforms these sounds into layered sonic works that blur the boundaries between observation and communion. The film culminates in a haunting gesture: he plays the completed composition back to the landscape itself, completing a dialogue between artist and environment. A meditation on impermanence, consciousness, and the fragile bond between humanity and the natural world.

Black Climate / Environment Experimental Music Science