Round up - 11th bfm International Film Festival Festival
Words: Alice Gbelia
The 11th bfm international film festival has now closed and it’s been a roaring success. For five days, between the 6th and 10th November, the bfm IFF screened the best of black world black cinema to enraptured audiences. The festival opened with one of the most talked-about movies of 2009: Chris Rock’s Good Hair had a sold-out crowd in stitches. Such was the demand for the achingly funny documentary that a second screening was booked and immediately sold out. Another strong title was A Good Day to be Black and Sexy, qualified as “urban pillow talk” by its director, African-American Dennis Dortch.
While those two movies represent the more mainstream strand of the festival, the overall programming of this year’s film festival struck the right balance between commercial black movies and more confidential productions. Seventy per cent of the movies screened during the festival had no distribution at the time of screening: Something is Killing Tate, A Winter Tale, or Herskovitz at the Heart of Blackness were some of the wonderful discoveries that could be made during the festival.
As the largest and longest running platform of black world cinema, the bfm IFF strives to screen films that represent the experience of the Diaspora and this year was no exception. Productions such as Touki Bouki and Miss Sgodiphola showed a playful and positive Africa while Soca Power or Mas Man highlighted the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean.
A real treat for film lovers, the bfm International Film Festival is also a creative hub for black-British filmmakers. Opportunities this year were rife: a group of selected filmmakers – among them documentary maker Ishmael Blagrove of film collective Rice n Peas – travelled to Trinidad and Tobago as part of a networking exchange between the UK and the Caribbean island. Nadia Denton, the festival director, also used the bfm as a platform on which to build links with the US and invited noted African-American actor Tim Reid as Guest of Honour for this year’s festival. His seminar “Blacks in the Age of Forgetfulness – Where Do We Go from Here” challenged filmmakers to take charge and redefine their depiction of people of African descent. He went further by offering a scholarship to filmmaker Charles Buckley to his Legacy Media Institute in Virginia, USA. Other events were organised throughout the festival to encourage filmmakers to network and meet their audience.
The closing night of the festival, which took place on November 10 at the BFI South Bank, perfectly embodied that spirit of togetherness that the festival creates. The night started with the Short Film Awards, where presentations were made for best script, best female actor, best actor, best cinematography and best short film. The nominees – the cream of black-British film talent - were in full attendance, and brought along friends and family. The lines between industry people and film buffs were blurred, creating a joyful and carefree atmosphere that you don’t find in other events of that scale and ambition. The Short Awards were followed by the screening of The Story of Lovers Rock, by seasoned filmmaker Menelik Shabbazz and founder of bfm. The documentary touched a chord with the audience; they were taken down memory lane, to a time when black youth went to fetes to enjoy the music and dance together. The night ended with an after-party in the Benugo Bar of the BFI South Bank, free to attend by all. Couples danced the night away, rocked by the sounds played by a DJ.
This was the perfect end to five days of film screenings, networking events and parties that showed the deep connection that exists between black audiences and the bfm international film festival. Those lucky enough to have attended screenings “love the ethos of the festival, love the fact that [black] films have a platform to be shown and appreciated”. Others “wished it lasted longer” and were delighted by the “quality of films on offer”. For all, the bfm International Film Festival 2009 was a “very inspiring” event that goes beyond film to show the creativity of people of African descent.
Words: Alice Gbelia
The 11th bfm international film festival has now closed and it’s been a roaring success. For five days, between the 6th and 10th November, the bfm IFF screened the best of black world black cinema to enraptured audiences. The festival opened with one of the most talked-about movies of 2009: Chris Rock’s Good Hair had a sold-out crowd in stitches. Such was the demand for the achingly funny documentary that a second screening was booked and immediately sold out. Another strong title was A Good Day to be Black and Sexy, qualified as “urban pillow talk” by its director, African-American Dennis Dortch.
While those two movies represent the more mainstream strand of the festival, the overall programming of this year’s film festival struck the right balance between commercial black movies and more confidential productions. Seventy per cent of the movies screened during the festival had no distribution at the time of screening: Something is Killing Tate, A Winter Tale, or Herskovitz at the Heart of Blackness were some of the wonderful discoveries that could be made during the festival.
As the largest and longest running platform of black world cinema, the bfm IFF strives to screen films that represent the experience of the Diaspora and this year was no exception. Productions such as Touki Bouki and Miss Sgodiphola showed a playful and positive Africa while Soca Power or Mas Man highlighted the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean.
A real treat for film lovers, the bfm International Film Festival is also a creative hub for black-British filmmakers. Opportunities this year were rife: a group of selected filmmakers – among them documentary maker Ishmael Blagrove of film collective Rice n Peas – travelled to Trinidad and Tobago as part of a networking exchange between the UK and the Caribbean island. Nadia Denton, the festival director, also used the bfm as a platform on which to build links with the US and invited noted African-American actor Tim Reid as Guest of Honour for this year’s festival. His seminar “Blacks in the Age of Forgetfulness – Where Do We Go from Here” challenged filmmakers to take charge and redefine their depiction of people of African descent. He went further by offering a scholarship to filmmaker Charles Buckley to his Legacy Media Institute in Virginia, USA. Other events were organised throughout the festival to encourage filmmakers to network and meet their audience.
The closing night of the festival, which took place on November 10 at the BFI South Bank, perfectly embodied that spirit of togetherness that the festival creates. The night started with the Short Film Awards, where presentations were made for best script, best female actor, best actor, best cinematography and best short film. The nominees – the cream of black-British film talent - were in full attendance, and brought along friends and family. The lines between industry people and film buffs were blurred, creating a joyful and carefree atmosphere that you don’t find in other events of that scale and ambition. The Short Awards were followed by the screening of The Story of Lovers Rock, by seasoned filmmaker Menelik Shabbazz and founder of bfm. The documentary touched a chord with the audience; they were taken down memory lane, to a time when black youth went to fetes to enjoy the music and dance together. The night ended with an after-party in the Benugo Bar of the BFI South Bank, free to attend by all. Couples danced the night away, rocked by the sounds played by a DJ.
This was the perfect end to five days of film screenings, networking events and parties that showed the deep connection that exists between black audiences and the bfm international film festival. Those lucky enough to have attended screenings “love the ethos of the festival, love the fact that [black] films have a platform to be shown and appreciated”. Others “wished it lasted longer” and were delighted by the “quality of films on offer”. For all, the bfm International Film Festival 2009 was a “very inspiring” event that goes beyond film to show the creativity of people of African descent.