Rentals
Black British Filmmaking
A selection of shorts and features by black writers and directors, from milestones of the 60s and 70s to contemporary hits.
For much of the history of British film and TV, black stories were overseen by white filmmakers. By the 1960s, black writers and directors were demanding to tell their own stories, in their own way. This collection celebrates the work of black storytellers who have enriched our understanding of the black British experience. Landmark features like Horace Ové's Pressure (1975) and Menelik Shabazz's Burning an Illusion (1981) stand beside earlier milestones in short filmmaking by Lionel Ngakane and Lloyd Reckord, and 1990s work by Isaac Julien and Julian Henriques. And you'll find hits by leading lights in new black British cinema, including Noel Clarke, Destiny Ekaragha and Debbie Tucker Green. The collection also highlights the work of Ngozi Onwurah, who became the first black British woman director to get a UK theatrical release with her extraordinary debut feature Welcome II the Terrordome (1995), a controversial dystopian fable unavailable for many years.
BabymotherBabymother
Musical 1998 77 minsDirector: Julian Henriques
Neeta and her crew rise to dancehall fame in North West London's Caribbean community, in the first Black British musical.
Welcome II the TerrordomeWelcome II the Terrordome
Drama 1995 94 minsDirector: Ngozi Onwurah
A ferocious dystopian nightmare, this was the first film directed by a Black British woman to receive a UK theatrical release.
Dog Eat DogDog Eat Dog
Comedy 2001 93 minsDirector: Moody Shoaibi
David Oyelowo makes his first feature film role as one of posse of DJs who enrage a local drug baron after stealing his dog.
KidulthoodKidulthood
Drama 2006 91 minsDirector: Menhaj Huda
Noel Clarke and Menhaj Huda’s explosive youth film follows the drug, sex and crime-fuelled antics of a group of West London teens over the course of a single day.
AdulthoodAdulthood
Drama 2008 99 minsDirector: Noel Clarke
After being released from prison following a murder charge, Sam Peel (Noel Clarke) attempts to reboot his life and seek redemption.
BrotherhoodBrotherhood
Crime 2016 104 minsDirector: Noel Clarke
A decade after the release of Adulthood, Sam (Noel Clarke) is trying to keep his family safe while simmering old grudges threaten to resurface.
The Hard StopThe Hard Stop
Documentary 2016 86 minsDirector: George Amponsah
The story of Mark Duggan, who was shot and killed in Tottenham in 2011, is brought to the screen in this humane, thought-provoking and topical documentary.
Riots and Rumours of RiotsRiots and Rumours of Riots
1981 34 minsDirector: Imruh Caesar
Radical resistance in the postwar British Caribbean community, from the 1948 Nationality Act to the 1958 Brixton riots.
The WeekendThe Weekend
Comedy 2016 94 minsDirector: Sheridan De Myers
Street-smart Hackney comedy about three friends whose unexpected cash windfall funds the mother of all parties; from the talents behind YouTube hit Mandem on the Wall.
Sidney's ChairSidney's Chair
Drama 1995 21 minsDirector: Roberto Bangura
What do you do when a Hollywood star makes a film in your neighbourhood? Nick his chair, of course!
Speak Like a ChildSpeak Like a Child
Drama 1998 77 minsDirector: John Akomfrah
Moving drama about three close friends forever tied to a dark secret from their teenage past.
Gone Too Far!Gone Too Far!
Comedy 2014 88 minsDirector: Destiny Ekaragha
Riotous urban comedy adapted from the hit Royal Court play, about a Peckham teen affronted by the arrival of his long-lost Nigerian sibling.
Second ComingSecond Coming
Drama 2015 105 minsDirector: debbie tucker green
What if an immaculate conception took place in a South London household? Idris Elba stars in a subtle, thought-provoking and original family drama.
Blood Ah Go RunBlood Ah Go Run
Documentary 1982 13 minsDirector: Menelik Shabazz and Imruh Caesar
This documentary by Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion) about the response to the New Cross Fire in 1981 prefigures the widespread social unrest later that year.
RootedRooted
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1997 4 minsDirector: Victor Olusola Opeyokun
Animated awakening: a young black man in an oppressive urban environment finds a new outlook by embracing his African roots
12 Years a Slave12 Years a Slave
Biopic 2014 134 minsDirector: Steve McQueen
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender star in Steve McQueen’s fearless, Oscar-winning story of a free man who’s sold into slavery.
Smack and ThistleSmack and Thistle
Drama 1989 95 minsDirector: Tunde Ikoli
When a young black wide-boy rescues a rich white girl from a heroin overdose – and falls for her – he’s drawn into a world of high-class crime.
Midnight BreaksMidnight Breaks
1988 113 minsDirector: Laurens C. Postma
Big Audio Dynamite’s Don Letts made his acting debut in this gripping, gritty 1990 drama of dreads, drugs, and music business corruption.
HushHush
Thriller 2009 88 minsDirector: Mark Tonderai
A tense and terrifying motorway thriller about a man whose girlfriend is kidnapped by a malevolent trucker, directed by former Radio 1 DJ Mark Tonderai.
Omega RisingOmega Rising
1988 50 minsDirector: D. Elmina Davis
The women of Rastafari talk about their relationship to the movement’s development.
Coffee Coloured ChildrenCoffee Coloured Children
Biopic 1988 17 minsDirector: Ngozi Onwurah
Experimental monologue about the trauma of racial harassment and self-hate that accompanies growing up mixed-race in Britain.
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