A film heavy BackChat for this our first post of 2022, watch this space for our very own short film announcements coming very soon…
blackfilmarchive.com
The Black Film Archive celebrates “the rich, abundant history of Black cinema”. Curated by Maya Cade the project describes itself as “a living register”, a wonderful phrase! A huge range of films are listed here from 1915. It works by showcasing films that are currently available on streaming – do note that some films are not available in all countries – but it is still a fantastic resource to browse, with trailers, blog posts and a newsletter to sign up for. You can find a more detailed introduction to the aims and the motivation behind the archive here and all that it looks to accomplish.
Legendary Hollywood actor Sidney Poitier died in January, and scrolling through this archive his body of work is staggering, he appears in most films listed in 1950s & 1960s categories and into the 70s too. (The archive currently “ends” at 1979). So you can watch from Porgy and Bess (the sometime controversial) to In the Heat of the Night. A pioneering actor, may he rest in peace.
Horace Ove’s 1976 Pressure is among those listed (trailer only if you’re in the UK). Horace was awarded a knighthood in this year’s New Years Honours list.
RIP SENI at Bethlem Museum of the Mind
In early January we visited Bethlem Museum of the Mind and saw this short documentary film by Daisy Ifama prompted by graffiti on a series of artworks outside the hospital. A moving 2o minutes the film explores mental health and race and is available to view in full here
Finally…An update on the Winter Windrush Emergency Appeal
This time last year we were busy working on our fundraising campaign in partnership with JCWI and Speaking Volumes. All the funds we raised have now been distributed and you can see an update about where your donations went here
Thanks again to everyone who donated their time, energy and funds.
Read more from our Artistic Director Dominique about our upcoming programmes in Rye!
https://buff.ly/4fMIIAW
THIS WEDNESDAY! Join the London Sea Shanty Collective, Hackney Voices and other singers to raise money for Medecins Sans Frontieres' life-saving work ..
StrongBack Productions is thrilled to have been awarded a grant from a private Estate Fund in support of their SongMaps Rye Programme.
Registered Company No 8767837 Registered Charity No 1167818
