Organised by Greenwich Peninsula
IMPORTANT: Register for the Q&A via this Eventbrite link here
The Peninsulist Presents invites you to join a live Q&A with British artist-filmmakers Jenn Nkiru, John Akomfrah and Zak Ové followed by a John Akomfrah double bill showing Goldie: When Saturn Returnz and The Stuart Hall Project.
The Peninsulist Presents is collaborating with Bounce Cinema to rediscover important works by Black British directors. Sourced from the film archives of the BFI, Smoking Dogs Films and Jenn Nkiru we’ve curated a list of works which interrogate narratives of community, belonging and coming of age characterised by underlying racial tensions, societal bias and feelings of otherness. The programme features the work of Isaac Julien, Jenn Nkiru, Horace Ové and Menelik Shabazz. Through critical thought and exploration, the films each bring into focus a multi-faceted Black British identity and challenge us not only to confront inequality but to engage in an honest dialogue about politics, class and race.
19:00 - 19.50 In Conversation: John Akomfrah, Jenn Nkiru and Zak Ove.
Hosted by The Peninsulist and Mathieu Ajan from Bounce Cinemas, the panel will interrogate the evolution of Black British representation whilst contemplating current societal shifts. The discussion will draw on the selection of filmic works, featured in The Peninsulist Presents Friday Film Club. The live talk will be followed by a John Akomfrah double bill: ‘Goldie: When Saturn Returnz’ and ‘The Stuart Hall Project’.
Jenn Nkiru is an artist and filmmaker from and based in Peckham, London. Pushed through a surrealist lens, her practise is grounded in the history of black music, afro-surrealism, the aesthetics of experimental film, international art cinema, the black arts movement and the rich and variegated tradition of cinemas of the black diaspora and their distinct experimentation with the politics of form.
John Akomfrah is a hugely respected artist and filmmaker, whose works are characterised by their investigations into memory, post-colonialism, temporality and aesthetics and often explores the experiences of migrant diasporas globally. Akomfrah was a founding member of the influential Black Audio Film Collective, which started in London in 1982 alongside the artists David Lawson and Lina Gopaul, who he still collaborates with today.
Zak Ové is a London based multi-disciplinary artist working in film, sculpture and photography to reclaim old world mythologies in new world source materials and technologies. His fascination with the interplay between antiquity and the future is inspired by masking rituals and traditions of Trinidadian carnival that is itself rooted in a struggle for emancipation.
20:00 - 20:50 Screening of Goldie: When Saturn Returnz (1998)
dir John Akomfrah | Smoking Dogs Films | (unrated) | 50 min
Goldie: When Saturn Returnz takes us on a roller coaster ride through the frenetic life of the Godfather of Drum and Bass. A journey that takes us from Wolverhampton to Tokyo, Miami to Hong Kong; through his years in council care and his life as a musician and international pop star. This portrait of Goldie is a story about pain and anger but also about seeking a place of enunciation and belonging. The film follows Goldie back into his childhood and early experiences of otherness and not-belonging. It investigates the singer’s various ways of expressing himself in art and music, whether through break-dance, graffiti or drum & bass music. Along the way we meet his family, his collaborators and his celebrated friends, David Bowie and Noel Gallagher. Gold Digital Award at the Cheonju International Film Festival, South Korea, 2001 Film Festivals.
21:00 - 22:30 The Stuart Hall Project The Stuart Hall Project (2013)
dir John Akomfrah | Smoking Dogs Films| Rated 12 | 95 min
The Stuart Hall Project is the intimate and engaging portrait of Stuart Hall, the Jamaican born public intellectual and co-founder of the New Left Review, whose work in cultural studies profoundly influenced the political landscape and academic landscape. A life lived through the twentieth century’s defining political moments. Weaving between the musical archeology of Miles Davis and the political narratives of the twentieth century, director John Akomfrah, carefully constructs archival sequences of rare, forgotten and long since seen historical material. A ground breaking film that pioneers a new archival and sonic approach to forgotten histories, forgotten ideas and the untold stories of the politics of change.
About Bounce
Bounce is a community helping you discover and connect with the world of film. Through our programme of screenings, talks and workshops, we bring thousands of people together to celebrate cinema. Bounce is an independent organisation and reinvest a percentage of our time and resources into supporting new and emerging talent.
About The Peninsulist Presents:
The Peninsulist Presents is a summer-long festival of online events, taking place twice per week between June and September. Mark Culture Wednesdays and Friday Sessions in your diary and tune in to exclusive live music sets in virtual listening rooms, innovative craft and design workshops that stimulate the mind, insightful talks that spark conversation and delectable food demonstrations. Event videos will also be posted online for you to rewatch.