Unveiling the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival

Organisers of the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival have announced that the cities of Bristol, Birmingham, Newport, Southampton and London will co-host the summer event which opens on June 6 in Southampton with the closing awards ceremony in London on June 30.

This year’s event is presented by CaribbeanTales Media Group, Integriti Capital and Recognize Black Heritage & Culture with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery in order to grow audiences for the festival, focusing on those aged 16-25.

One of the Festival founders, Oscars Academy member Frances Anne Solomon says she wants WCFF 2023 to be the “best attended” event and aims to sell out the opening night at Mast Mayflower Studios in Southampton.

In a statement, Ms Solomon said: “They were our parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties.

We inherited their courage, their struggles, their cultures of resistance. We are proud to stand on their broad shoulders and carry forward their stories.”

It is the 4th time that the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival has been held with over 40 screenings and talks taking place across 24 days at 11 venues in 5 cities, a move that Artistic Director Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe says “demonstrates the festival’s intent, ambition and purpose”.

Additional partners announced for the festival include The Voice newspaper, The Collective at Channel 4 – Channel 4’s Employee Network Group, Westminster UNISON, Kamo Vodka and Alt A Review – a bespoke print newspaper and online media outlet which celebrates diversity and inclusion.

Editor-in-chief, Joy Coker will host an afternoon of screenings on 24 June in honour of Barbadian filmmaker Menelik Shabazz. Cinema Golau, a regional festival partner, will be hosting a weekend of events in Newport, South Wales from 16-18 June.

In a statement, Yvonne Connikie said: “Cinema Golau has always championed inclusivity at a grassroots level. We are proud to celebrate 75 years of Windrush in Wales and are grateful to our ancestors for all they have done to get us here”.

Laura Glanville, Audiences Manager at the BFI, said: “We are proud to support this incredibly important Festival through the Audience Projects Fund. It is fantastic to see it growing its geographical footprint in cities across the UK and we believe with the support of our BFI National Lottery funding, they can reach new audiences – particularly younger people.”

Southampton, a city with historical ties to the Windrush generation will host film screenings from the festival for the first time ever on June 6 at Mast Mayflower Studios and also on June 21 at Harbour Lights Picturehouse, the day before National Windrush Day which this year marks the 75th anniversary since the Empire Windrush ship arrived at Tilbury Docks, the first stop en route to London for Caribbean citizens who were invited to live in the UK.

Many Caribbeans had already arrived in the UK a year prior, docking at Southampton on board The Almanzora. 2023 Windrush Caribbean Film Festival host cities and partner venues

• Tue 6 June, Southampton – Mast Mayflower Studios;
• Fri 9, Sat 10 June, Bristol – Watershed Cinema
• Tue 13, Wed 14, Thu 15 June, Birmingham – Midlands Arts Centre
• Fri 16, Sat 17, Sun 18, Newport – Riverfront Cinema
• Sat 17 – Tue 20 June, London – Rich Mix (Shoreditch);
• Fri 30 June, Genesis Cinema (Whitechapel – Awards ceremony);
• Wed 21 June, Southampton – Harbour Lights Picturehouse
• Sat 24 June, Rio Cinema (Dalston);
• Fri 16 June, Channel 4 headquarters (Westminster)
• Thu 22 June, Picturehouse Central (Piccadilly Circus);

Fri 23 June, Ritzy Brixton. For full details of all screenings visit www.windrushfilmfestival.com 2023 Windrush Caribbean Film Festival official selections (subject to change)

• After the Flood: The Church, Slavery and Reconciliation (Sheila Marshall)
• Asunder (Janet Marrett)
• A Very Brit(ish) Voice (Jaha Browne)
• Black & White Duppy (Thomas Blackman)
• Black and Welsh (Liana Stewart)
• Buckra Maassa Pickney (Lal Davies)
• Death of England: Face to Face (Clint Dyer)
• DỌLAPỌ̀ is Fine (Ethosheia Hylton)
• Falsehood (Leo Powell)
• Grief, Loss and Bereavement (Nicola Zawadi Cross)
• Hostile (Sonita Gale) HunmaniTree (Urban Circle Productions)
• I am Light (Julia Schönstädt)
• I Love St. Lucia (Leee John)
• Menopause in Sisterhood, (Nicola Zawadi Cross)
• No Regrets (Krik Krak Productions)
• Pattern (Ivan Madeira)
• Rea’s Men (Aaron James Robertson)
• Rushed (Nadine O’Mahony)
• Strictly Prohibited (Freddie Stewart)
• Shantaye’s World (Matherine Emmanuel)
• Small Island Stories 2 (James Batchelor, Benjamin Harrap)
• Spirits Run Deep (Gavin Porter)
• Standing Firm: Football’s Windrush Story (Theo Lee Ray)
• SUS (Robert Heath)
• The First Black Train Driver (Glenn Clarke)
• The Homemaker (Joanna N V Alexander)
• The ID Project: My Dominica Story (Richard Etienne)
• The Roll Out (Dewayne Force)
• Ultraviolence (Ken Fero)
• V.Rocket International: A Sound System Dynasty (Marcus Hall)
• When I was a Younger (Noella Mingo)

Other selected titles:

• 501 Not Out (Sam Lockyer)
• And Still We Rise (Chris Smith)
• The Ballad of Olive Morris (Alex Kayode-Kay)
• Hero (Frances-Anne Solomon)

About the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund The BFI Audience Projects Fund will invest £15m of National Lottery funding over three years to support ambitious, audience-facing activity of national scale that celebrates and showcases independent UK and international film and XR work.

It will support projects that seek to expand access and encourage greater enjoyment of cinema by connecting audiences that are representative of the UK population with great films – in venues, at events and online. bfi.org.uk/audience-project-fund About the BFI The BFI is a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image.

Our mission is: To support creativity and actively seek out the next generation of UK storytellers

• To grow and care for the BFI National Archive, the world’s largest film and television archive.
• To offer the widest range of UK and international moving image culture through our programmes and festivals – delivered online and in venue.
• To use our knowledge to educate and deepen public appreciation and understanding.

To work with Government and industry to ensure the continued growth of the UK’s screen industries Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter. The BFI Board of Governors is chaired by Tim Richards.