Still I Rise: The Maya Angelou Film Festival
The Still I Rise: The Maya Angelou Film Festival is a programme of screenings celebrates the life and work of world renowned and legendary author, poet, actress, professor, singer, dancer, playwright, director, and activist Dr. Maya Angelou who passed away at the age of 86 in May 2014.
Readers of her autobiography will know that she rose from childhood trauma in America’s Deep South through political activism with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X to become a hugely admired writer, university professor and Bill Clinton’s Poet Laureate. Her poem And Still I Rise is a triumphant anthem of transcendence over adversity.Although best known as an author, poet and activist, Maya Angelou also acted and wrote for TV and film which is often forgotten.
The films selected are films that feature Maya Angelou, are narrated by Maya Angelou or are written by or directed by Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou was significantly influenced by Florida writer, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. We will screen a film that showcases Hurston’s life and career.
The film festival will feature a mixture of feature films, documentary and art house film. We will incorporate storytellers/spoken word artists, presentations, industry experts at each screening and facilitate engaging post film discussions with audience members.
The programme of events are below:
In Celebration of Maya Angelou
Thursday 6th August 2015
Black History Studies in association with Empress Jai presents ‘In Celebration of Maya Angelou.’ In this interactive presentation by Empress Jai, we will be discussing and celebrating the life and work of world renowned and legendary author, poet, actress, professor, singer, dancer, playwright, director, and activist Dr. Maya Angelou.
To highlight Maya Angelou’s love of music, Iyanna Monique, a classically trained solo violinist will be performing from 6pm
This event will take place on THURSDAY 6TH AUGUST 2015 from 7.00pm to 9.00pm. Doors open at 5.30pm.
This event will be held at the Marcus Garvey Library, Tottenham Green Centre, 1 Phillip Lane, Tottenham, London, N15 4JA. Nearest Tube: Seven Sisters Station. Nearest Mainline: Bruce Grove Station. Buses: 123, 149, 230, 243, 259, 279, 318, 341, 349, 476, W4. Parking available on site (£4).
‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’
Saturday 12th September 2015
Film Rating: 15
Directed by Fielder Cook
This film adaptation of Maya Angelou’s autobiography focuses on the author’s extremely difficult youth. Young Maya (Constance Good) lives at her grandmother’s in Arkansas. Life is hard for the little girl, but a truly dark turning point comes when she is raped by her mother’s boyfriend (Paul Benjamin). After she identifies her rapist, her uncles murder him. Overwhelmed with guilt and confusion, Maya becomes mute for years, struggling all the while to come to terms with her trauma.This will be followed by Q&A.
Featuring a performance by singer, songwriter, lyricist, actress, director and musician OneNessSankara.
THIS EVENT IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!
This event will take place on SATURDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER 2015 from 6pm to 9.00pm. Doors open at 5.30pm.
This event will be held at St Ann’s Library, Cissbury Road, Tottenham, London, N15 5PU. Approx 10 mins walk from Seven Sisters Station. On street parking. Buses 67, 259, 279 stop nearby.
Admission will be FREE.
Sunday 13th September 2015
Film Rating: 15
Directed by Stig Björkman
Year: 1972
1970’s Drama – Romance and Political intrigue set in Europe with two US actors playing American’s abroad. Together struggling through the challenges of an inter-racial romance admits biased and racism from both sides of their cultures. Diana Sands (honey baby) plays a beautiful Black American entertainer has just arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, having recently been voted Europe’s favourite performer. However, her stardom is marred when she becomes a target for various political groups. She attempts to escape her confrontations with people who expect different things from her by developing a quick and intense romance with another American. (Dirk Benedict).This will be followed by Q&A.
THIS EVENT IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!
This event will take place on SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2015 from 2pm to 5pm.
This event will be held Upstairs at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton Oval, Coldharbour Lane, London, SW2 1JG. The Ritzy Cinema is a short walk from Brixton Underground Station (Victoria Line) and 50 yards left from Brixton Railway Station. The Ritzy Cinema is easily accessible via bus with the following routes running directly near the cinema: 2, 3, 35, 45, 109, 118, 133, 159, 196, 250, 322, 345, 355, P4, P5, N2, N3, N35, N37, N109.
Saturday 19th September 2015
Film Rating:
Directed by Maya Angelou
Year: 1998
Down in the Delta brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community, and friendship! In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighbourhood — is sent to spend a summer in her family’s ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In “The Delta,” with the support and wisdom of her hardworking Uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her young children and reverse the downward slide of her life. A heart-warming, critically acclaimed motion. This will be followed by Q&A.
We are pleased to announce that Anika Wilson will be delivering her engaging storytelling performance of ‘Saleah’s Journey’ at this event, bringing the history alive through drama.
THIS EVENT IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!
This event will take place on SATURDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER 2015 from 5pm to 9.00pm. Doors open at 4.30pm.
This event will be held at St Ann’s Library, Cissbury Road, Tottenham, London, N15 5PU. Approx 10 mins walk from Seven Sisters Station. On street parking. Buses 67, 259, 279 stop nearby.
‘Sisters In Cinema’ screening &
Breaking into the Film Industry Workshop
Sunday 20th September 2015
On Sunday 20th September 2015, Black History Studies will host a presentation on ‘Black Women In Film & Breaking into the Film Industry’ followed by the screening of screen ‘Sisters in Cinema’ (2003)’ and panel discussion with industry experts.
Black Women in Film & Breaking into the Film Industry
This informative and inspirational presentation delivered by Yvonne Connikie will discuss Black Women involvement in Film in the UK since the 1980s. We will examine the work of remarkable filmmakers such as Maureen Blackwood and Sister Dennis Elmina Davis, who made films in her kitchen and many more. We will also reflect on what opportunities are available for young aspiring filmmakers today.
Directed by Yvonne Welbon
Duration: 62 minutes
Year: 2003
Sisters in Cinema is a documentary that traces the careers of inspiring African American women filmmakers from the early part of the 20th century to today. As the first documentary of its kind, Sisters in Cinema creates a strong visual history of the contributions of African American women to the film industry. Early filmmakers include, Tressie Souders who wrote and directed a Woman’s Error in 1922, Zora Neale Hurston, the writer and anthropologist who made ethnographic films in the 1920s, and Eloyce Gist who directed Verdict Not Guilty in the early 1930s.
Sisters in Cinema is a seminal work that pays homage to African American women, who against all odds made history. The careers, lives and films of inspirational women filmmakers, such as, Euzhan Palcy, Julie Dash, Darnell Martin, Dianne Houston, Neema Barnette, Cheryl Dunye, Kasi Lemmons and Maya Angelou are showcased within the film. Interviews are interwoven with film clips, rare archival footage and photographs and production video of the filmmakers at work. Together these images give voice to African American women directors and serve to illuminate a history that has remained hidden for too long. Sisters in Cinema reveals the challenges of African American women in the director’s chair and the trials and jubilations of bringing their life’s passion to the screen.
This will be followed by panel discussion with:
Paulette Harris-German, a multi talented actor, producer, presenter, broadcaster, voiceover artist, event organiser, host and consultant with over 30 years experience in the entertainment industry. Having worked nationally and internationally for organisations including, the BBC, Arts Council England, Bfm Film Festival and the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.Is the Associate Producer of the award winning ‘The Story of Lovers Rock’, ‘Looking For Love’ Directed by Menelik Shabazz, also the mockumentary, ‘Melvin: Chronicles of a Player’ Directed by Lawerence Coke. Paulette was also the First Assistand Director on Julius Amedume’s ‘A Goat’s Tail’. @LadyPaulette UK #LadyPauletteUK
Samantha Asumadu is a documentary filmmaker, and founder of Media Diversified and the Media Diversified Experts Directory. Her first documentary was broadcast by Aljazeera English in 2009. ‘The Super Ladies’ is the story of three Ugandan women rally drivers and a race with a dramatic outcome. She has written for The Guardian, Ceasefire Magazine and The New Statesman and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Ethosheia Hylton of Eclectica Films Productions initially started her career as an actress, studying for two years in New York at The American Academy of dramatic Arts. She has successfully cast, directed and produced 4 short films. Ackee and Saltfish (2010), Spring (2011), Small World (2013) and Lia (2014). She has also worked as a Script Editor, Assistant Director and Camera Assistant for music videos and films.
THIS EVENT IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!
This event will take place on SUNDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2015 from 12pm to 5pm.
This event will be held Upstairs at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton Oval, Coldharbour Lane, London, SW2 1JG.The Ritzy Cinema is a short walk from Brixton Underground Station (Victoria Line) and 50 yards left from Brixton Railway Station. The Ritzy Cinema is easily accessible via bus with the following routes running directly near the cinema: 2, 3, 35, 45, 109, 118, 133, 159, 196, 250, 322, 345, 355, P4, P5, N2, N3, N35, N37, N109.
Storytelling Workshop &
‘Zora Neale Hurston – Jump At The Sun’ screening
Saturday 26th September 2015
Rating: U
Director: Sam Pollard
Year: 2008
On Saturday 26th September 2015, Black History Studies will screen the film ‘Zora Neale Hurston – Jump At The Sun.’ Maya Angelou was significantly influenced by Florida writer, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. We will screen this film that showcases Hurston’s life and career.
Zora Neale Hurston, path-breaking novelist, pioneering anthropologist and one of the first Black women to enter the American literary canon (Their Eyes Were Watching God), established the African American vernacular as one of the most vital, inventive voices in American literature.This definitive film biography, eighteen years in the making, portrays Zora in all her complexity: gifted, flamboyant, and controversial but always fiercely original.This will be followed by Q&A.
There will be a free storytelling workshop with Griot Chinyere from Shanti-Chi from 3pm – 5pm.
THIS EVENT IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!
This event will take place on SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2015 from 3pm to 9pm. Doors open at 4.30pm.
This event will be held at St Ann’s Library, Cissbury Road, Tottenham, London, N15 5PU. Approx 10 mins walk from Seven Sisters Station. On street parking. Buses 67, 259, 279 stop nearby.
Admission will be FREE.
Places for this event is limited so if you are interested in attending please reserve your ticket at http://mayaangeloufilmfestival6.eventbrite.co.uk
Sunday 27th September 2015
Film Rating: U
Directed by Hilary Helstein
Year: 2008
As Maya Angelou narrates this powerful documentary, she reveals the story of a brave group of people who fought Hitler with the only weapons they had: charcoal, pencil stubs, shreds of paper and memories etched in their minds. These artists took their fate into their own hands to make a compelling statement about the human spirit, enduring against unimaginable odds.
This will be followed by Q&A with Emma Ako, Creative Director and Founder of Carpe Diem Events. Carpe Diem Events is a creative and performance based events company that uses a range of art forms with a substance & core to spread as well as raise awareness on Congo’s conflict minerals and our technology.
THIS EVENT IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!
This event will take place on SUNDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 2015 from 2pm to 5pm.
This event will be held Upstairs at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton Oval, Coldharbour Lane, London, SW2 1JG. The Ritzy Cinema is a short walk from Brixton Underground Station (Victoria Line) and 50 yards left from Brixton Railway Station. The Ritzy Cinema is easily accessible via bus with the following routes running directly near the cinema: 2, 3, 35, 45, 109, 118, 133, 159, 196, 250, 322, 345, 355, P4, P5, N2, N3, N35, N37, N109.
Tickets are £8.00 plus booking fee.
Places for this event is limited so if you are interested in attending please reserve your ticket at http://mayaangeloufilmfestival7.eventbrite.co.uk
Please note that these events will be photographed and recorded for evaluation purposes. By attending and participating in this event, you are giving your consent to be photographed / recorded on film and waiving any and all claims regarding the use of your image.
This Film Festival Programme is supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/filmhub
