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Images of Black Women Film Festival 13 -15 April 2012

Black History Studies had the pleasure of being an official partner for the Images of Black Women Film Festival which took place over the weekend of 13-15th April 2012.

The Images of Black Women (IBW) Film Festival has been running for 8 years as one of the only advocates for change in the representation of Black Women in Film. Over 3 days, the festival presented the best of challenging cinema, offering alternative images of a figure still very much invisible. The Images of Black Women (IBW) Film Festival is a portal for groundbreaking and forward-thinking film making and debate.

I had the pleasure of attend two out of the three days to watch some amazing films. The first film I watched was Jessie Owens which is about the athlete’s historic participation in the Olympic Games of 1938 in Berlin in which he won four gold medals. The images of Hitler’s annoyance that his theory of Aryan supremacy were being rubbished by the achievements of Jessie Owens were amusing to see. This film is a must see for all the family. I watched Yelling At the Sky which was an emotional watch for me and very thought provoking. As a former Youth Worker, I have seen and worked with young people who had gone through similar experiences like the main character. The tissue came out a few times during this film!

Listen to my interview taken on the night.

I was invited to be on the panel for the ‘African Women Filmmaker’ to speak about the tension between modern life and traditional Africa values along with the filmmaker Yaboe Badoe. I watched three films on the Sunday section of the programme. Mwanza The Great by Rungano Nyoni was excellent. I loved the way the film was put together and the young characters in the film played their roles well. I would love to see them on the big screen again. Playing Warriors was a bit like Sex in the City but more entertaining. I enjoyed the film and could relate to the issues addressed the film by the characters. Anchor Baby, what can I say. I loved this film and I was not expecting the film to end the way it did but you have to see it for yourself, brilliant. As a mother, the ending was heart wrenching. I am not going to spoil it, you have to see it for yourself.

 



Listen to an interview with Sister Hya after the event.

 

I would like to commend Sylviane Rano IBW Co-founder & Director, the IBW Team, Sis Hya and Bro. Icha of JetBlack Inc for their hard work on this event. I was unaware that Sylviane Rano did not get any external funding for this event and was self funding this event from her own resources. This is a similar situation to Black History Studies who are a self-funded organisaton. But sadly, this is what we have to do to get our films showcased. Thank you for your hard work, I can’t wait for next year!