On Friday 17 - Sunday 19 June The Riverfront will host the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival supported by Film Hub Wales and Cinema Golau
From Empire to the Commonwealth: Legacies of the Windrush Generation
The legacy of the Windrush Generation is an ongoing story, set within a wider context of the British Empire and Commonwealth. The social and cultural contributions to Britain of former and current Commonwealth countries is far-reaching. But this relationship between national and collective identities is a delicate matter defined by a shared history of colonialism and oppression, but also of collectivism, culture and celebration.
The WCFF 2022 theme, Beyond the Commonwealth, explores this complex relationship by telling the stories of the Windrush Generation and other former colonies, asking the question “what does it mean to share the history of the Commonwealth”. Through immersive storytelling, interactive workshops and thought-provoking events, the WCFF 2022 will highlight the artistic, political and social contribution of the original pioneers arriving in Britain during the 1940s as well as their descendants who are shaping Britain today, forming their own cultural and political narratives and identities.
Book your £15 weekend Pass here
With thanks to Newport Now BID for their support of the festival.
Here is the festival film programme:
Friday 17 June
7.30pm: Rebel Dread (15)
Director: William E. Badgley
Rebel Dread is the story of Don Letts, the legendary filmmaker, DJ, musician, and cultural commentator. The film frames Don’s story as a first-generation British-born black man within the nascent punk scene of the 1970s and 80s – how rastas and punks found a common bond, both outside of the mainstream, and how Don introduced reggae to the punks. Don was part of the inner circle of The Clash and Johnny Rotten. He later formed Big Audio Dynamite with Mick Jones, and made music that incorporated dance, reggae, rap, film samples and rock n roll.
After directing iconic music videos including London Calling, Chain Gang and Pass the Dutchie, Don became an award-winning feature director, with films such as Dancehall Queen and One Love, starring Idris Elba. He is now a leading cultural commentator and well-known voice on BBC Radio 6.
Following the film there will be a Q&A session with Don Letts interviewed by Aleighcia Scott and a musical performance from Aleighcia.
Saturday 18 June
11.00am: Jemima and Johnny (U)
The friendship of a young white boy and a black girl reaches out across the generations in this uplifting mid-60s short, directed by South African-born actor and anti-Apartheid activist Lionel Ngakane. Against a background media narrative suggesting ever-worsening racial tensions, Jemima + Johnny offered a refreshingly optimistic take on black/white relations in a post-riots Notting Hill. Jemima + Johnny won its director an award at the 1966 Venice Film Festival, the first black British film to be so honoured.
Becoming an Artist by Charlie Phillips.
A short animation of Charlie Phillips, Windrush Photographer who began taking photos of his local community as a child, who now exhibits his work worldwide. Charlie tells the story of his life and his career and invites children to make art about their community.
12.00pm: Battledream Chronicles (12A)
Director: Alain Bidard
The first Caribbean feature-length animated sci-fi fantasy. This epic film by Alain Bidard tells the story of a young slave from Martinique who fights for her freedom in an Afro-futuristic world where Battledream Chronicle retells Black slavery through the story of Syanna, a young female slave who is trying to regain her freedom in an Afrofuturistic world where plantations are video games, where slaves are gamers and where experience points is the new sugar cane.
5.00pm: Eye - Lash Focus on Women Filmmaking Q and A with June Cambell Davis and Adeola Dewis
Sometime we’re invisible
June Campbell Davis’s visual masterpiece questions and curiosity of what black people wore, those that lived here Britain since 1500’s and why so little evidence in paintings or drawings I wanted to create a solo dance piece that would take the audience on a journey back into the past- uncovering aspects of Slavery, through symbology, created soundscape, and contemporary movement in the form of Japanese Butoh style. My final realization that I’m here today because my ancestor[s] survived the crossing from Africa to the Caribbean. And the Trauma of that crossing runs deep from generation to generation.
The Arrival
Director: Annetta Laufer
It’s August 6th, 1962 – Jamaican Independence Day. Daisy, a young Jamaican arrives to the ‘Mother Country’ of Britain to start a new life with her husband, whom she has not seen for two years. However, she’s holding a secret, which if discovered, could jeopardize everything. Daisy must choose what she wants for her life.
A time for New Dreams
Director: Yvonne Connikie
A time for New Dreams takes its name from a book by Ben Okri, a collection of essays on how the world is and how it could be. The work is an experimental and intergenerational manifestation of the dreams of the Windrush generation in Wales. filmed in Newport, and based on archival material and new testimonials, the work A time for New Dreams reflects on the Windrush generation Moving through time, an experimental mosaic of super 8 millimetre film and digital footage this piece explores intergenerational Caribbean dreams in their different forms.
6.30pm: Generation Revolution (15)
Directors: Cassie Quarless & Usayd Younis
Generation Revolution brings to screen the powerful story of a new generation of black and brown activists who are changing the social and political landscape in the capital and beyond. This feature-length documentary follows an exciting new breed of organisations as well as the young Londoners that are part of them.The film vividly chronicles the evolution of the protagonists as they experience personal and political awakenings, breakthroughs and, at times, disillusionment. Generation Revolution offers a unique and original glimpse into the rewarding but difficult path that must be trodden in the struggle for personal, social and political liberation. There is already a hunger amongst young people to have an active discussion around many of the ideas approached in the film, and this urgent documentary presents modern protest and activism in its many guises.
Following the film there will be a panel discussion with Fez Miah and Andrew Ogun
8.00pm: Pressure (15)
Director: Horace Ové
Hailed as Britain's first black feature film, Pressure is a hard-hitting, honest document of the plight of disenchanted British-born black youths. Set in 1970s London, it tells the story of Tony, a bright school-leaver, son of West Indian immigrants, who finds himself torn between his parents' church-going conformity and his brother's Black Power militancy.As his initially high hopes are repeatedly dashed – he cannot find work anywhere, potential employers treat him with suspicion because of his colour – his sense of alienation grows. In a bid to find a sense of belonging, he joins his black friends who, estranged from their submissive parents, seek a sense of purpose in the streets and in chases with the police. An angry but sincere and balanced film, Pressure deals with the identity struggles that children of immigrants have to face and Horace Ové makes the most of his combination of professional actors and local non-actors from the streets of London.
Made by Trinidadian director Sir Horace Ove, Pressure is widely acknowledged to have kick-started black British cinema. This is truly a piece of cinematic history.
Following the film there will be a panel discussion with Yvonne Connikie, Charlie Phillips Adeola Dewis
Sunday 19 June
12.30pm: Jemima and Johnny (U)
The friendship of a young white boy and a black girl reaches out across the generations in this uplifting mid-60s short, directed by South African-born actor and anti-Apartheid activist Lionel Ngakane. Against a background media narrative suggesting ever-worsening racial tensions, Jemima + Johnny offered a refreshingly optimistic take on black/white relations in a post-riots Notting Hill. Jemima + Johnny won its director an award at the 1966 Venice Film Festival, the first black British film to be so honoured.
Becoming an Artist by Charlie Phillips.
A short animation of Charlie Phillips, Windrush Photographer who began taking photos of his local community as a child, who now exhibits his work worldwide. Charlie tells the story of his life and his career and invites children to make art about their community.
3.00pm: Eye - Lash Shorts by women in Wales
Sometime we’re invisible
June Campbell Davis’s visual masterpiece questions and curiosity of what black people wore, those that lived here Britain since 1500’s and why so little evidence in paintings or drawings I wanted to create a solo dance piece that would take the audience on a journey back into the past- uncovering aspects of Slavery, through symbology, created soundscape, and contemporary movement in the form of Japanese Butoh style. My final realization that I’m here today because my ancestor[s] survived the crossing from Africa to the Caribbean. And the Trauma of that crossing runs deep from generation to generation.
The Arrival
Director: Annetta Laufer
It’s August 6th, 1962 – Jamaican Independence Day. Daisy, a young Jamaican arrives to the ‘Mother Country’ of Britain to start a new life with her husband, whom she has not seen for two years. However, she’s holding a secret, which if discovered, could jeopardize everything. Daisy must choose what she wants for her life.
A time for New Dreams
Director: Yvonne Connikie
A time for New Dreams takes its name from a book by Ben Okri, a collection of essays on how the world is and how it could be. The work is an experimental and intergenerational manifestation of the dreams of the Windrush generation in Wales. filmed in Newport, and based on archival material and new testimonials, the work A time for New Dreams reflects on the Windrush generation Moving through time, an experimental mosaic of super 8 millimetre film and digital footage this piece explores intergenerational Caribbean dreams in their different forms.
4.00pm: A Raisin in the Sun (PG)
Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by a black woman to be performed on Broadway. Two years later, the production came to the screen, directed by Daniel Petrie.
The original stars—including Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee – reprise their roles as members of an African American family living in a cramped Chicago apartment, in this deeply resonant tale of dreams deferred. The Youngers await a life insurance check they hope will change their circumstances, but tensions arise over how best to use the money.
Vividly rendering Hansberry’s intimate observations on generational conflict and housing discrimination, with similarities to the early Windrush experiences, Petrie’s film captures the high stakes, shifting currents, and varieties of experience within black life in mid-century America.
Following the film we celebrate the life of Caribbean Actor Sidney Poitier with panel discussion lead by Vanesta Cyril and Mrs Roma Taylor.
7.00pm: African Redemption: The Life and Legacy of Marcus Garvey with short film Black Exodus
Director: Roy T Anderson
In his short life Marcus Mosiah Garvey, would go on to become the world’s foremost Pan-Africanist and, in some eyes, the greatest civil-rights leader of the twentieth century. Director Roy T. Anderson peels back all the layers in his presentation of this oft-misunderstood and controversial figure, blending live-action and stunning photographs with no-holds-barred interviews and conversations with world-renowned leaders and scholars, including Louis Gossett Jr, Danny Glover and reggae artists Sean Paul and David Hinds.
For all his greatness, Marcus Garvey has often been portrayed as a caricature, and someone marginalized by history. The film artfully blends live action with breathtaking still photography, archival images, and illustrations, providing a window into the life of a man rarely seen in contemporary culture. In its own unique way, this ground-breaking film also highlights Rastafari – a group greatly influenced by Garvey’s teaching; and engage other personalities whose lives have been touched in one way or the other by him. Even after his death Garvey’s philosophy has impacted many social and political movements in Jamaica and around the world. United States’ civil rights leader Malcolm X, once said, “Every time you see another nation on the African continent become independent you know that Marcus Garvey is alive.”
Following the film there will be a panel discussion with Charlie Phillips and Abu Bakr Madden
Here is the festival workshop programme:
Saturday 18 June
1.00pm: Learn Calypso songwriting and dance
with Alex D Great
Alexander D. Great is the leading modern day Calypsonian outside the Caribbean. Trinidad born and raised in England, has enjoyed a widely varied career in music that has seen him work alongside many fine musicians. Alexander has been widely heard on radio and TV including the BBC 2 production of ‘Wine, Jam, Wave and Jump’ which was an hour long feature on Carnival. He was also asked by BBC TV to write a special song and perform it live on the live coverage of the visit of Nelson Mandela to London. The song, ‘Amandla Mandela’ (Freedom Mandela), has subsequently been released on a special limited edition record and is included on Alexander’s CD album ‘Panorama Attack!’ (Lion Valley Records CD SAR004). He now writes and performs a new calypso each week for broadcast on the BBC radio network.
‘The Rum Shop Opera’, Alexander’s first play was staged at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London, as a part of the Talawa Theater Company’s season of plays from October 8th to November 7th 1998. A highly talented musician, Alex tours schools teaching children to write calypso carnival music thus passing on the musical tradition of his homeland in Trinidad. All ages welcome.
3.00pm: Animation Drawing
with Kyle Legall
Kyle’s artistry has expanded into several genres from writing and directing for animation, filmmaking, theatre and graffiti murals, as well as designing and making his own graffiti clothing line. Kyle has written, directed, designed and animated four 2D short films for Channel 4 and S4C. He also makes music videos and cover art for local bands. In 2015, Kyle became the first artist in residence for National Theatre Wales. As an emerging director in 2018/19, he worked on productions of Storm 1, 2 & 3, collaborating with theatre directors Mike Brooks and Mike Pearson Today Kyle will be teaching us how to draw for animation, no experience needed, just come along and have some fun.
4.00pm: Get into digital Photography Saturday
Carl Connikie is a local photographer. Since picking up a camera as a hobby in 2006 Carl has photographed many of the local Windrush community, regularly posting shots of Windrush Elders.
Today Carl with be demonstrating how to compose a good digital photo looking how to use natural light to its greatest effect.
Sunday 19 June
2.00pm: Know your Rights
with Carl Connikie
Having worked for Gwent Police now retired, Carl is keen to ensure that the local community especially young men and boys understand the law, and what are their rights as citizens. Suitable for all ages.
3.00pm: An Afternoon With Charlie Phillips
Charlie Phillips takes us on a walk down memory lane, in avisual slide talk of his photographs over last 60 Ronald "Charlie" Phillips (born 22 November 1944), also known by the nickname "Smokey", is a Jamaican-born restaurateur, photographer, and documenter of black London. He is now best known for his photographs of Notting Hill during the period of West Indian migration to London; however, his subject matter has also included film stars and student protests, with his photographs having appeared in Stern, Harper’s Bazaar, Life and Vogue and in Italian and Swiss journals.
His work has been exhibited at galleries including Tate Britain, Museum of London, Nottingham's New Art Exchange, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and Museum of the City of New York, and is also in collections at The Wedge, London's Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), as well as the Tate. A portrait of Phillips by photographer Aliyah Otchere was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, London in 2021.
Phillips was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to photography and the arts.
4.30pm: Learn Calypso songwriting and dance with Alex D Great
Alexander D. Great is the leading modern day Calypsonian outside the Caribbean. Trinidad born and raised in England, has enjoyed a widely varied career in music that has seen him work alongside many fine musicians. Alexander has been widely heard on radio and TV including the BBC 2 production of ‘Wine, Jam, Wave and Jump’ which was an hour long feature on Carnival. He was also asked by BBC TV to write a special song and perform it live on the live coverage of the visit of Nelson Mandela to London. The song, ‘Amandla Mandela’ (Freedom Mandela), has subsequently been released on a special limited edition record and is included on Alexander’s CD album ‘Panorama Attack!’ (Lion Valley Records CD SAR004). He now writes and performs a new calypso each week for broadcast on the BBC radio network.
‘The Rum Shop Opera’, Alexander’s first play was staged at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London, as a part of the Talawa Theater Company’s season of plays from October 8th to November 7th 1998. A highly talented musician, Alex tours schools teaching children to write calypso carnival music thus passing on the musical tradition of his homeland in Trinidad. All ages welcome.