New film festival launches in Brixton in celebration of South London’s creatives

Brixton Village, London’s most diverse and vibrant market is delighted to present a new programme of cultural events in celebration of South London’s film community in partnership with South London based curatorial collective T A P E.

Launching on Tuesday 10 until Sunday 15 May, Village Screen Film Fest will see Brixton Village bring back the classics, uncover hidden gems, and introduce the next generation of storytellers and could-be cult classics with a programme full of short films, retrospectives, talks, and a workshop delivered by by Renaissance Studios – Brixton’s multi-disciplinary creative hub.

POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHE & Q&A – DIRECTED BY PAUL SNG AND CELESTE BELL

TUESDAY 10 MAY, DOORS 6:30PM, £8

Poly Styrene was the first woman of colour in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements.

But the late punk maverick didn’t just leave behind an immense cultural footprint. She was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste’s childhood and the pair’s relationship.

Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother’s unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother.

MIND OVER MATTER: FORESIGHT SCREENING + SPOKEN WORD

WEDNESDAY 11 MAY, FROM 7PM, £8 IN ADVANCE/£10 ON THE DOOR

Brixton Village will see the arrival of Mind Over Matter – the independent project on a mission to break down stigma to widen the conversation around mental health, for an evening of spoken word poetry, hip-hop, and song followed by a special film screening of Foresight – a compilation of short films set in the UK that imagine the future for Black and Brown characters.

Written, directed, and produced by culturally diverse filmmakers who call the UK home, Foresight is an urgent anthology that explores alternate realities through the lens of five Black British directors. This time capsule collection contributes to a perspective and point of view continually missing from our screens… a future where people of colour exist!

What’s more, guests will have the opportunity to sign-up to an open-mic session on the evening to perform one piece and a maximum of four minutes.

JUST ANOTHER GIRL ON THE I.R.T, DIRECTED BY LESLIE HARRIS

THURSDAY 12th MAY, 7-11PM, £8

The first and only feature film by the talented Leslie Harris, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T won the Sundance Special Jury Prize when first released 30 years ago. The film continues to be screened to this day and sighted as an inspiration for many films about and directed by Black women. Trailblazing and immensely enjoyable, this film is so much more than just another coming of age drama.

Brash, smart, and intensely practical, Chantel is a high-school junior in a hurry to graduate to prove she is more than the labels her race, gender, and class so often assume of her. Harris’ film evokes the myriad complexities of teenage life, spotlighting a society in which young Black women are so rarely the protagonists in their own stories. Here, she not only gives a girl that chance but defies the narrative and has her break the fourth wall.

RENAISSANCE STUDIOS WORKSHOP

SATURDAY 14 MAY, 2-4PM, £5

Powered by The Rebirth Project, Renaissance Studios are bringing the Creative Clinic to Brixton Village as part of the new film festival. The Creative Clinic is a community-led initiative by the studio to help young adults aged 16-30 gain entry into the creative industry with a series of creative workshops led by industry professionals and special guests. Tying in with the Clinic’s return between 16th-20th May, this year’s theme is BYOB – ‘Be Your Own Boss’, designed for the hyper-creative generation to take those next actionable steps in their careers, from self-care to self-motivation.

Join us for a 2-hour taster session as we enter into the world of NFTs. Led by Digital Artist and Animator Fabien Bolle-Soazandry, the workshop will consist of a basic guide to NFTs, their practical uses and how local artists can benefit from the new cultural art form as part of their creative journey.

T A P E PRESENTS: NOLLY NIGHTS & AFTER PARTY

SATURDAY 14 MAY, 7-11PM, £10

In partnership with T A P E, Brixton Village is delighted to be hosting an all-out celebration of Nollywood with the classic titles forming part of a live Naija party including a DJ, delicious ‘Small Chops’ from Chishuru short film and a Nollywood classic.

Nollywood is the world’s 2nd biggest film industry, matching other industry giants in passion and drive for storytelling, and sheer graft – and it’s only continued to grow over the decades. Although earlier Nollywood films mostly have a home video type quality that was seen as more rough and ready in terms of technique and technology, we look back on them with a fierce nostalgic fondness for their unique charm, comedy, colour and fullness of character.

NGOZI ONWURAH RETROSPECTIVE & RECORDED Q&A

SUNDAY 15 MAY, Doors 4.30 PM £8

Closing off Brixton Village’s film festival will see T A P E’s Angela Monkie interview the prolific British-Nigerian filmmaker, Ngozi Onwurah. The event follows a much-anticipated retrospective of the artists’ short films, offering visitors the opportunity to hear Onwurah talk through her works – integral to the British film canon. Filled with complex and insightful narratives that put the Black British experience at the forefront, Onwurah became the first Black British female director to have a film theatrically released in the UK with her feature debut Welcome II the Terrordome (1995) and Shoot The Messenger starring David Oyelowo (2006) was recently re-released on Blu-Ray.

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All tickets for Village Screen Film Fest are available to purchase via T A P E Collective.