Black Britain
To mark Black History Month 2008, a diverse selection of new titles will be added to the Mediatheque's groundbreaking collection exploring a century of black representation on British screens. Here are the trailblazers, the icons, the stereotypes and the controversies.
From the infrequent appearances of black Edwardians in the films of Mitchell and Kenyon to documentaries such as The Negro Next Door (1965), Black Britain charts changing attitudes and hidden histories spanning more than a century of British film and television. Mainstream feature films including Flame in the Streets (1961) are available alongside the work of pioneering black British film-makers such as Horace Ové (Pressure, 1974) and Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion, 1981). Other major writers and directors whose work is represented include Michael Abbensetts, John Akomfrah, Malorie Blackman, Isaac Julien, Ngozi Onwurah and Alrick Riley.
Key documentaries added to the collection to coincide with Black History Month include Tales From the Front Room (2007), venturing into the domestic haven cultivated by generations of African-Caribbean migrants, and Floella Benjamin's four-part reminiscence series When I Came to Britain (2004). Plus, all three episodes of Trevor Nelson's history of British R&B, Soul Nation (2003), will be available.
Five to try...
West Indies Calling (1944)
Caribbean servicemen and women gather at Broadcasting House for a special transmission home on their contribution to the war effort.
Learie Constantine (1946)
Rare footage of the Trinidadian-British cricketer who championed equal rights and was awarded the MBE.
64 Day Hero: A Boxer's Tale (1985)
The astonishing life and tragic death of Randolph Turpin, Middleweight Champion of the World 1951.
Windrush (1998)
Major four-part documentary series, marking the 50th anniversary of the start of mass post-war immigration to Britain from the Caribbean.
The Trouble with Black Men (2004)
David Matthews' three-part polemic unpicking the preconceptions that surround African-Caribbean men in Britain today.
