Empowering through knowledge and celebration

In modern-day England, skeptical Samira is pulled back into Karim’s life when buried family secrets resurface. As whispers of West African ancestral wisdom blur reality and myth, they must face the past, mend their fractured bond, and unlock a legacy more powerful than they imagined.

This film is included in the, Rooted & Rising In Home and Heritage Film Strand

Director: Peter Palmer and Golda Kesse

Run Time: 7:23

Date/Time: Sat 22 Nov, 12 noon

Venue: The Garden Cinema

Rating; Not Rated

The hit song “Bam Bam” has long held the status of an anthem in the reggae genre and is one of the most sampled vocals ever. Lesser known is the story behind the song and, even more so, the woman behind the voice.

In Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, award-winning filmmaker Alison Duke combines dynamic tour performances; insightful interviews with industry figures like Janelle Monae, Young Guru, and Pete Rock; and archival footage of the early dancehall scene to create a fun and thoughtful film illustrating Sister Nancy’s enduring prominence in reggae and hip hop. Entertaining and empowering,

In the quiet confines of her home, an Iranian woman dreams of dancing freely to Shervin Hajipour’s Grammy-winning song, Baraye. 

In a country where dance is forbidden, movement becomes defiance, a language of resilience. This dance film gives shape to the unspoken grief, hope, and strength of Iranian women. It’s a tribute to those who have dared to stand for Women, Life, Freedom and a testament to the universal fight for gender equality and the right to express oneself without fear. 

Triggers: some scenes of repression.

This film explores the tension between black women and the politics of sex, through the sexual realities of three unique women; a South African trans woman, a Nigerian woman raised in a Polygamous home and a Zambian woman jailed for a sex tape.

Their stories examine how patriarchy impacts women and how self love and the owning of one’s sexuality can fight against limiting and constraining views, on a personal and political level.

Triggers: scenes of a sexual nature and discussion; images of genetailia. 

Dayna Doles, one of few black girls in a wealthy Detroit suburb, grows a deep love for skateboarding.

Ostracized, she meets pro-skater Christiana Smith and begins to unlock her true potential.

On August 15, 2021, the Taliban reconquer Afghanistan after twenty years of Western military presence, establishing a religious dictatorship. The country falls into a chaos of violence, extreme poverty, human rights violations.

The Taliban establish a gender apartheid that segregates women within their homes, prohibiting them from studying beyond the age of twelve, working, going to gyms, parks, beauty salons. In public, women are forbidden to show their faces, and even to make their voices heard.

For Afghan women, the only choice is between social death and fleeing abroad.

Irpinia is the story of black British hope from the perspective of the Windrush Generation.

At the age of 24, Dudley Porteous boarded a ship called the Irpinia in search of a better life in England, the so-called mother country.

Now 86 years old, Dudley reflects on his exciting journey to sea and the harsh reality that lay ahead.

It’s A Family Thing, is an intimate look into an African American family, uncovering the story of a long-lost brother and exploring the transformative power of family and belonging.

My Dad, Guyana and Me, is one woman’s voyage of discovery to understand her heritage and what makes somewhere truly home.

Four years after being tricked, sold and mentally entrapped into the Nigerian sex slave industry, Nneka decides she has had enough.

Today, she breaks the Oath with the African Gods.

Triggers: scenes of a sexual nature and abuse.

Roots and Blues is a documentary exploring the extraordinary life and lasting legacy of Muddy Waters, born McKinley Morganfield, the father of modern Chicago blues.

Set against Chicago’s vibrant South Side, the film showcases how his groundbreaking sound shaped the blues, rock and roll, and countless other genres.

Roots and Blues celebrates Muddy’s enduring influence, the city that embraced him, and the global impact of Chicago blues.

One can be tempted to think that, although beauty comes in many forms, and although the people, places or objects that exhibit beauty are of diverse sorts, it can only be sensed visually. What is the perception process that underlies the experience of beauty from the perspective of a woman without the sense of sight?

Seeing Withoug Sight, is a documentary film that delves into the lives of girls and women with vision loss, challenging viewers to perceive beauty beyond sight.

Through their stories, it aims to redefine societal norms of beauty, inviting a deeper understanding and appreciation.

Set Pace tells the story of legendary Carol Glenn, Britain’s first black, female
motorsports official, as she sets out on a new venture to launch her own Formula Ford single seater race team, breaking boundaries as the first black woman in the UK to do so.

A true hidden gem, 67-year-old Carol has spent almost 40 years volunteering on the
track and self-funding her passion travelling to race circuits across the world, from Silverstone to Le Mans to Texas.

Now, Carol has turned her hand to a new project, turbocharging the industry with her own race team, the first of its kind in the UK.

Set Pace is a celebration of motorsports, of black British community, the fight to
improve gender, racial and economic diference on the track and what one woman’s lifetime of dedication can do to change the world.

Shoobs is a raucous coming-of-age story set at a banging South London House
party in the early noughties.

The wine-an-grind is in full flow as teenager Lisa takes advice on how to deal with her feelings for both Blazer and Jada. But who is her older advisor and why is she dressed like a teenager too?

Shoobs is a delicate, poignant examination of the intersection between ethnicity, sexuality and identity for black, British teenagers. It uses dance moves, time travel and comedy to tell a story that rings out and rings true.

A young mother struggles to keep her head above water as she navigates motherhood, her neurodivergent toddler, and the gritty Atlanta nightclub where she works.

All on a quarter tank of gas.

Stronger Than Steel is a documentary that explores the life of Sen. Wynona Lipman (1923-1999), the first African American Woman Senator in New Jersey, USA.

It examines her family and remarkable achievements. Firsthand accounts, historic photos, an audio track of Wynona’s own words, a beautiful soundtrack, reenactments and outstanding interviews create a 360° portrait of the Senator.

Fifteen interviews examine the times in which she lived and how she navigated the ‘slings and arrows’ of gender and racial discrimination to successfully enact over 140 Bills, many of which affect New Jerseyans today.

In the whimsical pan-African community of Alkebulan, a brilliant scholar plots revenge after discovering her fiancé’s engagement to another woman.

After a life-changing accident leaves him paralysed and dependent on his sister Olivia for care, Chris is consumed by bitterness and isolation. Desperate to help, Olivia hires Mary, a determined young woman with a specialised job: a relationship mediator who facilitates just three phone calls to help clients reconcile with people from their past.

What begins as a transactional process quickly shifts. Mary, who helps others rebuild fractured bonds while quietly carrying her own emotional burdens, forms an unexpected connection with Chris.

Over one transformative night, the two come to reflect each other’s pain and resilience, challenging their perspectives on forgiveness, vulnerability, and what it means to be truly seen.

Ties delves into the lives of three black women on a quest to answer essential questions: Do I feel seen? Do I feel at home? How do I feel in London?

As the narrative unfolds, five threads intertwine; belonging, community, heritage, representation, and sisterhood.

Through intimate interviews and glimpses of diverse London neighbourhoods, each story reveals shared ties and unique journeys of each character.

Lost in a world of hashtags, reposts, and likes, Libby, 23 lands herself and her sister Tola, 26 in a sticky situation.

With the consequences of Libby’s decisions staring her and her sister in the face, they question whether the pursuit of virtual validation is the reality they thought it would be.