Join us for a celebration of Black culture and history this October, with a diverse international programme of films showcased at Depot for Black History Month 2022. These films not only look back on the past, but also engage with contemporary issues. They include smaller British releases, blockbusters from the US, and a true classic of Jamaican cinema.
On our programme this year are acclaimed British films Burning an Illusion (1981), a thought provoking relationship drama set in London, and Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask (1996), a unique chronicle of the life and work of the French West Indian psychoanalytic theorist and activist Frantz Fanon. We are also thrilled to be bringing you the classic and much loved Jamaican crime drama, The Harder They Come (1972), the film often credited as introducing the world to reggae music.
The Hate U Give (2018), a sensitive US drama based on the best-selling young adult novel, tells the story of a young girl whose life is shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her best friend at the hands of a police officer. Oscar-winner Viola Davis stars in The Woman King (2022), the new historical epic telling the story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s.
Shades of Sussex – Short film screening & discussion event
Shades of Sussex
Free event
Depot’s Studio
18:00, Monday 3, 10, 17 & 24 October
3 October: Launch Event with a discussion with the films contributors
Run time: 30mins with discussion led by Mebrak Ghebreweldi from Diversity Resource International
“Black History Month has created the opportunity for black people to own and tell our own histories with pride, and to celebrate our parents and ancestors. It has become a focal point in the year for those of African and African Caribbean heritage – and many others with ancestry beyond Europe – to highlight generational resistance to racism and colonialism, our achievements, and our contribution to every aspect of society in the UK.
We, or our forebears, left lands rich in every imaginable natural, human, and cultural resource for a thousand reasons, including love, education, military service, fleeing conflict or persecution, seeking economic improvement, and escaping climate catastrophe / natural disasters. They responded in a hundred different ways to the call to serve ‘the Motherland’, and thus began a complex, sometimes conflicted, new chapter in our / their relationship to this country. We have grown roots here and become integral to the weave of a continuously evolving society.
This short film, followed by a brief conversation, spotlights, and celebrates the lives of people of the global majority living in Sussex – our challenges and achievements and our reflections upon the journeys undertaken by us and our families.”
Contributions from: John Agard, Grace Nichlos, Dr Yaa Asare, Razia Aziz, Anuja Contanporay, Mebrak Gehbreweldi, Rozelle Bowerman, Ruqia Osma
Closing Event at Lewes Town Hall
Mayor of Lewes presents: Time for Change
Sun 30 Oct, 17:00
Assembly Room, Lewes Town Hall
(Fisher Street entrance)
Free entry, booking required
Booking link available soon
Following the success of last year’s event, you are invited to join us for an evening of reflection, discussion, and celebration as we approach the end of Black History Month, supporting the theme for Black History Month Time for Change: Action not Words. We will be welcoming special guest poet and activist Rick Dove from South-West London. In addition, there will be a panel discussion hosted by Patrick Nyikavaranda, a director at Diversity Resource International. The panel includes Brighton-based poet/spoken word artists Priss Nash and Annie Whilby, Lewes-based Vandu Services business development manager Aaron Clarke and retired professional footballer Victor Anichebe. The event will culminate with a musical drumming performance.
John Agard, award winning poet,
at Lewes Town Hall, Oct 2021
