Portsmouth Film Society present Portsmouth Black History Month Film Festival
The Portsmouth Black History Month Film Festival will be officially opened by the University of Portsmouth’s Equality Champion, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, on Wednesday October 4th at the Eldon Building.
Portsmouth Film Society present their seventh Black History Month Festival season of films, with four specially-selected movies in the Eldon Building during October.
Last year’s blockbuster Hollywood film Hidden Figures will open the festival at a special event which the the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth and other dignitaries will be attending. Hidden Figures recounts the lives of a group of African-American female mathematicians who served as the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
The next film, Loving, celebrates the real-life courage of a couple who challenged the law against interracial marriage in 1967 Caroline County, Virginia. This will be screened on 12th October.
I Am Not Your Negro is a 2016 documentary film directed by Raoul Peck, based on James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript, Remember This House. The film explores the history of racism in the United States through Baldwin's reminiscences of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr, as well as his personal observations of American history.
It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards and will be shown on 19th October, preceded by an introduction talk from Priscilla Igwe, the director of The New Black Film Collective in London.
A United Kingdom is a film based on a true story of the marriage between Seretse Khama, the King of Botswana, to a London office worker, Ruth Williams, which had consequences that went far into the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. PFS have a guest speaker from PRENO (Portsmouth Race Equality Network Organisation).
This film will close the season following a talk by Selena Carty, founder of Black Poppy Rose, at a free public lecture on 25th October to mark the contribution of black soldiers in the world wars. Details of the free lecture can be found on port.ac.uk/events.
“I’m delighted to support the festival which seeks to highlight equality issues that are very important to a university like Portsmouth as we strengthen our position in the global market”
The price of entry is £6.00, and tickets can be purchased prior to the event on the PFS website or at the box office in Room 1.10 at the University of Portsmotuh’s Eldon Building in Middle Street. A Portsmouth Film Society Season Pass is £20 per season, and a three-film pass £12.