Black Track: What to Watch in London this Week
New Releases
Captain America: Brave New World
Harry, an Alabama car wash owner is surprised when his estranged child returns home after 17 years, now a determined, proud trans woman named Desiree.
When and Where? Friday February 14th, Curzon, Vue, Picturehouse , Cineworld and ODEON
What’s On?
Black Girl
When and Where? Wednesday February 12th, BFI NFT3
Sembène’s acclaimed feature debut details the life of a young Senegalese woman who has moved to France to be a domestic worker for a white family, but ends up being exploited by her employers. The filmmaker combines a tragic human story with a searing critique of the post-colonial sentiments of the 1960s to create a groundbreaking masterpiece that continues to resonate today – BFI
Rosewood
When and Where? Wednesday February 12th, 20:30, BFI NFT2 GA
Part of BFI Southbank’s Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western Season
Inspired by real events that took place in 1923, Singleton’s film initially captures life in the idyllic African American hamlet of Rosewood, Floria, which is adjacent to the all-white working-class town of Sumner. When an extramarital affair in Sumner turns sour, a spurned woman lies to cover her tracks and before long, her tall tale sends a brutal lynch mob into Rosewood to seek revenge for a crime that never happened - BFI
Take a Hard Ride
When and Where? Thursday February 13th, 20:30, BFI NFT3
Part of BFI Southbank’s Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western Season
Ranch owner Morgan unexpectedly dies after selling his cattle in town. Pike, his loyal foreman, is charged with delivering the final payroll to Sonora. But the journey is perilous, with all manner of scoundrels wanting to get their hands on the money. This quintessential ‘Westploitation’ film, drawing as much on the popularity of urban Blaxploitation films as it does the classic American Western, revels in its campiness – BFI
Love and Basketball
When and Where? Friday February 14th, 20:30, BFI NFT3
Prince-Bythewood’s feature directorial debut follows the parallel careers of childhood friends as they navigate very different paths toward stardom. Balancing passion and ambition on court with their natural chemistry proves challenging, as the realities of adulthood drive a wedge between them. A celebration of women’s athleticism and drenched in the female gaze, this disruption of the sports-movie canon has earned a cult following. And no prior knowledge of basketball is required - BFI
Buck and the Preacher
When and Where? Saturday February 15th, 12:50, BFI NFT1
Part of BFI Southbank’s Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western Season
In the post-Civil War era, a group of African American migrants moves westward to escape the tyranny of ‘nightriders’ and the Klan. Poitier’s Buck, an intrepid wagon master, leads these Exodusters on their perilous journey. He is aided by his steadfast wife, played by Ruby Dee, and Belafonte’s crafty preacher, who they encounter along the way. Poitier’s groundbreaking solo directorial debut features standout performances from the trio as it weaves a compelling tale of courage and resilience – BFI
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
When and Where? Saturday February 15th, 13:50, ICA Cinema 2
In 1960, sixteen newly independent African countries enter the United Nations, a political earthquake that shifts the majority vote from the colonial powers to the global south. Congo becomes the arena in which the battle over the UN is fought. As Nikita Khrushchev pounds his shoe at the UN-top in reaction to the neo-colonial grab of the resources of newly independent Congo, UN delegates from African Countries are blackmailed. In an incredulous twist Patrice Lumumba’s assassination unites the Afro-Asian block, demanding the UN General Assembly to vote for immediate worldwide decolonization - ICA
The Harder They Come
When and Where? Saturday February 15th, 15:20, BFI NFT1
Part of BFI Southbank’s Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western Season
Perry Henzell’s musical drama was Jamaica’s first feature film and is based on the life of a real-life criminal. It stars Jimmy Cliff as a country boy who moves to Kingston to find fame as a reggae singer, but soon confronts trouble. The film was so successful that the black urban crime thriller, drawing heavily on Western elements, became the most popular genre for Jamaican and Jamaican-diasporic filmmakers – BFI
To Sleep With Anger
When and Where? Saturday February 15th, 18:00, BFI NFT3
When an enigmatic old friend makes a surprise visit, a seemingly content and untroubled middle-class African-American family is thrown into chaos, soon revealing deep-seated tensions, age-old resentments and seemingly irreparable rifts. Glover, at the peak of his acting powers, gives an incredible performance as the uninvited guest, while Burnett cements his position as one of independent American cinema’s finest filmmakers, transforming a domestic drama into a poignant, blues-fuelled exploration of generational conflict and family complexities – BFI
Get Out
When and Where? Sunday February 16th, 18:40, BFI NFT2
When Chris meets his girlfriend Rose’s parents for the first time, their odd comment about the couple’s interracial relationship gives him pause for thought – a feeling that something more menacing is afoot in this picture-perfect suburban world. Peele’s feature directorial debut subverts traditional horror conventions and adds a provocative commentary about American race relations to create an instant classic - BFI
Still In Cinemas
The Wild Robot
After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.
Mufasa: The Lion King
Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny.
Nickel Boys
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, "Nickel Boys" chronicles the powerful friendship between two young African-American men navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.
Hard Truths
Pansy is a woman tormented by anger and depression, hypersensitive to the slightest possible offence and ever ready to fly off the handle. She criticises her husband and their adult son so relentlessly that neither bothers to argue with her. She picks fights with strangers and sales clerks and enumerates the world's countless flaws to anyone who will listen, especially her cheerful sister Chantal, who, despite their clashing temperaments, might be the only person still capable of sympathising with her.
The Fire Inside
The story of Claressa 'T-Rex' Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan who trained to become the first woman in her country's history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport.