Selection of banned Black films screened by African Odysseys film series over the last 20 years with facts, statistics and reasons
There are many excellent Black history films that don’t get the publicity they deserve but many of the films African Odysseys screened monthly since 2007 have been literally banned. This presentation will go through at least 20 of them explaining what these films were about, why/how they were banned and the current methods of suppressing Black films that challenge stereotypes; dramas. comedy, documentary, action, animations and more. We will cover:
- Government agencies and their role in suppressing independent movie production
- Grassroots origins of African Odysseys: mentoring, museums, libraries, education
- Baldwin and Malcolm X the hidden stories
- ·How to ban a film without appearing to ban it
- ‘We don’t want a full house of Black people even if it will make us money’ with proof
- Where to access great African/Caribbean films
- Black Lives Matter: information suppression, the George Floyd backlash
- New platforms for viewing positive Black stories
- Reparations, the new Chrystal Rose Film premiering Sat 11th July HERE
- How Facebook and Instagram suppress positive Black content
- 18,000 people and the African Odysseys petition @BFI
Other coming events ww.blackhistorywalks.co.uk HERE
- African Odysseys: Ismahil Blagrove season the Cuban revolution
- 60 years of Black British Civil Rights Professor Gus John
- Black history Bus tour/ Steam train trip/River cruise
- Frantz Fanon film and talk
- Black Women and Film Exhibition
- Graphic Novels: Publishing Black History and movies
- Mayfair, Hackney,Notting Hill, Southbank, Trafalgar Square, Regents Canal and Soho walks
- I fought the law and I won, a Black judge of 60 years of Equality legislation
- How to Fight Racism at film institutions
- Champion Black Boxers and businessmen in 1800s London:
These event also recognises 61 years since the first event Race Relations Act 1965 and 20 years of Black History Walks
This is an African Odysseys presentation: 20 years of great Black films
African Odysseys shows educational films on Black history monthly since 2007. Previously at the British FiIm Institute Southbank until Jan 2025 when BFI cancelled the programme despite 25 academics and 18,000 petitioners writing to support. BFI had promised a 20th anniversary season at Southbank and agreed to run a legally required Race Equality Impact Assessment but failed to do either, refused to meet with the volunteer curators who had put £6 million worth of work into the charity and refused to even say what the budget was for the programme or explain why it had to end when it regularly filled up their 450 seat cinema. Join the fight for racial justice and reparations