Wycombe festival will celebrate black culture (From Bucks Free Press)

Wycombe festival will celebrate black culture

12:20pm Thursday 2nd October 2003

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THE first ever black media festival in High Wycombe opens its doors next week.

Breaking the Illusions aims to raise awareness, challenge perceptions and provoke critical debate. It will feature a varied programme of events including African and Caribbean films, documentaries, seminars and an exhibition covering 100 years of black cinema history and achievement.

Pamela Roberts is the founder and director of the festival.

She says: "Breaking the Illusions was created as a result of my frustration at the lack of opportunities to watch black films in the High Wycombe area.

"Moving from London, with an active and vibrant black cinema culture, to High Wycombe a number of years ago, I was frustrated by the disappointing lack of facilities that screened or debated black cinema. "Although it is a black media festival in terms of the black producers, black directors and black actors featured, it is open for everybody, not just for black people. The idea is to promote the message of black culture to a wider audience."

A screening of the film Emotional Backgammon will launch the festival at thefilmworks in High Wycombe. It follows the story of John who is just about to propose to his girlfriend Mary when she announces that she is leaving him to find herself. The screening is to be followed by a question and answer session with the film's director Leon Herbert.

Floella Benjamin, best known for her work as a children's television presenter in Playdays, makes her debut as a film producer with her self-penned feature film Coming to England based on her book of the same name. It describes, from a child's perspective, the heartbreak of being separated from her parents in Trinidad and how she adjusted to life in England. Floella will answer questions after the showing.

Some other films to be screened are Brown Sugar, a romantic comedy described as an African-American When Harry Met Sally type movie, and Bamboozled, about a frustrated African-American television writer who proposes a black face minstrel show in protest which, to his chagrin, becomes a hit.

A major exhibition at the festival is Breaking the Illusions which looks at black cinematic representation from the 1900s to the present day. It sets the scene by providing historical timelines on black, British and African-American social, political and cinema history. The exhibition is at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College and runs from October 11 to November 1.

The college is also the venue for the seminar programme. Stephen Bourne, one of Britain's leading authorities on black history, will give a talk on Black in the British Frame Ð the name given to his book and exhibition which chart a century of black cinema and television in Britain.

In his illustrated talk, Stephen will give a personal insight into the research he has conducted in this area, his investigation into the history of black people in British television and what he believes this country should be doing to recognise black achievers in British history.

The second seminar, Representation Ð Where Are We Now?, looks at the initiatives set out to increase black and minority representation within film and television. With the employment of blacks and minorities within the industry still not representative of society in general, and black viewers deserting the terrestrial channels in record numbers despite increased representation in mainstream shows, the debate poses the question: Why has the representation of black people within the media not progressed beyond a limited range of stereotypes?

The final seminar is hosted by Jonathan Mildenhall, the first black managing director of a leading advertising company, TWBA, and explores the question: Why are there no ordinary black people in television advertising?

Breaking the Illusions runs from Thursday, October 9 for three weeks at various venues. For times of events and information call Pamela Roberts on 01494 538769 or 07950 785050, e-mail breakingtheillusions@yahoo.co.uk or visit www.breakingtheillusions.freewire.co.uk

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