The BFI and T A P E Collective are pleased to announced a new week-long takeover of the BFI’s online channels and month-long season at BFI Southbank exploring the nuances of being of mixed heritage, called BUT WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM?
The takeover (from 28 – 4 July) and season (throughout July) are both programmed by T A P E Collective, and will celebrate filmmakers who redefine, reject and re-establish identity and heritage labels.
Special guests confirmed to take part in the season and takeover so far include director Ngozi Onwurah, whose film WELCOME II THE TERRORDOME (1995) was the first feature directed by a Black British woman to receive a UK theatrical release. Onwurah will take part in a Q&A with T A P E co-founder Angela Moneke following a screening on 29 July of SHOOT THE MESSENGER (2006), starring David Oyelowo as a teacher who faces a rude awakening when the identity and community he’s rejected and chastised, turns against him. Nikesh Shukla, who co-wrote the short film TWO DOSAS (Sarmad Masud, 2014) and edited the essay anthology The Good Immigrant, has had a huge influence on mixed-heritage writers, curators and filmmakers. On 23 July, In Conversation with Nikesh Shukla will see the acclaimed author speak with Isra Al Kassi from T A P E about his latest book Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home. The season will culminate on 30 July with CULTURE SHOCK: SHORT FILM PROGRAMME, a programme of short films selected from submissions responding to the theme of ‘But Where Are You Really From?’ presented by T A P E and UNDR LNDN. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with UNDR LNDN’s Caroline Wilson and Nellie Alston from T A P E, who will discuss the power of short films as an exploration of home and identity. More information and guidelines for this open submission, the deadline for which is 18 June, can be found at tapecollective.co.uk/submit.
Founded in 2015 as a response to the lack of representation on screen, T A P E are a curatorial collective comprising Angela Moneke, Nellie Alston and Isra Al Kassi, who often programme events around the themes of identity and heritage, observing the different ways in which filmmakers of mixed heritage attempt to respond to the question ‘but where are you really from?’.
The season and takeover explore three themes; mother tongue, the significance of names, and the ‘good immigrant’ trope.
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