Many of you may not be familiar with Charles Burnett and his films. Yet he is one of the few African-American directors whose work has been influential on generations of independent black filmmakers both sides of the Atlantic. When I first saw his debut feature Killer of Sheep, I was struck by the pace and inner rhythm of the film that evoked a haunting sensibility I had not previously experienced in African-American work. Burnett’s independent work stands out by the way he is able to reach into the richness and vulnerability of the black male condition, striving for deeper truths; we see expressed in To Sleep With Angera side we rarely encounter on screen.

Equally rare is a British movie featuring an Asian female lead. Bend It Like Beckham is the surprise hit of the year, following in the footsteps of East Is East, proving that British cinema with a different cultural perspective can out-perform, in box office terms, the majority of British films currently on offer. This is an incredible achievement. Will the industry take note? In the meantime congrats to director Gurinder Chadha, her crew and the Film Council for its support. The decision by Channel 4 not to screen Injustice is very disappointing and will fuel wider concerns about black representation on the channel. The decision raises deeper issues and questions for black writers and producers as to where they stand, especially at a time when fewer black filmmakers are being commissioned and fewer programmes are being produced that reflect black British reality and creativity. Channel 4 was established to be a leader in diversity; indeed during its early development in the 80s and early 90s it was. The channel gave first breaks to a number of black writers, directors and technicians, people like Gurinder Chadha,( Bhaji on the Beach) Isaac Julien ( Young Soul Rebels), John Akomfrah ( Handsworth Songs) to name but a few. It won audiences because it was pioneering, daring, presented different viewpoints and led the way for multicultural programming with the likes of Black On Black, No Problem, Desmonds. Today its black presence is insignificant. No black current affairs programmes, no black comedy, no black drama. Where is its multicultural vision today? Who is it catering for? What I see is a Channel 4 that has lost it way, lost its balls and lost a good percentage of its audience. It is now a channel that is prepared to give us artificially constructed reality TV via Big Brother but not real life…brother.

The Editor