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One Love |
Opening Night Film Jamaica’s very own “Romeo and Juliet”, One Love is set against the backdrop of the country’s rich musical heritage. Ky-Mani (son of Bob Marley) plays Kassa, a reggae musician striving to remain “conscious” amidst the corrupt commercialism of the music business. His world is turned around by the luminescent Serena (Cherine Anderson), a church girl with an angelic vocal range who is forbidden to sing reggae or date a Rastafarian; besides, she is engaged to the stuffy, jealous Aaron—so when Kassa proposes they join creative forces and she feels her ardor rising, she is plunged into confusion and chaos Fri 10 8.30pm
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| UK Premiere Never Die Alone 88 mins Director: Ernest Dickerson USA 2004 Based on cult novelist Donald Goines’ novel "Never Die Alone" is a richly literate film noir about King David (DMX), a hard-boiled, stylish criminal who returns to his hometown seeking redemption but finding only violent death. But he did not die alone... King David’s final moments are spent with aspiring journalist Paul (David Arquette) who knew him just a few minutes but upon whose life he would forever have an impact. King David - half preacher, half Satan, and all street smarts - had recorded the story of his exploits on audiotape, leaving behind an often-poetic sermon on villainy and its consequences. The tapes reveal that the cycle of violence and retribution his actions have spawned have come back on him full circle. Wed 15 9.00pm |
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| Love, Sex and Eating The Bones Romantic Comedy Dir: Sudz Sutherland Dur: 140 minutes Canada First UK Premiere Love, Sex and Eating the Bones is a funny, sexy, contemporary urban film. A romantic comedy that refuses to be pigeon-holed, the movie breaks barriers and crosses lines. It tells the story of Michael and Jasmine, two people facing the challenge of looking for love and having even more trouble once they find it. Jasmine has been celibate for over a year, having been hurt by her past relationship. Michael, on the other hand, gets plenty of action – from his obsession with pornography! After the initial awkwardness of getting to know each other, they attempt to have a normal relationship. But those plans are easier said than done. Sun 12 8.30pm |
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Rage and Discipline USA Dir Brian Clyde Drama Dur: 115 minutes UK Premiere Rage and Discipline is a well crafted, skillfully rendered tale of crime and punishment in Harlem. When Troy, a promising boxer, joins a gang in order to make easy money, he is thrown out of the neighbourhood gym by his intractable coach Ike, whose rules are: no gangs, no guns, no drugs. Choking on anger and resentment and fueled by rage, Troy vows revenge. An all-out war ensues between the neighbourhood drug dealers led by the macho Bernard. What follows is a violent, riveting, realistic ride on a journey with only one possible ending – disaster. Mon 13 6.30pm
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| First UK Premiere Cherps UK Dir: Kolton Lee Dur. 90 mins (work in progress) Cherps is a fresh and charming romantic comedy; drawing equally on traditions of British story telling as well as New York indie filmmaking. Reggie is a 30-ish, second generation, black British geezer. He likes to live on the fly, ducking and diving and avoiding work whenever possible. He also likes to ‘cherps’ chat up) women. He is basically a decent bloke that just needs a little guidance. Reggie’s dilemma begins when his baby mother, Sandra, puts the clamps on him. She wants him to settle down and stop running with his home boys which of course puts Reggie into a tail spin. Over the next seven days Reggie goes on something of an existential journey into the meaning of commitment, the meaning of happiness…the meaning of life, no less. Sun 12 6.30pm
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| UK Premiere One Week USA Dir: Carl Seaton Dur: 97 minutes Drama The future has never looked better for Varon Thomas. He’s marrying the woman of his dreams, he’s up for a big promotion at his job and his best friend Tyco is finally getting off the couch and moving out. With his wedding just one week away, Varon won’t let anything get in the way of his perfect future. But he’s got one problem that he can’t make go away….. and she knows a secret from his past. A single unanswered question now threatens to ruin his life forever. How long can he keep her quiet? How much will this secret cost him? Sat 11 9.00pm
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| Beah: A Black Woman Speaks 90 mins USA 2004 dir: LisaGay Hamilton This documentary reveals the remarkable life of the African American actress, poet, teacher, dancer and political activist Beah Richards. From Vicksburg Mississippi to Broadway and Hollywood, Beah remained committed to two cultures she loved deeply, the arts and the African American community. This is a story of a revolutionary’s tireless struggle for freedom through her artistry. Thu 16 6.30pm
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The Agronomist Dir: Jonathan Demme Dur. 91 minutes Documentary The latest film from the Academy-Award winning filmmaker, The Agronomist, tells the true story of Haitian national hero, journalist and freedom fighter, Jean L. Dominique. As owner and operator of his nation’s oldest and only free radio station, Dominique fought tirelessly against Haiti’s overwhelming injustice, oppression and poverty. The documentary includes historical footage of Haiti’s vivid and tumultuous past; interviews with Dominique himself and with Michele Montas, his heroic wife, and incorporates footage shot before Dominique’s assignation on April 3, 2000. This documentary is “must” to see during the bi-centennial of Haiti’s independence. Sat 11 6.30pm
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| Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme USA Dir. Kevin Fitzgerald Dur: 74 minutes First UK Premiere USA, 2004, Documentary, English Explosively documenting the story of a group of underground hip-hop MCs and DJs form the early 1980’s to the present day, Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme is a film that explores the world of improvisation rap – the rarely recorded art form of rhyming spontaneously; off the top of the head. Made over the course of more than seven years, Freestyle takes the viewer on a journey through the previously unexamined dimensions of hip-hop as a spiritual and community based art form. Tue 14 6.30pm
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| A Great and Mighty Walk Dir: St. Clair Bourne Dur: 92 minutes USA This award-winning documentary chronicles the life and times of noted African – American historian, scholar and Pan-African activist John Henrik Clarke. Both a biography of Clarke himself and an overview of 5,000 years of African History, the film offers a provocative look at the past through the eyes of leading proponent of an Afrocentric view of history. From ancient Egypt and Africa’s other great empires, Clarke moves through Mediterranean borrowings, the Atlantic slave trade, European colonisation, the development of Pan-African movement and present day African-American history. Mon 13 8.30pm
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Beef 11 Director: Peter Spirer Dur: 88 minutes Documentary, USA First UK Premiere Beef 11 has earned critical and popular success by exploring the history and evolution of verbal warfare in Hip-Hop. From Busy Bee and Kool Moe Dee to 50 Cent and Ja Rule, artists have got more personal and the attacks less about the music. What happens when the raw energy of the inner city spills from the studio to the streets? Beef 11 continues the tradition of thoughtful, entertaining hip-hop journalism to take a definitive look at high profile beefs told by the artists themselves. The film features interviews with 50 Cent, D12, Redman, Method Man and Ice Cube as well as exclusive archival footage of Eminem, Westside Connection and Cypress Hill. Tue 14 8.30pm
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| UK Premier The Healing Passage Dir: S. Pearl Sharp Dur. 90 minutes USA 2004 First UK Premiere For more than 300 years the Trans-Atlantic slave trade carried Africans from their homeland across the Atlantic Ocean into chattel slavery in the Americas and the Caribbean. The psychological impact of “the other holocaust”, still reverberates in the African Diaspora today. The Healing Passage features artists whose work helps us tackle the repercussions of the Middle Passage. The film looks at present day behaviour from psychological trauma, genetic memory, and an awakening of consciousness led by the artist, in healing the mind, spirit and community of slavery’s descendants. Wed 15 6.30pm
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| Closure Dir: Jaydee USA Dur: 9 mins UK Premiere Jess is an attractive, progressive, normal woman in her 30’s, but her dating experiences have been terrible. Join her on ten of those dates in this self-affirming, hilarious, urban comedy. Sat 11 9.00pm
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| Douglas Dir: Sarah Taylor UK Dur: 10 mins World Premiere In this brilliantly quirky short, Douglas a Kenyan electrician is so obsessed with American cinema that he lives his life through it at the expense of his own culture. An examination of globalisation in microcosm. Thu 16 6.30pm
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Fade to Black UK Premiere Dir: Lincoln Thorne Dur: 20.30 Canada 2004 A young boy becomes a man as he and his father must come to terms with their demons. Tue 14 8.30pm
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| UK Premiere Keys of Life Dir: Jeremy Rall Dur: 12:20 USA Award winning music video director Jeremy Ball vividly captures the worst day in the life of a locksmith who unexpectedly learns the lessons of trust, faith and acceptance. Using beautiful, stark imagery the film examines keys as a metaphor of the human condition. Tue 14 8.30pm
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| Rebel in the Soul Dir: Marie-Francis Theodore Dur: 12:40 UK Premiere USA This emotionally searing film is based on a true story. In 1915, two African-American women’s lives are transformed. One woman is lynched while eight months pregnant and the other creates a sculpture in her honour. Wed 15 6.30pm |
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| UK Premiere Eden’s Wake Dir: Sarah Michelle Brown Dur: 14.27 minutes Canada What if Adam and Eve had HIV? Follow these characters as they struggle to find their own redemption. Fri 10 8.30pm |
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| UK Premiere Running on Eggshells Dir: Faith Pennick Dur: 14mins USA Grace, a successful businesswoman, visits a therapist after suffering an emotional breakdown. Despite her initial reluctance to seek professional help, she begins repairing the damage of her broken childhood. Tue 14 6.30pm |
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UK Premiere The State of the Union Dir: Jon Marc Sandifer Dur: 30 Minutes USA 1600 MLK: State of the Union is a political satire on the White House during the Weapons of Mass Destruction debacle. The film takes place in the streets of Harlem and centres around a crew of four led by G-Money aka George W. Bush. Tue 14 6.30pm
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UK Premiere Wed 15 9.00pm |
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| Walking Backwards Dir: Caroline Deeds Dur: 26mins UK Premiere Combining her own personal story with a political message, Caroline Deed’s lyrical film explores the Apollo moon landing from a Ghanaian perspective. Once, ‘independence’ meant progress and freedom, especially from Western rule. Yet how can freedom be attained when progress results in new forms of dependency on the West? Sat 11 6.30pm |
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| UK Premiere Shaun and Joshua Dir: Deane Thomas Dur: 3mins Animation The mother of 8-year-old Shaun has left strict instructions not to let strangers in the house. When Joshua, the new man in her life knocks on the door, he has to reason his way past the young gatekeeper. Sun 12 6.30pm |
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| Catch a Fire Dir: Menelik Shabazz UK 1996 29mins A Drama documentary that tells the story of Baptist Deacon Paul Bogle, the leader of the Morant Bay rebellion, in Jamaica, 1865 giving a unique insight into this Caribbean hero and the post-emancipation era. Mon 13 8.30pm |
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Soldiering On Dir: Deborah Asante Dur: 9 minuntes Soldiering On tells the story of 8-year-old Ben. When Ben sees his mother hit by her partner, he has to decide whether he will soldier on or do something about it. Sun 12 4.00pm |
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| Short Dir: Waris Islam Dur: 9 mins Short is an innovative, comic film, which turns the traditional girl meets boy scenario on its head. A man, short changed on life and short in height, finds a woman short of love in a tall world. Sun 12 4.00pm |
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| Number 103 Dir: Adrian Browne Dur:15 minutes Number 103 is a poignant and tension building film directed by Adrian Browne. Mr Prescott is sick, but one visit could save him. Sun 12 4.00pm |
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| World Premiere Troublemaker Dir: Laura Baylem Dur: 14mins A young single mother tries to racially harass herself out of her council flat, in order to prevent her son from falling foul of the local gang. Sun 12 4.00pm |
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| How to Make Friends Dir: Kara Miller Dur: 7 mins How To Make Friends is a charming, heart warming film. One day, at the end of her tether, a mother invites two neighbourhood girls over to befriend her lonely 11 year old son. Even she is surprised at the result. Sun 12 4.00pm |
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Hush Sun 12 4.00pm |
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Let Children Be Children Sun 12 4.00pm |
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The Greatest Escape Dir: John Sealy Dur: 14 mins The Greatest Escape by John Sealey exceeds its ambition in tackling a World War II theme. A black French soldier is captured by the Nazis and plans his escape. A strikingly poignant, clever and well made film. Thu 16 8.30pm |
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| Step Up: Just Gaps Dir: Adrian Browne Dur: 11minutes Adrian Browne pops up with a sure fire crowd pleaser in Step Up “The Gap”. Starring the naturally gifted Tameka Empson from Three Non Blondes, this finely tuned comedic short follows Lucy as she attempts to change jobs. Thu 16 8.30pm |
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| Evergreen Man Dir: Clive Grandison Dur: 10 minutes Evergreen Man by Clive Grandison takes us into the realms of the netherworld as a man played by the very talented Victor Romero Evans in fine form, gets a chance to review his previous existence. Thu 16 8.30pm |
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| Laters Dir: Jillian Li-Sue Dur: 10 minutes Laters by Gillian Li-Sue takes us into the portal of a teenage girl who bunks off from school in order to turn tricks with adults. Seen wholly from the teenager’s POV, this is a daring departure from film convention and an interesting use of the digital medium. Thu 16 8.30pm |
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Salt Scrubbers Dir: Deola Folarin Dur: 16mins Salt Scrubbers explores the theme of illicit sex. It delves into the R and R time of a bunch of prostitutes trying to forget the day job a luxurious health farm. But things change when even in their self-imposed haven, their profession is never too far away. Thu 16 8.30pm
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