Description
A double bill screening of short film The Homecoming and feature Tongues Untied, both of which hugely influenced the writing of Revolutionary Acts.
There will be a short Q&A and introduction by Jason Okundaye and Marc Thompson, the co-founder and co-curator of the community digital archive – Black & Gay, Back in the Day.
This event is FREE to attend and booking is essential.
You can purchase a copy of Revolutionary Acts from the Round Table Books pop-up.
The Homecoming: A short film about Ajamu (1995) 17 mins
Dir. Topher Campbell
It’s 1995 and Ajamu, a Black Queer photographer, is staging his first one-man show in his hometown of Huddersfield. He’s broke and his electricity is about to be cut off. How can he get there from London?
On his journey, he meets some friends and foes, including his best friend Michael and a hot homophobic guy who he cruises on the streets.
There is insightful commentary by Stuart Hall and artist Sonia Boyce, as well as images of a Brixton long changed by gentrification and the influx of white people. Eventually, Ajamu is escorted by a handsome chauffeur and ultimately is able to declare who he is and his place in the world.
Tongues United (1989) – 55 mins
The seminal documentary on Black gay life, Emmy Award-winning director Marlon T. Riggs’ 1989 Tongues Untied uses poetry, personal testimony, rap, and performance (featuring poet Essex Hemphill and others), to describe the homophobia and racism that confront Black gay men.
The stories are fierce examples of homophobia and racism: the man refused entry to a gay bar because of his colour; the college student left bleeding on the sidewalk after a gay bashing; the loneliness and isolation of the drag queen. Yet they also affirm the Black gay male experience: protest marches, smoky bars, “snap diva”, humorous “musicology,” and Vogue dancers.
A quarter of a century after its release, director Marlon T. Riggs’ documentary, winner of the Los Angeles Film Critics Award, and Best Documentary prize at the Berlin Film Festival is as relevant as ever.
“My struggle has allowed me to transcend that sense of shame and stigma identified with my being a black gay man. Having come through that fire, they can’t touch me.” —Marlon T. Riggs.
About the book
This event features as part of a one-day launch to celebrate the publication of Revolutionary Acts: Love and Brotherhood in Black Gay Britain. An astonishing work of social history which captures Black gay Britain in inimitable detail.
These screenings feature as part of a one-day launch to celebrate the publication of Revolutionary Acts: Love and Brotherhood in Black Gay Britain.