Handsworth Songs (18)

A poetic film essay on race and civil disorder in 1980s Britain, Handsworth Songs takes as its point of departure the civil disturbances of September and October 1985 in the Birmingham district of Handsworth and in the urban centres of London.

Running throughout the film is the idea that the riots were the outcome of a protracted suppression by British society of Black presence. The film portrays civil disorder as an opening onto a secret history of dissatisfaction that is connected to the national drama of industrial decline.

Created by the Black Audio Film Collective – in this case, directed by John Akomfrah and produced by Lina Gpaul – Handsworth Songs is one of the most significant works from one of the most influential British artist groups of the late 21st century.

40 years after it was made, its innovative approach to the documentary form still marks Handsworth Songs out as a bracing corrective to reductive media narratives around race in Britian – both in the 1980s and today.

This is a rare opportunity to experience a definitive piece of Black British cinema history on the big screen.

This screening is part of Rip It Up – a nationwide season celebrating the changing face of youth rebellion, culture and expression on screen in the UK. Supported by Film Hub North as part of the BFI Film Audience Network, made possible by the National Lottery.