A film essay on race and civil disorder in 1980s Britain and the inner city riots of 1985, 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 centers 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. Released 35 years ago, this classic documentary is still eerily relevant.
A panel will follow the screening chaired by Liu Batchelor (TedX Folkestone) and panelists Keith Shiri (film historian) Joesphine Carter (Origins Untold) Anita Mackenzie and Matthew Hahn.
Programmed and presented in partnership with Origins Untold a community arts organisation presenting music, poetry, visual arts, fashion, and food inspired and created by people of the African diaspora.
