In the 1980s, the Black Audio Film Collective, a group of young Black British artists that included artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah, examined the legacies of empire in the United Kingdom. An experimental film essay on race and civil disorder in 1980s Britain, Akomfrah’s Handsworth Songs takes as its point of departure the civil disturbances of 1985. A film that combines political inquiry and poetic beauty, Handsworth Songs won seven international awards, including the British Film Institute’s prestigious Grierson Award for Best Documentary.
Film details
Year: 1986
Running time: 58 minutes 33 seconds
Format: Single channel 16mm film transferred to video, sound
Director: John Akomfrah
Producer: Lina Gopaul
Source: Smoking Dogs Films