George Floyd promises ignored by @BFI. African Odysseys Joy Gardner film

Thanks for signing, please share this update with your contacts especially journalists, activist groups and social media. The BFI’s studied neglect of Global Majority issues is exampled by their lack of interest in deaths in custody six years on from their public statements on George Floyd. Last year they did nothing to recognise his anniversary.

This  week is the 33rd anniversary of Joy Gardner's deportation death in British police custody where she was suffocated  by having 13 feet of tape wrapped around her head while handcuffed. HERE

The African Odysseys event to recognise her death and hear from her family takes place at a local community centre in Russell Square on Friday July 31st 6.30pm HERE  It should have been at the taxpayer-funded  £127 million BFI Southbank on a national stage  but for the BFIs 2025 cancellation of African Odysseys against the wishes of 18,400 people on this petition.

The image above represents the extensive African Odysseys curation on the subject of police brutality/civil rights presented at  BFI Southbank in 2020 when the BFI, according the its CEO Ben Roberts was ‘committed to anti-racism’. All of those films, especially the works of Ken Fero HERE , had been championed by African Odysseys at the BFI for decades but were unknown to the overwhelmingly white management there.

Ben Roberts also stated this in June 2020:

We need to embody the change we want to see, and be accountable as a public institution, looking like and reflecting the public we serve…

I took on the role of Chief Executive in February with a commitment to colleagues and our Board that I would put us on a path of radical change. This will mean dismantling the biases and hierarchies that are present within the BFI, and doubling-down on our duty as a public organisation to represent and welcome the perspective of all audiences and filmmakers: through our people, our programmes and collections, and the work we fund.HERE

Where is the ‘radical change’ ? The BFI has gone backwards and defunded African Odysseys despite its 20 year track record of selling out the 450 seater at 2pm on Saturdays and the volunteer curators being worth £6 million HERE

Six years after he wrote that, his Executive Committee remains 88% white. There’s only one Black person at that level, appointed in 2021 in the wake of George Floyd. Roberts clearly cannot be taken seriously on ‘welcoming the perspective of all audience and filmmakers’ or this 18,400 strong petition and its requests for a Race Equality Impact Assessment and continuation of African Odysseys would not exist.

Three weeks ago, in the previous update,  HERE  evidence was provided that the BFI had in 2023 ‘committed’ to a 20th anniversary season of African Odysseys films for  2026.   It is reprinted below. That document written by BFI staff  Justin Johnson witnessed by Stuart Brown, Head of Programme and Acquisitions  was known to the Executive  including Jason Wood, Executive Director for Public Programmes and Audiences and Harriet Finney Deputy CEO.

The BFI executive and even the governors clearly did not care about the 20 year legacy of Black history films/events that African Odysseys represented. They  refused to meet with leading race equality campaigner Professor Gus John  three separate times and cancelled African Odysseys  by making the only BFI  staff member  responsible for the educational, monthly series, David Somerset co-founder of AO, redundant and deleting his post, meaning the work could not possibly continue. A total reversal and dishonouring of what was agreed since 2023

The fact that BFI has had no response to evidence of its own documented breach of trust  is very revealing. Perhaps the BFI can find some courage to address their multiple  failings on race as they have the ability to respond to every update posted on this petition. However out of 30 updates they have only responded to one . That was two years ago and that response had two falsehoods as proven HERE

At a time when MPs like Sarah Pochin are saying ‘they are sick of  people of colour on their screens’ and Black people are being burned out of their homes or being deported to their deaths; the BFI's two years of stonewalling and gaslighting  is not merely disinterest, but studied and deliberate contempt for an entire community. Why would any cinema, far less a charity funded by the taxpaying public, ignore what 18,400 people want ?

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Notes from African Odysseys steering meeting 29th August 2023

Cc: Stuart Brown <redacted >; David Somerset <redacted >

Subject: Notes from African Odysseys Meeting - 29th August

Thanks for your time on Tuesday evening. Here are some notes - do feel free to correct if I have anything wrong or have missed out entirely.

Best 

Justin

Notes from African Odysseys Meeting - 29th August 2023

Attending: 

Stuart Brown, Justin Johnson, David Somerset - BFI

redacted- African Odysseys Steering Committee

Actions from the meeting

Hold quarterly meetings to ensure improved communications, increase social media presence on BFI channels and ensure any slow selling events are flagged up at weekly marketing meeting (David to ensure that he feeds this to Kim (redacted)

BFI Player Collection:

African Odysseys collection exists on BFI Player (27 titles on subscription currently). AO to look at existing content and make suggestions as to any other titles that would enhance the collection.

AO Season:

Commitment to support a season in 2026 to celebrate 20 years of African Odysseys to be programmed by AO and to include titles from the strand.

Exhibition:

No capacity from a resource pov to have a regular exhibition but opportunity to display flyers, posters and other materials somewhere in the building to tie in with the 2026 season.

BFI Imax:

Due to the commercial nature of the operation, cultural programming is built in around contractual commitments with the major distributors. Any films chosen in non-Imax format need to be 4K or possibly 70mm. 35mm and 2k too low resolution.

Previews in BFI Southbank programme:

This has proved difficult in terms of the major studios but recognised that Chevalier benefitted from the AO association. Any additional context that can be provided to help persuade distributors that an AO preview is desirable might help. Example suggested by AO of Bob Marley concert and talk programmed alongside possible preview of new film given as possible future model we can try.

Sight and Sound:

Stuart to speak to Mike Williams, the editor of S&S

BFI London FF:

Stuart to arrange for 2 accreditations to the 2023 edition of the festival to enable members of the AO Steering Group to look at possible titles for future AO events.

SB Building Works:

Although not announced yet, further building works due in 2024 between March and August. NFT1 will be closed for the whole period with NFT3 closed for at least 6 weeks. We will keep the group posted via David. No decision yet taken as to whether strands will continue during the works period.

Book:

This will need to be pitched to Palgrave Macmillan who look after BFI Publishing label. They work several years ahead so it might be worth making an approach now for a book to tie in with the 2026 anniversary.

Records Issue:

Stuart will find support to make this request happen with David leading the project in discussion with Ruth from the new records team.

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