BUFF – The British Urban Film Festival 4-5-6 September 2010
September marks the start of the film season in London, with mainstream and black film festivals presenting the best of new cinema from and beyond the UK. One such festival is the British Urban Film Festival (BUFF), which offers 16 films over 3 days of free screenings.
We caught up with festival founder Emmanuel Anyiam Osigwe who tells us more about this screen fest.
Catch a Vibe: What prompted you to start BUFF – The British Urban Film Festival?
Emmanuel Anyiam Osigwe: The idea was quickly formed after attending the Urban Music Festival in Earls Court in 2005. I realised having sampled the event that there was no UK equivalent in the film industry.
What makes BUFF different fron the other black film festivals in the UK?
Many observers assume that BUFF is a black film festival which it isn’t. As a festival, we celebrate and showcase what it is to be British and urban in the 21st century. If a majority of the films we show just happens to create the impression that it is a black film festival then this symbolises how the public sees that concept. There is no other equivalent in the UK.
Why make the admissions free?
The British Urban Film Festival is the only one of its kind in the UK liberated from the barriers of cost which allows the opportunity for new audiences to sample the emergence of British urban film which over the last 5 years has become one of the fastest growing creative sectors in the film industry. Furthermore the decision to go free coincided with the start of the global recession which in the current climate has been rather fortuitous for us as an organisation.
You must certainly have heard that there would not be a BFM Film Festival this year for lack of funding. what is your opinion on this? Is it something that could happen to BUFF as well?
Rumours of BFM have been rife since the new year and when the annoucement was made it didn’t come as a surprise to many. On a personal note, the news is sad having first cut my teeth at BFM under the tutelage of Menelik Shabazz and Charles Thompson. Fortunately, many of the staff who worked there at the time have gone on to contribute significantly to the industry, BUFF being a case in point. And despite all the upheaval including the demise of the UK FIlm Council, BUFF is in it for the long haul.
What is your opinion on the demise of the UK Film Council? How will it affect black filmmakers?
Again there were rumours of the UK Film Council being ‘streamlined’ at least a year before it happened, though they weren’t as rife as BFM’s ‘postponement’ so it did come as a bit of a shock. From what I’ve garnered in the industry for the best part of a decade, the UK Film Council should act as a wake-up call for filmmakers who purport to be true creatives who shouldn’t necessarily depend on handouts. It certainly feels like one is involved in a survival of the fittest mode. The next 5 years will mark a new period in the industry by which time BUFF will have reached its’ 10th birthday and continue to remain a signpost for filmmakers young and old.
Tell us more about the films selected this year: how did you choose them?
This year has seen more submissions from filmmakers to the festival than ever before. In addition to the submissions, the BUFF board cherry-picks relatively new titles from the cream of independent and grass-roots film both nationally and internationally. BUFF has secured a couple of exclusives this year – one of them being a documentary directed by a former Daily Mirror journalist which features never-before-seen footage of the UK’s leading hip-hop group, N-Dubz, when they were aged just 14. The opening night feature attraction is a worthy candidate for best British film of the year. Sus stars Clint Dyer in the lead role who is interrogated by two Thatcherite cops at the height of the sus laws in the late 1970s (otherwise known as section 44).
Last but not least: why should we attend BUFF? What can we expect?
BUFF marks the start of the Autumn film festival season in the capital.
The summer is over and the long nights are about to set in and what better way to see in the long nights than by sampling 16 top quality screenings in addition to 7 online screenings thanks to our sponsorship deal with GMI (Gabriel Media International) plus the very best in live film festival entertainment. And it’s all free.
Book your free tickets to BUFF on www.britishurbanfilmfestival.co.uk or call 08712 885 785
