On black cinema: a conversation with Neigeme Glasgow-Medea
Catch a Vibe met up with Neigeme Glasgow-Medea, co-director of The Caribbean Film Corner at the Portobello Film Festival to discuss the state of black cinema. Here is what she had to say.
On the label black cinema
“First and foremost we have to stop putting ourselves in a box, we have to stop using the label ‘black cinema’ because cinema is cinema. When we put ourselves in a box, we limit ourselves to things we can do. White people can only talk about their own experiences; they cannot speak of things from a black perspective. It takes the black Brits themselves to come out and do their own thing, they have to be the ones to make those films.”
On how Blaxploitation movies in the US paved the way for black filmmakers today
“Everything has a start. Black filmmakers in the US got through because of blaxploitation films such as Superfly and Shaft, which were dealing with gang violence and [other negative stereotypes]. But those films paved the way for the Van Peebles and Spike Lees to be able to get their foot in the door, and now we have black filmmakers in the States that do the Fantastic Four; films you wouldn’t associate black directors with. Guys like Steve McQueen, who directed Hunger, how do you class him? He’s not only black, he’s homosexual. His perspective on the crisis happening in Northern Ireland, being black and British, [knowing how it feels to be oppressed] and having all that background; he could identify with the Irish as well as the English. He has an open perspective and that brings so much to the film, and that is why his film is so much more interesting.”
On the need to go beyond “blackness”:
“Our stories are vast because black is everything. Black is mixed race, black is Muslim, black is Christian, black is African, black is Caribbean. We have been living in this global village for how long now? It is not just London and England, it is Europe and it’s the world. And we have to open ourselves to that. If you want to make a successful film, it’s not only to work in London, it has to have an international appeal. It has to touch people from different language groups and cultures that can identify with a similar theme.”
Caribbean Film Corner @ Portobello Film Festival
Wed 16 & Thu 17 Sep from 7pm
See listing here
