Anthony Badu joined our ongoing series of guest speakers for our Francophone West African Cinema season by introducing Djibril Diop Mambéty’s Hyenas (1992).

Anthony is a writer, photographer and filmmaker based in London. In 2020, he co-founded the non-profit community arts project flat 70, based in Elephant & Castle.

Hyenas tells the story of Colobane, Senegal, a once-charming village now shattered by poverty. Linguère Ramatou (Ami Diakhate) returns with fabulous wealth and a promise to save her people. But, attached to this promise is a deadly bargain: Draman Drameh (Mansour Diouf) ― the lover who had betrayed a 16-year-old, pregnant Linguère ― must be executed. The announcement comes during a celebratory banquet in honour of her return, and the villagers, who had long forgotten the incident, are at once horrified, astonished, and indignant. While appearing to maintain a good moral conscience, the villagers are unable to resist the dazzling array of consumer goods at their fingertips, and so they begin to purchase on credit. While Linguere remains unshakable in her pursuit of justice, Draman’s initial self-interest and fear for his life soon give way to resignation and disdain for his fellow villagers.

In February 2023, LGBT Poet Laureate Trudy Howson hosted a panel discussion at The Garden Cinema following a screening of Gateway’s Grind (2022) with the film’s director Jacquie Lawrence and producer Felicity Milton.

Gateway’s Grind is a documentary about Gateways, London’s longest-surviving lesbian club. Alongside a host of its patrons over the years, Sandi Toksvig highlights the legacy of the club from its original owner, who won it in a poker game, to its blossoming into a hot-spot and safe space for lesbian life. From its signature green door to the risque dance move that gives this film its name, Gateways was a crucial part of London’s queer history.

Mike Leigh and Gary Yershon’s ongoing discussion of the acclaimed director’s films continued at The Garden Cinema with a screening and Q&A of his Palme d’Or winning film Secrets & Lies (1996).

Secrets & Lies is an exploration of the deceptions that shape our relationships. Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a black optometrist who was adopted as a child, begins the search for her birth mother, leading her to Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn), a lonely white factory worker.

In February 2023, LGBT Poet Laureate Trudy Howson hosted a panel discussion at The Garden Cinema following a screening of Blue Jean (2022) with Hélène Sifre (producer of Blue Jean), Sarah Drummond, Director of Don’t Say Gay- a feature documentary uncovering the story of Section 28), and Laïla El-Métoui (Founder of Pride in Education).

Blue Jean is a searing portrait of life under Section 28 in 1980’s England. The panel discuss Section 28, the importance of education and the arts, and took comments and questions from the audience.

This event took place as part of our A Taste of Queer Cinema season. Following on from this, we are continuing our exploration of contemporary and future Queer classics in April. The season Celebrating Queer Cinema will include expert introductions, panel discussions, networking, a fundraiser, a Burlesque performance, and more.

Continuing our exploration of Francophone West African Cinema, Dr. Sarah Jilani of City, University of London introduced Souleymane Cissé’s 1982 The Wind.

A vivid social satire with overtones of Romeo and Juliet, The Wind tackles the generation gap in post-colonial West Africa. Its heroine is the pot smoking daughter of a provincial military governor who falls in love with a fellow university student, the descendent of one of Mali’s chiefs of an earlier age. Both families object to the union and to the lovers’ growing involvement in student strikes against the corrupt government. A mix of politics, romance and social commentary, The Wind casts a critical eye on both the ancient and modern values.

In February, Terry Gilliam joined film critic, presenter and producer Jason Solomons on stage at The Garden Cinema after a screening of his film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) for a live discussion about the acclaimed director’s life and career as part of our season The Films of Terry Gilliam.

In partnership with AWAN, Mydylarama, MENA Arts UK and the Arab Film Club, our next season celebrates recent key feature films made by Arab women directors that, together, offer a rich and diverse introduction to filmmaking from the region. We picked films that tell everyday, very human stories, away from sensationalist and reductionist portrayals too often offered up by depictions of the Arab world. These films together will form our latest season: Mukhrijat: Arab Women Filmmakers. The films will be complemented by introductions, Q&As and events.