We are BACK, showcasing a dynamic collection of short films that capture the breadth of Black independent storytelling and creative craft.
Join us for a post-screening Q&A with the makers behind the films, and networking drinks from 7.15pm.
BLACK IS: BOUNDLESS is a curated season of cinema exploring the breadth, complexity, and creative possibility of Black cinematic storytelling. Running across London from October to December 2026, we are bringing together independent films, filmmaker conversations, and an industry discussion to extend discourse around representation, authorship, and the cultural visibility of Black cinema beyond Black History Month.
TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE - WRI: DEAN ATTA DIR: BAZ SELLS // Eden and Dula are two Black boys on a journey of self-acceptance. Their love for each other, and their refusal to hide it, lands them in a paradise free from shame and judgement. Based on the poem by Dean Atta.
IRPINIA - DIR: JAMESHIA PRESCOD PRD: VALERY ERERE AKPOJIYOVWI // Irpinia follows the journey of young West Indian dreamer Dudley as he makes his way to England in the 1960s. Now 86, Dudley reflects on the exciting journey at sea and the harsh reality that lay ahead of him.
RUN LIKE WE - WRI/DIR: RHYS AARON LEWIS // An awkward teenager finds himself caught between the expectations of his classmates and his Jamaican father when he is forced to compete at the school sports day.
LIFT ME UP - WRI/DIR: TOMISIN ADEPEJU ACT: KEMI LALA AKINDOJU // On the eve of her husband’s birthday, Esther struggles to come to terms with an impending event.
HOUSE PARTY - WRI/DIR: WILLIAM BOYD III // A naive teenager is out of his element at a drug-fuelled get-together. To break out of his shell, he’ll have to smoke and drink his way through a night that’ll be far more grisly than anyone expects.
HAVE FAITH IN SELF - DIR: CURTIS ESSEL // Through intimate portraiture, personal archive and landscape, Akyaaba Addai-Sebo recites Marcus Garvey’s Have Faith in Self, tracing a life of self-determination from the shores of Gorée Island to the 1987 launch of Black History Month, and the wisdom he passes to younger generations and those yet to come.
THE MEDALLION - DIR: RUTH HUNDUMA PRD: TOLU STEDFORD // Ruth was barely a teenager when her mother passed down a Medallion, etched with the golden portrait of Nefertiti. Together, they go back to Ethiopia and explore her mother’s story as a survivor of the Red Terror genocide.
THEM THAT’S NOT - DIR/WRI: MEKHAI LEE // A sudden prison furlough unexpectedly bonds an estranged father with his emotionally avoidant daughter at their mother’s repass.
Content warning: nudity, violence, gore, strong language
Supported by the BFI Audience Projects Fund awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding, with additional support from the National Film and Television School.