February 26, 2016, by Kate Snaith

You can find more than Hollywood in Hallward…

On Sunday evening the 88^th annual Academy Awards (Oscars) are taking place in Hollywood. The event has been dogged by controversy as for the second year in a row no actors of colour have been nominated for awards. This has prompted the re-emergence of #OscarsSoWhite trending. The debate highlights on-going issues about a lack of diversity and access to opportunities for non-white film-makers in Hollywood.

Now seems like an ideal opportunity to explore the stories film-makers from a range of backgrounds the world over have been telling – and UoN libraries have a great selection of classic and contemporary films for your perusal – just a few of those available in our libraries are listed below.

Directed by Horace Ové, Pressure (1976) (Djanogly Learning Resources Centre, DVD PN1997.P7475) is the first feature-length British film to be directed by a black film-maker. The film follows teenager Tony, the first member of his family to be born in Britain and the struggles he faces in 1970s London.

If you prefer a documentary it might be worth checking John Akomfrah’s The Stuart Hall Project (2013) (Hallward Short Loan DVD HM479.H35.S8), which combines archival footage of ground-breaking British cultural theorist and founder of “New Left Review” Stuart Hall, and Akomfrah’s own thoughts on Hall and his legacy.

Lumumba (2000) (Hallward Short Loan, DVD PN1997.L858), Raoul Peck’s haunting biopic of the final months of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the  Republic of the Congo in the period immediately post-independence.

Norwegian Wood (2010) (Hallward Short Loan DVD PN1997.2.N), Tran Anh Hung’s film version of the Murikami novel of the same name follows Toru as he recovers from tragedy and enters university in 1960s Tokyo.

Sugar Cane Alley (1983) (Hallward Short Loan DVD PN1997.R843) directed by Euzhan Palcy (the frst black director to be awarded a Cesar Award, a Venice Film Festival Award and first Public Award at FESPACO Africa’s biggest film festival). The film is set in 1930s Martinique and follows orphan José as, encouraged by his grandmother, he tries to avoid a life working in the ubiquitous cane fields.

“Masterpiece” of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema Los Olvidados (1950) (Hallward Short Loan DVD PN1997.O5843) by film-maker Luis Buñuel follows a group of young people on the streets of Mexico City is considered such a significant film it is listed on UNESCOs “Memory of the World” Register.

Multi-award winning Omkara (2006) (Hallward Short Loan DVD PR2829.A23) is the adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Othello”, co-written, directed and with music composed by Vishal Bhardwaj is set in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. It explores love across political and personal allegiances.

Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl (1966) (Hallward Short Loan DVD PN1997.N6694) tells the story of a young Senegalese woman Diouana and her move to work for a wealthy French couple in Antibes. Her experiences reflect the complex dynamics of immigration and racism in “post-colonialist” Europe.

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