Blacker Dread

A stellar debut that peels back the layered tales of Caribbean youngsters who grew up away from their parents before migrating to join them in Britain. The story of Windrush has come into painfully sharp focus in recent years but what is less well-known is the story of the children of these pioneers whose parents left to rebuild Britain and they only knew of through the ‘barrel' care packages sent back. These are the children’s stories of reconciliation and rediscovery within a new world that made little sense to them.

Originally aired in 1981 and later virtually lost for decades, Sound Business is a UK-produced documentary about two British sound systems, the legendary (and at the time already 18 years-established) Sir Coxsone Outernational and the (then) up-and-coming Lion Charge, both based in SW London.

After a ten year absence, acclaimed filmmaker Molly Dineen is back with a new feature documentary: Being Blacker; an intimate portrait of Jamaican-born reggae producer, businessman, father, son and prominent community figure, Blacker Dread. 40 years after featuring in Dineen’s first film, Blacker and his family, friends and community in South London face the combined challenges of rapid social change, gentrification, inequality, poverty, crime and racism as they seek to secure their futures. Made with intimacy and warmth, the film takes us deep into Blacker’s world as he buries his mother, closes his business and faces prison for the first time. Being Blacker offers a rarely-heard perspective on life in Britain today.