Storyhouse’s Young Programmers are excited to share their season of films for Black History Month 2021.
The Young Programmers are a group of teenagers and young adults who are passionate about programming and giving voices to young people in Chester and the local area. Giving opportunities for the sharing of talent and for communities of young people to gather.
As a group, since 2020, the Young Programmers have been working towards this season of films for Black History Month. The group has lost and gained many members over the last 12 months who have been a tremendous influence for the season. We wanted to make sure that we included films in our 2021 selection that members had been passionate about in 2020, although Covid halted last years season.
It’s about telling stories. Everyone has a story to tell. It’s just a matter of how we tell it. We thought that using the power of cinema would be a great choice to highlight voices of POC communities. Spotlighting the Black experience and amplifying its many forms. Choosing to focus on films with societal impact that are not all pain based but include themes of joy and celebration.
There were of course films that we would have loved to make the cut; Belle – A beautiful film centring on Black British History, and Soul – The Pixar Animation that questions what it is that makes ‘us’ ourselves, are two of the films that did not quite make it.
The season’s films are:
Straight Outta Compton (15) – A socially impactful piece of great music history.
Rafiki (12A) – A moving story of love, grit and hardship between two women.
The Harder They Fall (15) – A new blockbuster with an outstanding cast.
The Hate U Give (12A) – A call to arms against the brutal acts of police forces worldwide.
Rocks (12A) – A realistic depiction of modern girlhood and courage in the face of adversity.
We encourage you to see as many of them as you can! To take a break from your day to sit back and relax and enjoy some great cinema!