HCC presents BLACK NATIONS/QUEER NATIONS? (dir. Shari Frilot) + Guest

In fact, one must note that at every moment Black peoples have sought, for themselves, to assert what freedom might mean and look like, those desires and acts toward freedom have been violently interdicted. It is this ongoing interdiction of a potential Black freedom that I have termed the long emancipation.— Rinaldo Walcott, The Long Emancipation: Moving Toward Black Freedom

Because Black history is not a month, Haringey Community Cinema (HCC) invites you to a powerful series of screenings exploring Black histories, politics, culture, and struggle across the globe. As part of this series, we are interested in examining what Rinaldo Walcott framed as ‘the long emancipation’ through the use of moving images. This series brings into focus how colonialism, empire, racism, gender and sexuality have structured the ways Black life and thought are represented, questioned and resisted on screen.

Our programme includes films that centre Black voices and perspectives, alongside works that raise questions about how Black history is mediated and by whom.

We begin with the first chapter of Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth, read by Ms Lauryn Hill in Concerning Violence (dir. Göran Hugo Olsson). Next, Shari Frilot’s Black Nations / Queer Nations? chronicles the groundbreaking March 1995 conference on lesbian and gay sexualities in the African diaspora. To welcome Spring, we will shift our attention to the crucial role played by music in key moments of the Cold War with Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (dir. Johan Grimonprez). We will close with The Stuart Hall Project (dir. John Akomfrah), reflecting on the work and enduring legacy of Stuart Hall.

For this edition, we have curated a list of readings that we encourage you to explore before the screenings.

Our guest speakers for hosting our community conversations will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Through films, readings, and post-screening discussion, we will engage with questions of power, representation, memory, and history, and with the ongoing fight for justice in our communities and beyond.

As always, our screenings are free to attend and open to all.

This event is funded by the Haringey Council for Black History Haringey 365.

Please only book if you are confident you will be able to attend, as seating at this venue is limited. Due to safety regulations, walk-in entry cannot be guaranteed.

The registration form includes a small number of questions collected for reporting purposes. All data will be anonymised. Each attendee is required to complete the form. If you are booking on behalf of someone else and do not know an answer, please enter or select' N/A' where applicable.

Due to the venue’s limited capacity, the event may sell out.If this happens, you can be added to the waiting list. When a ticket becomes available, you will receive an email to book it, and you will have 24 hours to complete your booking.

If you are unable to attend the event, please cancel your ticket(s) so that your place can be offered to someone else.

Black Nations/Queer Nations? is an experimental documentary that captures the landmark 1995 conference on lesbian and gay sexualities in the African diaspora. The gathering convened influential scholars, activists, and cultural workers to examine the economic, political, and social realities shaping the lives of diasporic lesbians, gay men, bisexual, and transgender people. The film weaves together standout moments from the event while tracing the links between popular culture and emerging Black queer media. It underscores the lasting significance of this historic meeting for Black LGBTQ+ communities.

Trailer

Dr. Lola Olufemi is a black feminist writer and researcher from London. She is a lecturer in Fine Art Critical Studies at Goldsmiths University. Her work focuses on the utility of the political imagination in the textual and visual cultures of radical social movements, examining the role cultural production plays in materialist resistance and collective conceptualisations of futurity. She is author of Feminism Interrupted: Disrupting Power (Pluto Press, 2020), Experiments in Imagining Otherwise (Hajar Press, 2021), the forthcoming Against Literature (Peninsula Press, 2026) and a member of ‘bare minimum’, an interdisciplinary anti-work arts collective. She occasionally curates and is a member of the organising team at the Feminist Library based in Peckham.

HCC is run by volunteers and does not receive any funding at the moment. Every donation you make will help us to support local venues and to organise other free screenings.

In a time of rising living costs and persistent barriers for marginalised communities in producing and accessing films that reflect their experiences and aspirations, we are committed to making our screenings free or pay-what-you-can.

Chestnuts Community Centre offers a fantastic community facility and community programme in the heart of South Tottenham. The building is located in Chestnut Park (closest tube station is Seven Sisters), and is fully accessible. If you have any accessibility needs or questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Haringey Community Cinema (HCC) was launched in April 2025 and is run by volunteers. Inspired by Brixton Community Cinema, HCC is aimed at bringing residents of Haringey together through film. Our mission is to showcase films that challenge, inspire, and spark critical reflection—films that make us think and act. Visit our website.

HCC does not currently have an official COVID-19 policy. However, we remain mindful that many people are still vulnerable to the virus. We kindly ask attendees to take the following precautions to help keep our events safe and accessible for everyone:

• If possible, please take a lateral flow test before attending.
• If you test positive or are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, please do not attend, even if you feel well.
• We welcome and encourage the use of masks inside the venue for those who wish to wear them.
• Please be considerate of others' comfort levels and respect requests for physical distance.

Thank you for helping us create a safer and more inclusive space.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Chestnuts Community Centre, 280 Saint Ann's Road, London, United Kingdom

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