BLACK RIVER FILM Festival

10/05/2026

Last month’s event was absolutely on fire 🔥 as unpacked the world of funding and creative opportunities with .
The conversations, connections, and insights shared left so many inspired and ready to think bigger.

This month, we are continuing and wrapping up that powerful funding cluster as we welcome the incredible

Sara Amanda is a London-based writer and dramaturg with over 10 years of professional experience working across theatre, TV, film, and the wider arts sector. Alongside her creative practice, she brings extensive experience in arts funding, artist development, and project support, working with both independent creatives and organisations.

Her work spans writing, dramaturgy, participation, and creative development across a wide range of performance and cultural spaces — making this a session you do not want to miss.

If you are serious about understanding funding, strengthening your applications, and navigating the arts sector more strategically, this conversation is for you.

Stay tuned for the official date release.
Tag a friend and tell a friend. 🎬✨

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06/05/2026

Dope!

06/05/2026

Due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa, Black River Film Festival will officially be postponed to June 2027.

As many of you may already be aware, the festival has always been hosted at the epicentre of Black River, one of the areas most severely affected by the hurricane.

Sadly, our primary location and surrounding spaces remain significantly damaged and, at this time, are still uninhabitable.

After careful consideration, we believe postponing the festival is the most responsible decision as we regroup, rebuild, and prioritise the wellbeing of the community around us.

We want to sincerely thank every partner, sponsor, attendee, filmmaker, volunteer, supporter, speaker, and member of the Black River community who has stood with us over the past three years.

Together, we have built something truly special — bringing international visitors, creatives, conversations, opportunities, and economic activity into Black River and creating a platform dedicated to Black storytelling and Caribbean cinema.

While we may not physically gather this year, this is not the end of the work. Behind the scenes, we will continue building, connecting, and adding value to our creative community through monthly online seminars, film conversations, industry sessions, mentorship opportunities, and collaborative spaces designed to support filmmakers and creatives across the region and beyond.

We are committed to staying connected with you and continuing to create opportunities for learning, growth, and visibility even during this rebuilding period.

We deeply apologise to everyone who was looking forward to this year’s festival and appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued support during this challenging time.

Thank you for continuing to believe in the vision of Black River Film Festival. We look forward to returning stronger, bigger, and even more impactful in June 2027.

Until then — stay safe, stay connected, and keep creating. 🎬🖤

04/05/2026

04/05/2026

On a grey November morning in 1962, 20-year-old Oswald Augustus Grey, from Bog Walk, Jamaica, was marched from his cell in Birmingham’s Winson Green prison to the gallows next door. Seconds later he was dead. He was the last man hanged in Birmingham and the last Black man executed in Britain.

Grey was convicted of shooting newsagent Thomas Bates in his shop on Lee Bank Road in June 1962. The evidence against him – which the British state has now chosen to keep under wraps – is circumstantial, relying heavily on the balance of possibilities.

For a capital offence – one that costs a man his life – much more than circumstantial evidence is needed. To make matters worse, the law was hasty in its dealings with this young Jamaican – and, make no mistake, he was always a Jamaican in the eyes of those who judged him.

His trial lasted less than a week; his appeal less than an hour; his legal counsel did not appear at the appeal proceedings; the one man who could have reprieved him from the rope, Home Secretary Henry Brooke, was an open racist.

And yet this is a story that caused almost no commotion in the city at the time. It never made headline news in Birmingham and it barely made the papers in his home country.

Who Killed Oswald Grey revives this forgotten story, revealing layers of careless prejudice which are all too familiar some sixty years on and which cost this young man his life.

02/05/2026

Today I had a very important meeting in Brixton to discuss a project I’m working on.

And as I walked through the streets, I couldn’t help but reflect…

When I first came to the UK in the early 2000s, Brixton felt very different. It was raw, vibrant, unapologetically Caribbean.

The music spilled onto the streets, the food carried the scent of home, and there was a sense of community that you didn’t have to search for—you felt it instantly.

Back then, Brixton wasn’t polished. It wasn’t trying to impress. It simply was.

Today, Brixton has evolved. New buildings, new businesses, and a wave of change that some call growth and others call gentrification.

The markets are still there, the culture still breathes—but it’s different. Quieter in some ways. More curated. More expensive. More “London.”

And while change is inevitable, it always brings a mix of emotions.

Progress on one hand… and on the other, a quiet question: what gets lost along the way?

Still, Brixton remains powerful. Its roots run deep. Its story is still being written—just in a different tone.

And maybe that’s the lesson… places grow, people grow, but history should never be forgotten.

30/04/2026

Last night was simply powerful!
We paused… and we say THANK YOU.

To every single person who attended our Film Finance 101 session — your presence made it what it was: invaluable.

The feedback coming in?

Honestly… it’s blowing our minds.

When our founder first had this idea, she never imagined 30 people would show up to the very first session. In fact, at 8:57pm, when no one had logged on yet, panic set in — “Oh no… what if no one comes?”

But you came.

And you showed up from across the world. 🌍

🇯🇲 Jamaica
🇬🇾 Guyana
🇺🇸 United States
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇨🇦 Canada
🇳🇬 Nigeria

What was intended for Jamaica became something global.

That’s the power of purpose meeting people.

Some of your words…
“Brilliant session! And wonderful people!!”
“I enjoyed tonight… great meeting the community.
Well done for organising.”

We see you.
We appreciate you.
And we’re just getting started.

Next session: End of May — don’t miss it.

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29/04/2026

Filmmakers — this one is for YOU! 🎬🔥

Black River Film Festival presents Film Finance 101 with Investment Director Nathan Adabadze 💰

Join us for the first of many powerful film conversations. Ever wondered how films actually get funded? Nathan will be breaking it ALL down — live, free, and straight to the point.

📅 29th April 2026
⏰ 9PM BST / 4PM EST
✨ Join us LIVE
🔗 https://lnkd.in/ebV9Ag7K

Nathan Adabadze is an Investment Director at Media Finance Capital, where he leads the investment team and manages multi-million-pound film and television investments globally.

Since 2018, he has structured deals across more than 60 titles with budgets ranging from $1M–$50M.
His credits include Tina, The Lost Daughter, Sons, and A Prayer for the Dying.
Nathan is known for his commercial insight, strategic deal-making, and support of underrepresented voices. He has also participated in the prestigious Inside Pictures business and leadership programme, as well as Film London’s Breaking the Glass Ceiling initiative, designed to elevate mid-level executives into senior leadership across the screen industries.

Come ready, come expectant, come as you are.
Let’s connect, learn, and grow together.

24/04/2026

🎬 5 DAYS TO GO! 🚨

Film Finance 101
📅 April 29th
⏰ 9:30 PM (BST)

Ready to learn how to fund your film and bring your vision to life? This is your moment!

✨ Join us LIVE on Google Meet
🔗 Tap to join:
https://meet.google.com/fpb-paeo-vkf

Come ready, come expectant, come as you are.
Let’s connect, learn, and grow together 💫

24/04/2026

🎬 5 DAYS TO GO! 🚨

Film Finance 101
📅 April 29th
⏰ 9:30 AM (BST)

Ready to learn how to fund your film and bring your vision to life? This is your moment!

✨ Join us LIVE on Google Meet
🔗 Tap to join:
https://meet.google.com/fpb-paeo-vkf

Come ready, come expectant, come as you are.
Let’s connect, learn, and grow together 💫