Film programmer, curator, writer

London, England
Joined April 2016
Pleased to say I've curated a season of Sidney Poitier's films, coming to @BFI Southbank in January 2025. 16 films showcasing his work as an actor and director, almost half of them on 35mm, across 40 years. Tickets on sale from 5 December. More info here: tinyurl.com/2p9ppmc7
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Terribly sorry to learn of the passing of the great Michael Roemer, at the age of ninety-seven—a true independent, of mind and spirit, whose work, though little-seen in its time, will long outlive most films loudly acclaimed then.
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Lovely little write-up by @tnyfrontrow on Malaury Eloi-Paisley’s brilliant L’Homme-Vertige, which we’re screening tomorrow at BAM in Brooklyn in our Caribbean Film Series. The Pedro Costa comparison is spot on.
A terrific documentary Saturday in Caribbean Film Series @BAMfilmBrooklyn: Malaury Eloi Paisley's L'Homme-Vertige: Tales of a City, blending portraiture and discussion, and incarnating history, reminds me of great films by Pedro Costa and Khalik Allah: newyorker.com/goings-on-abou…
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Duel at Diablo was a film I left out of the Sidney Poitier season at BFI last month (another was Buck and the Preacher) knowing it would be in the Black Rodeo season. Poitier’s first western, and a fascinating film worth seeing on the big screen.
#bestfilminlondontoday Feb 7 at capitalcelluloid.blogspot.co… guide to London films. 'employs the Anglo-Native American conflict as a metaphor for Black-white relations in contemporary US society' DUEL AT DIABLO (35mm) @BFI Southbank capitalcelluloid.blogspot.co…
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Jonathan Ali retweeted
Although most celebrated for his civil rights era dramas, a younger generation of viewers first discovered Sidney Poitier via late-career video-shop favourites like Sneakers and Deadly Pursuit. theb.fi/3Pl4650
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Jonathan Ali retweeted
#bestfilminlondontoday Jan 5 at capitalcelluloid.blogspot.co… guide to London films. Nickel Boys' fans will want to catch this. THE DEFIANT ONES (1958) on 35mm in Sidney Poitier season @BFI Southbank capitalcelluloid.blogspot.co…
Replying to @tpaleyfilm
#bestfilminlondontoday Jan 5 at capitalcelluloid.blogspot.co… guide to London films. Nickel Boys' fans will want to catch this. THE DEFIANT ONES (1958) on 35mm in Sidney Poitier season @BFI Southbank capitalcelluloid.blogspot.co… youtube.com/watch?v=fBrw8dmg…
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Jonathan Ali retweeted
January's London repertory cinema spreadsheet + newsletter are out! Become a supporter from just £2.99 a month and view 600+ repertory film screenings across 35+ London cinemas, sorted by: 🎞️Films On Film 🎬Release Year 🎬Title 🎬Date 🎬 Cinema repcinema.com/post/repertory…
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To mark the third anniversary of Sidney Poitier's passing and to launch the Poitier season, join us @BFI Southbank on Mon 6 Jan for a discussion about Poitier's life and legacy with @JonathanAliTT @JanaSante @RyanCalaisC & Nicole-Rachelle Moore whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/ar…
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A great way to see in 2025 with a month of films celebrating the work of film legend, Sidney Poitier. As a season of the actor & directors work opens tonight with 50s classic Noir thriller, No Way Out whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/de… at @BFI.
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Has all the wonderful things you would expect, and at least one thing you might not: a very Jamesian analysis of Dog Day Afternoon and the motivations of Al Pacino’s Sonny (“that young man”).
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Tickets are on sale, guests are being announced, and here's the rather smashing trailer for Sidney Poitier: His Own Person, @BFI Southbank in January. I couldn't be happier to have curated this season celebrating a true-blue icon. Get on board: theb.fi/3DA17mo
Sidney Poitier: His Own Person. Playing at BFI Southbank from 1 Jan.
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My ten films for Sight and Sound magazine’s best films of 2024 feature.
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Tickets on sale now for Sidney Poitier: His Own Person, @BFI Southbank in January. It was an honour to curate this season of 16 of Poitier's films—groundbreaking early works, star-maing vehicles, career-defining blockbusters and more. Get your tickets: tinyurl.com/2p9ppmc7
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"And the black face, truthfully reflected, is not only no part of this dream, it is antithetical to it. And this puts the black performer in a rather grim bind. He knows, on the one hand, that if the reality of a black man’s life were on that screen...
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"...it would destroy the fantasy totally. And on the other hand, he really has no right not to appear, not only because he must work, but for all those people who need to see him. By the use of his own person, he must smuggle in a reality that he knows is not in the script."
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A reminder on this day that the first US woman to become president was Janet Jagan, née Rosenberg. Chicagoan, Marxist, and president of Guyana from 1997-1999
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Jonathan Ali retweeted
As we gear up for next year’s festival, we’re reminiscing on how memorable this year’s festival was. Check out our full #THFF24 recap video on youtube: youtu.be/FvHBnsGnG_A?si=LYqe… What was your favorite memory from #THFF24? ✂️🎞️ Edit by Yaphet Jackman
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