Black History Month Films

Black History Month has been celebrated in the UK for over 35 years, remembering people and events in the history of the African Diaspora. This year, Dogwoof presents Marc Silver’s 3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets, Stanley Nelson’s The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution and Sacha Jenkins' Fresh Dressed.

To celebrate the film's releases we have made special double sided postcards of the films which can be found across cinemas in the UK over the next month.

3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets - 2 October

3½ Minutes, Ten Bullets explores the murder of black teenager Jordan Davis, after he engaged in a verbal dispute with Michael Dunn, a white middle-aged man about the volume of the music coming from his car. Michael Dunn fired 10 bullets into the car of unarmed teenagers and then fled, leaving Jordan Davis dead. In court Michael Dunn claimed he shot in self-defence, but with no evidence that the teenagers were armed, his story lacked credibility. The film follows Jordan’s parents and friends as they fight for justice as well as grapple with an unimaginable loss. Although, the documentary does not celebrate history or an achievement, it raises awareness of how hidden racial prejudices can too often result in tragedy. It's beautifully shot and includes footage from police tapes, trial recordings and even Dunn’s own private phone conversations.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution - 23 October

Black History Month is a celebration of history and culture, and The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution closely celebrates both. As the first feature length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, it provides an essential chronicle of this pivotal movement that birthed a new revolutionary culture in America. It explores the parties cultural and political awakening, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails.

Fresh Dressed - 30 October

Fresh Dressed is a fascinating, fun-to-watch chronicle of hip-hop, urban fashion, and the hustle that brought oversized pants and graffiti-drenched jackets from Orchard Street to high fashion's catwalks and Middle America shopping malls. The film looks at Black Culture in America, what it means to be fresh and how sheer originality and swagger brought this style into the mainstream.

Dogwoof at BFI London Film Festival 2015

The 2015 BFI London Film Festival programme was announced this morning, and three Dogwoof films are included in the magnificent line-up.

Two Dogwoof films will be featured in the documentary competition:

Censored Voices

Daunting testimonies of Israeli soldiers returning from the Six Day war revealed following 45 years of censorship. Book for LFF

The Fear of 13

A bold, compelling account of a Death Row convict who decides to take his case to court, not to seek freedom but to petition for his execution. Book for LFF

The third film included in the festival is In the Sonic strand:

Fresh Dressed

A comprehensive guide to the rise of hip hop style from its early days through to its current global dominance. Book for LFF

New film: The Show of Shows

This film tells the story of itinerant circus performers, cabaret acts and vaudeville and fairground attractions. In this film, rarities and never-before seen footage of fairgrounds, circus entertainment, freak shows, variety performances, music hall and seaside entertainment are chronicled from the 19th and 20th century. We will see early shows that wowed the world and home movies of some of the greatest circus families.

Director Benedikt Erlingsson takes us back to the days when the most outlandish, skillful and breathtaking acts traveled the world. 

The film is accompanied by an epic new score by Georg Holm and Orri Páll Dýrason of Sigur Rós, in collaboration with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and Kjartan Dagur Holm. Listen to the full soundtrack below, it can also be purchased on iTunes.