Black Star

Please note: This event finished in Dec 2016

Explore a galaxy of black film stars as we partner with the BFI on a UK-wide celebration of the range, versatility and power of black actors with a season of films and events taking place in venues across Bristol dedicated to some of the most magnetic performances ever to grace the cinema screen.

Brought to you by Come The Revolution, Black Star in Bristol looks at the music biopic with late night screenings accompanied by events in the Café/Bar. Plus take a look at stars under the radar with early performances from actors who would go on to become stars, alongside reissues of classic films and special events at partner venues Colston Hall and the Trinity Centre. See what's in store below...


Black Star programme

Previous Screenings & Events in this programme

Dreamgirls

classified 12A Stars Become Stars
Dream Girls
Please note: This was screened in Oct 2016
Film + Event

Established soulstress Beyoncé and Oscar®-winning newcomer Jennifer Hudson fight it out for lead vocals in this all-star diva-thon based on the award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. Followed by live music from some of Bristol's most talented R&B singers.

Dreamgirls Party: Soul Sister No.1
Please note: This event took place in Oct 2016
Event

To celebrate the start of Black Star let's get in the Motown mood with this special Dreamgirls after party featuring some fierce female voices from Bristol.

Black Lives on Film

classified 15
Black Lives on Film
Please note: This was screened in Oct 2016
Film + Talk + Event

Do you want to see more stories on the big screen about the reality of being young and black? Join us for a celebration of emerging black British talent at this showcase of shorts, panel discussion and networking event.

The Wiz + Disco

classified U
The Wiz
Please note: This was screened in Oct 2016
Film + Event

We invite all the family to ease on down the yellow brick road with this special screening of The Wiz, the beloved Motown musical version (starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson) of Dorothy's journey to the wonderful world of Oz. Followed by a free disco!

Bird

classified 15 Stars Become Stars
Bird
Please note: This was screened in Oct 2016
Film + Event

Forest Whitaker gives a tour de force performance as jazz visionary Charlie "Bird" Parker, bringing out all the triumphs and tragic dimensions of the saxophonist's life to the screen from the agony of addiction to the ecstacy of music-driven redemption.

The Fabulous Nicholas Brothers
Please note: This event took place in Nov 2016
Event

Bruce Goldstein presents a unique compilation tribute to the Nicholas Brothers, featuring a collage of rarely seen home movies, photographs and film clips.

Straight Outta Compton

classified 15 Stars Become Stars
Straight Outta Compton
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film + Event

The streets in 1980s Compton were some of the most dangerous in America. When five young men (including Dr. Dre, Easy E and Ice Cube) translated their experiences into rebellious rhymes, they put their anger into the most powerful weapon they had: their music.

Jackie Brown

classified 15 Stars Under The Radar
Jackie Brown
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

Blaxploitation Queen Pam Grier stars as an air hostess who hatches a plan to outwit both the police and her criminal cohorts in Quentin Tarantino's postmodern classic.

Stormy Weather

classified U
Stormy Weather
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

A complete joy from start to finish Stormy Weather brilliantly showcases the dazzling, show-stopping numbers of the black, self-taught entertainers, the fabulous Nicholas Brothers.

Boyz N The Hood

classified 15
Boyz in the Hood
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

Remarkably, John Singleton was only 23 years old when he wrote and directed what is now recognised as a seminal title, a brutally candid portrait of the realities of LA street life starring Cuba Gooding Jr and Ice Cube.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

classified 15 Stars Under The Radar
Ghost Dog
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

Jim Jarmusch's surreal and stylish hitman tale stars the imposing Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog, a self-taught pigeon-loving samurai hitman who lives by a strict code of honour inspired by ancient Japanese traditions, but finds himself marked for death by the mafia.

To Sir, with Love

classified PG
To Sir With Love
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

Join Norman Jay MBE for this special screening of the Sidney Poitier classic, where his novice teacher faces a class of unruly white working class kids who test him to his limits.

Purple Rain + Jam of the Year at Colston Hall
Please note: This event took place in Nov 2016
Event

Join us for a Colston Hall tribute to the ultimate sexy MF take over, a purple people party with pre-film delights, a screening of 1984 classic Purple Rain, and an after party with a DJ set from the legendary Norman Jay MBE.

Tina: What’s Love Got to Do With It

classified 18 Stars Become Stars
What’s Love Got to Do with it
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film + Event

Tina Turner's story is like the song: river deep, mountain high - a tale of ambition, talent, desire; drugs, violence and despair. This unflinching biopic lets you experience the highs and lows of her life, from church choir girl to her meteoric rise to stardom and turbulent marriage to Ike.

The Color Purple

classified 15 Stars Under The Radar
The Colour Purple
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

Adapted from Alice Walker's celebrated and hard-hitting Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Steven Spielberg's impressive, dignified film was monumental for black stardom, launching the careers of Whoopi Goldberg and a pre-TV-fame Oprah Winfrey.

In the Heat of the Night
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

A redneck sheriff (Rod Steiger) and a black Philadelphia homicide detective (Sidney Poitier) reluctantly team up on a small-town murder investigation in Norman Jewison's Oscar®-winning crime drama.

Jimi: All Is By My Side

classified 15 Stars Become Stars
All Is By My Side
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film + Event

An absorbing, provocative and wholly original portrait of Jimi Hendrix as fledgling legend, John Ridley's (screenwriter of 12 Years A Slave) directorial debut features Outkast's André Benjamin as the supremely gifted young guitarist in the throes of self discovery.

Blue Collar

classified 18 Stars Under The Radar
Blue Collar
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

Richard Pryor is a revelation in a rare dramatic performance as a rabble-rousing union man in Paul Schrader's sharp, insightful look at class, race and male camaraderie in 1970s Detroit.

The Link: A Networking Event For Under 25s
Please note: This event took place in Nov 2016
Event

The Link, Rife Magazine's free networking event for young creative people aged between 16 and 24, is back. And this time, we’re celebrating the BFI Black Star season.

Adulthood

classified 15
Adulthood
Please note: This was screened in Nov 2016
Film

Screenwriter Noel Clarke's sequel to his hit Kidulthood is set six years after that first slice of West London teen turbulence and sees his character Sam attempt to return to normality after serving time for murder.

Black Star Season House Party: Comedy Double Bill at Trinity
Please note: This was screened in Dec 2016
Film

An evening celebrating Black comedy at The Trinity Centre featuring Coming to America, Eddie Murphy's shining moment, and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the directorial debut by trailblazer Keenen Ivory Wayans featuring a young Chris Rock.

Explore Black Star

Posted on Wed 16 Nov 2016 by Roger Griffith
Article

Roger Griffith discusses why Sir Sidney Poitier is one of his all time heroes, and why In The Heat of the Night has both inspired and infuriated him.

Prince
Posted on Fri 11 Nov 2016 by Edson Burton
Article

In the lead up to our Prince night at Colston Hall, Dr Edson Burton talks about why Prince 'is missed now more than ever'...

Ujima Radio
Posted on Thu 27 Oct 2016 by DJ Style
Article

Ujima Radio's DJ Style introduces music inspired by the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton...

Jazlyn Pinckney
Posted on Thu 27 Oct 2016 by Jazlyn Pinckney
Article

Jazlyn Pinckney - who knows a thing or two about championing women in music - presents a cracking playlist inspired by the great Tina Turner...

Adam Murray
Posted on Thu 27 Oct 2016 by Adam Murray
Article

Go on a journey from Hendrix to hip hop as Come The Revolution co-curator Adam Murray introduces a playlist inspired by Hendrix biopic Jimi: All Is By My Side.

Space
Posted on Thu 22 Sept 2016 by Edson Burton
Article

Come The Revolution Curator Edson Burton on the Bristol season, and why we should all - regardless of race or background - learn to embrace our inner Black Star...

Black Star is presented by:

Black Star is presented by

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