Jeff Barnaby: The Art of Forgetfulness

Jeff Barnaby: The Art of Forgetfulness

Cinema Rediscovered 2024

Season

Please note : this season finished in July 2024

“All I can do is show up here everyday and show you my heart and soul” (Jeff Barnaby: Cast and Crew Speech - Blood Quantum)

Jeff Barnaby (1976 – 2022) was an uncompromising Montreal-based multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker. An Indigenous storyteller of First Nations Mi’gmaq descent, his trailblazing work combined elements of Body Horror, Magical Realism and Science Fiction with brutal honesty, humour and grit through the lens of a singularly edgy and unflinching ‘punk-gothic-aesthetic’.

Drawing influence from titans like Cronenberg, Carpenter and Romero, Barnaby brings a new vitality to their activation of genre's satirical and allegorical potential. His commitment to using horror as a ‘gateway drug to better conversations’, results in a body of work that is both culturally specific and universal.

Speaking truth to power in relation to settler colonialism’s pervasive impact upon Indigenous histories, bodies and identities, his films Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013) and Blood Quantum (2019) continue to connect with new audiences, cementing his legacy as one of the most important genre filmmakers of his generation, underseen, and under-celebrated in the UK.

This retrospective of Barnaby’s work is presented by Adam Murray (Bristol Black Horror Club) and Stephen Morgan (University of Bristol) as part of Other Ways of Seeing, with support from BFI Awarding Funds from National Lottery.


Previous screenings in this season

Rhymes for Young Ghouls

classified 18 Jeff Barnaby
Rhymes for Young Ghouls
Please note: This was screened in July 2024
Film

The debut feature from Mi’gmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby, this is a dystopian tale of revenge in mid-1970s Québec.

Jeff Barnaby Shorts

classified 18 Jeff Barnaby
Jeff Barnaby Shorts
Please note: This event took place in July 2024
Shorts package

A rare opportunity to see Jeff Barnaby’s iconic short films on the big screen, followed by a discussion on his life, work and legacy.

Blood Quantum

classified 18 Jeff Barnaby
Blood Quantum
Please note: This was screened in July 2024
Film

When a First Nation community finds itself facing an infectious zombie outbreak, their immunity turns the tables on colonialism as settlers head to the reservation to seek sanctuary.

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