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More racism @BFI British Film Institute
Above image: 'Hero' an African Odysseys premiere at BFI Southbank in 2019 went on to be picked up by Amazon Prime, Showtime, Showtime Online and the BBC. These are the type of films African Odysseys curated, promoted and platformed at the BFI until the BFI cancelled it with no public consultation, against all advice from the volunteers who produced the programme and without doing a legally required Race Equality Impact Assessment as recommended by Professor Gus John and 20 other race equality experts HERE
Please note that by getting rid of the co-founder of African Odysseys, David Somerset, (the only person with 20 years of Black film knowledge at the BFI) and by deleting his 48 week job role that enabled the production of African Odysseys films, the BFI not only cancelled the programme but sent a clear message that these types of grassroots-curated films are not wanted there.
The BFI contradicts itself when it says 'we don't want it to end' but destroys the very people and mechanisms which made it exist and goes against the advice of the people they 'wish to work with'.
BFI CEO Ben Roberts comment,' we have not yet been able to agree on a shared approach to managing it', make little sense, when it was the BFI:
- That refused to communicate with the AO Steering Committee for three months under the direct orders of senior manager Stuart Brown
- That has refused to answer these 8 simple questions for more than a year
1. Who is responsible for the restructure?
2. Who decided not to conduct a Race Equality Impact Assessment, and what are their qualifications? When was that decision made?
3. Why does BFI Flare have eight times more staff than African Odysseys?
4. Why has Flare received a BFI-produced trailer annually for 10 years, while African Odysseys has been denied one for 17 years?
5. What is the budget for African Odysseys?
6. What is the racial composition of BFI’s Sight & Sound staff by rank and length of service?
7. Why has Sight & Sound excluded African Odysseys for 17 years despite its significance?
8. Was ‘What If’ informed about the Steering Committee the 2020 and 2023 complaints of racial discrimination to CEO Ben Roberts when they were involved with diversity training of BFI staff?
- It was the BFI under Stuart Brown and executive manager Jason Wood that after finally agreeing to a meeting then said they could only spare one hour to discuss the petition and issues of racism dating back five years.
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It was the BFI on orders of Stuart Brown and Jason Wood that cancelled that meeting two hours before it was due to start on 17 January. Details HERE
- It was the BFI that then also refused a further meeting on 24th January offered by the Steering Committee despite the disrespect and unprofessional cancellation of the 17th.
Therefore, bearing all of the above in mind, how can BFI CEO Ben Roberts tell the general public that the BFI ‘ has been unable to agree a way forward' when it is the BFI that repeatedly refused to talk to, meet or even answer basic questions about African Odysseys for over a year ?
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