Handsworth Songs

In the film essay *Handsworth Songs*, John Akomfrah reflects on the social unrest in Britain. In October 1985, violence erupted in the Handsworth district of Birmingham and in London, resulting in the deaths of an elderly Black woman, Joy Gardner, and a white police officer, Keith Blakelock. Using these events and the British media's failure to engage thoughtfully with the rioters and their motivations as a starting point, Akomfrah challenges the portrayal of the Black population, which is often characterized by fear and pathology. Instead, civil disobedience becomes a key to understanding a hidden history of discontent rooted in the national drama of industrial decline. The “Songs” in the title do not refer to music but rather to the concept of documentary film as a poetic montage, inspired by the pioneering work of John Grierson and Humphrey Jennings. (Anupma Shanker)

**Introduction by Anupma Shanker on November 10, 2024**

Photo: Austrian Film Museum