Black History Month screening of the 1949 South African film African Jim, followed by a participatory discussion led by film curator Mosa Mpetha.
FACT is screening African Jim on Wednesday 28 October, with a discussion to follow. It's the final session of their Black History Month film programme, and it's a rare one: the film is a 1949 South African feature, and it was the first of its kind made specifically for Black audiences. It also went out as Jim Comes to Jo'burg.
The story is a light-hearted look at urban migration, and it's a bit of a time capsule. The African National Congress supported its national release, and it features the screen debut of jazz musician and activist Dolly Rathebe, alongside The African Inkspots and other leading musicians of the time. For that, it's a rare celebration of Black South African music and culture on screen. But it's a complex historical document: the outdated language and a censor-approved script mean it barely acknowledges the racist systems shaping the characters' lives, though moments of resistance and self-expression still break through. The print is a 4K restoration by R3store Studios, funded by the National Gallery of Canada, shown as part of Cinema Rediscovered on Tour—a Watershed project in association with Wiper & True and in collaboration with Park Circus and StudioCanal, supported by the BFI Audience Projects Fund.
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After the screening, film curator Mosa Mpetha leads a participatory discussion, so you'll have a chance to talk through the film and its history with other people in the room rather than just heading home. The whole thing is held in The Box, on the ground floor of FACT, 88 Wood Street, L1 4DQ. Doors open at 18:30 and the screening starts at 19:00, running for 53 minutes. Tickets are £8-10 and booking is required, with £8 for anyone in full-time education, unwaged or over 60.
