“There’s more to black people than just slavery or emancipation or police brutality.”
Television producer Rob Tavernier talks to Brixton Buzz’s Phil Ross about his selection of short films celebrating black excellence in filmmaking at the South London Theatre.
Arriving at the South London Theatre foyer, we’re approached by tonight’s curator, Rob Tavernier, who takes our temperatures and politely directs us to the sanitiser pump and the test and trace screen.
We take our seats in the auditorium huddled in small groups and couples well spaced from each other in masks. A friendly SLT volunteer takes our drinks orders and returns with them in a milk crate.
Local resident Tavernier takes to the stage as the lights go down. He has racked up 20 years experience in producing and directing for Channel 4, Nickelodeon, Disney and Edemol.
He became involved with the community theatre in West Norwood initially as an actor, before getting involved in productions.
Tonight as part of Black History Month, Rob’s first curation is billed as a selection of shorts celebrating black excellence in the field of filmmaking.
“One of the best things about short film” he tells the audience in his polished introduction, “is that if a film isn’t to your taste, then you know you don’t have to sit for too long.”
He gets a hearty laugh for the quip but he needn’t have worried, the films are all highly engaging, covering perspectives and issues that black people face with humour and gentle gravitas.
[Kara Young in Hair Wolf]
Mandem (2020) written and directed by John Ogunmuyiwa, looks at preconceptions with two young men seemingly defined solely as drug dealers. Hair Wolf (2018) written and directed by Mariama Diallo is a stylish and intelligent horror spoof that portrays white people’s appropriation of black culture in the form of zombie vampires – a Sundance award-winning short film.
Directed by Iain Simpson, the actor of the evening, and a name to watch out for, for me was Khalil Madovi in Holy Beef (2018) – a Dwayne Gumbs story of a grime artist with mumps forced to get his brother, a religious choir singer, to stand in for him.
[Khalil Madovi in Holy Beef]
Tavernier’s selection showcased some excellent writers. In particular Susan Wokoma’s captivating and touching tale of an 11-year-old girl’s attempts to avoid Sunday school, intermixed with her Nigerian mother’s grief over the death of Princess Diana, was outstanding in Love the Sinner (2018) directed by Jennifer Sheridan.
Overall the night was a success, and the £5 entry was great value, however one thing that didn’t quite sit right for me was the SLT’s insertion of a Black Lives Matter logo in the opening frames of the programme.
The next day I ask Tavernier if he felt the insertion of the BLM logo distracted from the theme of black excellence.
He refuses to be critical of the SLT in any way. Diplomatically, he explains, “What I put together was loosely a comedy night. There were serious points but they were conveyed in a fun way. I didn’t want people to go away feeling down or angry, I thought the message would be better put across if people went away on an up, in a good mood.”
“But yes” he agrees, “it’s a form of unconscious bias, it’s easy to conflate one thing with another. There’s more to black people than just slavery or emancipation or police brutality.”
“The night was about representation, about seeing people of colour as writers, directors, producers – seeing people of colour in positions.”
“No one thinks twice about seeing a white astronaut on TV” he continues. “But they see only certain things in the media. I remember as kids, if we saw a black person on television, my sisters and me would shout: mum, dad, come, quick, quick, coloured people on TV!”
He recalls another memory. As a teenager, queuing in a shop in Derby, an old white woman standing next to him said: “There’s a police car outside, so don’t think about grabbing the money from the till.”
Society is moving in the right direction, he insists – but young people shouldn’t be “limited in their imagination…they shouldn’t be constrained by what other people think they are, or should be doing.”
[Susan Wokoma and Whitney O’Nicholas in Love the Sinner]
Returning to the evening’s films, I ask him who deserves a shout for their work. “They’re all excellent,” he laughs “but I particularly loved John’s playful touch with us in Mandem – and how he captured the surly nature of people who run Jamaican takeaway shops”.
“Jennifer got a really good performance from the little girl,” he continues “and her use of colour was excellent”. He’s talking about Jennifer Sheridan’s directing in Love the Sinner and child actor Whitney O’Nicholas.
He gives special mention to Anna Fearon for directing The Muse. “I wanted the female perspective on black queer artists – it creates a new conversation, not the ones we always have, not just the gay male voice”.
“But I don’t represent every black person, I’m just speaking for me, and that’s the way it should be. We’re nuanced and complex just like everybody else, and that’s what I’m hoping this set of films conveyed. I wanted it to make people think and re-think, not just assume.”
Rob can be contacted through the South London Theatre – a community theatre completely run and staffed by volunteers.
To get involved, hire a space or view upcoming events visit: South London Theatre