Film writer Rógan Graham recognized a scarcity of Black British women filmmakers with feature films and initiated the BFI's Black Debutantes season. This program showcases early works by Black women and femme filmmakers, highlighting movies that serve as directorial debuts. Graham emphasizes the significance of familial connections in the stories told, particularly focusing on mother-daughter relationships in archiving these films. Notably, the restoration of Kathleen Collins' work by her daughter illustrates the personal commitment to preserving these vital narratives within Black storytelling.
I started looking at filmographies from this perspective and discovered that some of my favourite films... were directorial debuts. I wanted to celebrate these artists and make people familiar with their work.
In the case of Kathleen Collins, who directed Losing Ground, it was her daughter, Nina Collins, who was safeguarding her archive. It wasn't a film organisation or a library, but her daughter who led the restoration of her films.
Collection
[
|
...
]