News Story
Last week Film London was proud to host the London’s Screen Archives Conference at London Museum Docklands.
This year’s conference was centred around ‘Undocumented’, an LSA project which seeks to address the gaps in representation in our film archives in London, delivered in partnership with The New Black Film Collective and supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.
Curated for those in the archive sector, museums and heritage, artists, filmmakers and students interested in heritage, the programme included panels and presentations on the themes of Black home movies, community engagement, decolonising archives, and creative use of archive material.
2024 marks a special year for Film London as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. We’re proud to be celebrating two decades of supporting our capital’s screen industries, talent and culture, and are delighted to be hosting a London’s Screen Archives Conference this year. Documenting our past and present, bringing together communities, inspiring creative works and shaping our future. The power of archive film is undeniable.Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London
We were pleased to welcome our friend, former Film London Board Member and Jarman Award Patron, Sir John Akomfrah RA, who joined Film London CEO Adrian Wootton for a fireside chat to kick off the day.
Sir John Akomfrah RA is a hugely respected artist and filmmaker, whose works are characterised by their investigations into memory, postcolonialism, temporality and aesthetics and often explore the experiences of migrant diasporas globally. Akomfrah was a founding member of the influential Black Audio Film Collective, which started in London in 1982 alongside artists David Lawson and Lina Gopaul, who he still collaborates with today alongside Ashitey Akomfrah as Smoking Dogs Films.
In 2024, Akomfrah presented a new body of work entitled Listening All Night to the Rain in the British Pavilion in Venice, commissioned by the British Council for the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Akomfrah was awarded the Artes Mundi Prize in 2017 and a Knighthood for services to the Arts in the 2023 New Year Honours.
On the topic of using archive material in contemporary works, Akomfrah said:
Everything is made with a promise to the future. Remember, at some point something has been created and at the heart it has a welcoming embrace and it’s meant for you.Sir John Akomfrah RA
Delegates then watched panels on ‘Cultural Sensitivity and Film Archives’, ‘Reinterpretation and Storytelling’ and ‘Where are all the Black home movies’ hosted respectively by BFI’s Arike Oke, Rachel Wang from Chocolate Films and winner of this year’s BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award: June Givanni.
London’s Screen Archives (LSA) is a unique network of fantastic London-based archive collections with a shared vision – to preserve, share and celebrate London’s rich history on film.