In this article, we will look at recent film industry developments across various parts of Africa. As well as how the UK has responded to this rise, and how it impacts both audiences and filmmakers.

Africa’s Film Boom

Over the past few decades, the film industries of various African countries have become more prominent. Both locally and on the world stage. Nigeria is recognised as being one of the world’s biggest film industries. With reports saying production numbers are around 2500 films a year. Senegal has seen a revival in international cinematic attention thanks to the work of filmmakers like Mati Diop. Ghana is seeing around 600 films completed each year. Other countries, like South Africa, have thriving film production sectors, while Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and more have their own unique cinematic footprint. Producing hundreds of local films a year. UNESCO said in 2022 that filmmaking accounts for around $5 billion of GDP across the continent.

The cinema of various African countries has also been prominently spotlighted to English-speaking audiences, thanks to things like Netflix’s investment in and distribution of films from across the continent, high-profile companies like A24 providing distribution deals for certain releases and big film festivals giving space for the work of African filmmakers from various countries. So with so many films being made and so much attention being paid to the continent’s films, why is it still hard for UK audiences to see them?

The UK & African Film

Around 2.9% of the UK population identifies as African in some way. International cinema has also continued to prove itself at the UK box office in recent years. It therefore seems odd that more stories made by various African countries are not widely screened across the country. Additionally, although films made across Africa have a presence on UK streaming sites, the selection is often limited. Popular services like BBC iPlayer, All4 and ITVX either make titles hard to find or have little to no titles at all. 

Critics have noted that the reason for this is the entrenched racism of Western film industries. As seen in the UK, this can manifest in many ways. Some distributors won’t show films produced in Africa at all, whether conscious or not, the result is the same. Exhibitors can also limit screenings of African films to only a few titles. Contributing to a flattened image of Africa rather than showcasing the continent’s diversity. Additionally, many distributors often select films that play well to a global audience to maximise profit. Meaning cultural specificity is lost. This can also result in filmmakers reducing a film’s cultural identity to appeal to distributors.

All this results in a limited number of films made throughout Africa reaching potential audiences in the UK. This leads to African filmmakers and diaspora audiences being isolated from the industry, with filmmakers not allowed to assert their identity as part of the global community, and diaspora audiences are unable to connect with stories related to their culture and history. To say nothing of the harm that can arise when cultures are misunderstood and misrepresented.

More Must Be Done 

Considering that, according to people like Carmen Thompson of Aya Films, “the demand is definitely there and the content is being made,” more needs to be done to pressure distributors and exhibitors to show films made in Africa to diaspora audiences in the UK.

However, if this era of rising awareness has taught us anything, it’s that media corporations and UK exhibition structures can’t be trusted to make this change on their own. To ensure fairer showcasing of films made in Africa, cooperation rather than profit needs to be the central motivating factor. Many community-led initiatives have been bringing films from Africa to the diaspora and beyond for years. Support for these initiatives and new ones that prioritise the development and distribution of African films must be intensified to showcase the reach these films have. At the same time, power must be kept with the filmmakers to allow their stories to be told how they want.

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Similar to Liu Jian’s creation, young artist Hong Ning also used animation to express his humanistic concern for social change and sustainable development. Whilst Hong Ning’s expression is more radical and unconventional, showing the vitality and innovation of the young generation, and constantly pushing the boundaries of art.

One of the most striking aspects of Hong’s work is his use of experimental visual effects to explore ideas and emotions. Inspired by another experimental animation artist Lei Lei, whose featured film had also been selected by Berlinale in 2019, Hong likes to play with various media formats from retro and hand-painted animations to photos and collages.

His short film Does Not Consider was recorded in Changchun, China, the city was hit by a sandstorm on May 6, 2017. The dust and sand were greeted by the strong wind, and the streets were sparse with almost no pedestrians or vehicles except for the roadside sanitation worker who continued to work as usual. The filmmaker travelled through this mirage-like submerged, dark yellow corner of the city. He made Some of the images filtered and masked in bold, vivid colours through elliptical frame patterns. While the shouting pictures are moving in and out, the surreal and dreamlike images challenge the audience to identify the real world after a natural disaster. It is hard to recognize those images in their original colours because the reality and the surreal were blended into one at this point. By using animation as a medium, Hong Ning creates visually stunning worlds that capture the complexity of the environment and conveys his message in a way that is both beautiful and thought-provoking.

Despite the use of exaggerated visual effects, what I really love about Hong’s works is his spontaneity in creation. “At that time (when the sandstorm hit Changchun), I just put on a scarf and a mask, and then took a camera and ran all over the street to shoot. That was very impromptu work and a response to the environment at that time.” Hong revealed his unintentional shooting experience in a recent interview with UCFC.

Most of Hong’s creations come from his unique observation of every day minutiae. In “The New World: Variations on Stay-home Activities”, he found joy in exploring people’s ways to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic through online short videos. He made a collage of short videos about people’s indoor activities after frame-by-frame keying, depicting a common state of mind of people in times of crisis. In Autumn, Spring and Summer, Hong seeks to get a glimpse of the relationship between human beings and the development of media through photographs, from black and white photos to photobooth pictures to camera filters and metaverse avatars. He explores the expressions of the same self at different time stages on personal and trendy aesthetic tastes, further questioning the development of self-image in future photographs.

Hong’s cutting-edge observation and expression of our relationship with the surrounding environment have proven sustainability is never a boring topic. For the younger generation, reflection on sustainable development is not necessarily to be a long, powerful speech, a photo, a clip of a short video or an animation can do the same but with more interesting expression. When asked about the meaning of ‘global sustainability’, Hong responded, “For me, the word ‘global sustainability’ is very big, and I can’t find an accurate way to explain this concept. What I understand by it is that we need to develop for the long term. I guess it is like art creation, we can choose to create on a whim, but we can also choose to create for a lifetime.”

The Hong Ning Collection (The New World: Variations on Stay-home Activities; Autumn, Spring and Summer; Does Not Consider) had its recent appearance in Odyssey 2023, as part of its pre-festival programme. The annual film festival will launch officially in May.

About Hong Ning

Hong Ning was born in 1996 in Shandong. He graduated from Jilin Animation Institute with a B.F.A. in Animation studies in 2018. Focusing on experimental film, he is a young artist and a member of Building 23. His work was shortlisted in the 45th Annecy International Animation Film Festival, WTF2021 – Midnight Special.

About Odyssey 2023

Presented by UK-China Film Collab, Odyssey is an annual film festival in the UK in conversation with Greater China and overseas Chinese communities. The festival features 60+ films, 10 discussion panels and exclusive Q&As.

Festival Date: May – June 2023

Format: Offline in Person and Online via Shift 72

Instagram & Twitter: @odysseyccs

For Media Enquiry Please Contact

Odyssey PR Team: odysseypr@ukchinafilm.uk

Also Read: A.I Generated Art & Movies: A Collision Course

Your contribution to Big Picture Film Club will allow us to continue to produce content. No matter the amount your contributions are greatly appreciated.

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In this article we will outline the recent news concerning the potential future of TV shows made in Britain, and what it could mean.

Britain, Britain, Britain

John Whittingdale, Minister For Media And Data, spoke at the Royal Television Society a few weeks ago. In his speech, he mentioned the drafting of an upcoming white paper. This paper will require UK Public Service Broadcasters to, by law, produce “iconic” shows that are distinctly British and reflect British values. To accomplish this Ofcom (the UK’s TV regulatory body) will be making guidance for what a show would need to qualify as “British”. But Whittingdale stated Derry Girls, Fleabag, Gogglebox, The Great British Bake Off, Line of Duty, Dad’s Army, Blackadder Goes Forth, Coronation Street, Eastenders, and Only Fools and Horses would all qualify.

A House of Cards

Some may view this news as a way of bringing attention to home-grown talent. With PSBs forced to look towards talent within Britain, there’s theoretically more room for the recognition of creatives from different backgrounds. And there’s a chance for UK residents to see content that feels more applicable to them. However, this proposal begs the question, what defines a “British” show?

For example, is something only British when it’s set in the UK? That excludes international documentaries (Planet Earth); holiday (Benidorm), and war (Black Adder Goes Forth) stories made by UK talent. There are also calls for the locations in these productions to be more recognisably British. But what about different representations of how artists see the UK? E.g. the surreal, the horrific, the minimalist. Must a show act as a tourist promotion to be called British? That seems forced. 

Should productions adhere to certain cultural principles? The proposal’s guidance says that programmes should reflect British values. These include democracy, individual liberty, rule of law, and mutual respect and tolerance for different faiths and beliefs. But many beloved British shows arguably don’t adhere to these values. Only Fools and Horses follows the Trotters running a business that often sells stolen goods. The original House of Cards is fundamentally critical of our democratic system. Derry Girls frequently uses disrespectful language towards protestants and the British. And surely the advocation for individual liberty must allow art to be critical of so-called “national values”?

The press release also speaks of international investments and casts potentially negatively affecting Britain’s “Brand”. Implying PSB’s should only produce content with casts and ideas that promote a “British” image, which feels unnecessarily restrictive. And invites divisive, and dangerous discussions over what and who counts as “British”.

Goodness Gracious Me

And, of course, this announcement hasn’t come out in a vacuum. It’s hard to ignore that few of the shows Whittingdale mentioned have a lead cast member from a minority background. Nor do many feature LGBTQ+ perspectives.

This initiative to produce British shows which, displays little regard for anyone other than straight, cisgender, white people, propagandizes British values like respecting the rule of law, and demonstrates dismissive attitudes towards international casts and productions in favour of an idea of “Distinct Britishness” only does three things. It uses patriotic sentiment to drown out potential artistic criticism of issues like discrimination and systemic abuse of power. It alienates marginalized groups by implicitly saying they aren’t really “British”. And, intentionally or not, says that other cultures are less worthy of consideration in our art.

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

Making it law for PSBs to solely make “British” shows while discouraging international cooperation and vision has the danger to be jingoistic and discriminatory if “Britishness” is too narrowly defined. The little consideration given to works made by and starring minority groups is potentially alienating. And this law also seems like a way to silence artistic criticism of UK institutions.

But ultimately, art doesn’t exist just to flatter us. It also critiques us and shows how we can improve. And if we restrict art to show only the familiar, instead of expanding our horizons nothing will ever change.

Also Read: Brexit: How Will It Affect The UK Film Industry?

Your contribution to Big Picture Film Club will allow us to continue to produce content. No matter the amount your contributions are greatly appreciated.

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Since Parasite became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture (at the Oscars), many have asked if this marks the beginning of more prominence for international films in English-speaking territories?

Well, today we’re going to look at the performance of international films in the UK. Looking at the number of non-English language films that get released in the UK, their box office takings, the factors that affect this and how Parasite’s recent triumph could impact the industry in the future.

2018 Foreign Language Release Numbers

Recent BFI statistics show that 331 films released in 2018 were entirely in a foreign language. This marked a decrease from the 349 entirely foreign language releases in 2017. But international releases still accounted for 43% of UK releases overall. And the number of different languages represented in UK cinemas increased. From 38 languages other than English in 2017 to 44 in 2018.

The Box Office Numbers

Foreign-language releases in 2018 made £30 million at the box office. The joint highest taking (2016 taking the same amount) since 2010.

Many high grossing international films have a dedicated audience in the UK. E.g. The UK has a big Bollywood audience with the highest-grossing foreign-language film of 2018 was Padmaava. A Hindi film which, according to the BFI, grossed £2.2 million (across 137 cinemas). The UK also has a big Polish community (it is the most common non-native language in England and Wales). So films like Clergy made £1.3 million (shown at 237 cinemas), and Cold War made £1.1 million (shown in 79 cinemas).

However, many of the other best-performing films had a great amount of exposure from film festivals and awards ceremonies. Which helped gain more interest from broader English speaking audiences. For example, Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or and earned £0.7 million across 43 cinemas. Making it the second-highest-grossing foreign-language film not in Polish or Hindi. And A Fantastic Woman won Best Foreign-Language Film at the 2018 Oscars helping it to earn £0.4 million across 38 cinemas.

The Success of Parasite

Parasite received several accolades prior to its UK release. These included the Palme d’Or, the BAFTA for best screenplay and best foreign-language film and many more. But since its Oscar win Parasite has become the third highest-grossing non-English language film at the UK box office. Earning a total of £5.1 million. Only beaten out by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (£9.4 million) and Passion of the Christ (£11.1 million). And it increased its cinema presence, from 137 screens to 428. Showing that the prestige of the award helped to further advertise the film to English speaking audiences. And convinced more theatres to show it.

This historic victory also coincides with a recent growing demand for international content. According to Curzon CEO Philip Knatchbull, the rise of non-English content on TV and streaming services like Netflix has helped to change attitudes towards foreign language products. Showing that there are audiences craving foreign language content and that there is a possibility for a new generation of English speakers to emerge who become accustomed to and more appreciative of world cinema.

What does this mean?

Parasite has proven that something has changed in the zeitgeist. Foreign language films usually struggle at the UK box office. Largely due to a perceived lack of interest from larger audiences. However, Parasite‘s Oscar win proves that foreign-language films are more accessible than ever. And are capable of captivating and performing well with English speaking cinema audiences when given the chance and the marketing.

Hopefully, Parasite‘s success coupled with the emergence of modern audiences more appreciative of foreign content, and the big awards ceremonies providing publicity for non-English language films means that bigger British audiences will soon be watching the wide variety of international films available at the cinema. And that more marketing; showcasing opportunities will be available for these films to reach larger audiences. Which is important.

More box office earnings mean more languages and cultures will be represented at the cinema. And exposure to foreign cinema helps us to discover great stories, new methods of storytelling and it allows us to learn more about and empathize with other cultures, traditions and ways of life. And that’s always a good thing.

Also Read: Parasite Director Once Described The Oscars As “Very Local” – Does He Have a Point?

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It’s not been a bad year for the UK box office. With the total takings of 2019s top 10 highest grosser’s (at time of writing) being approximately £388,967,274 (according to Box Office Mojo and google money converter).

So today we are going to look at how the top 10 currently stands. Which movies have earned the most in the UK so far? And what have critics and audiences had to say about them?

10. The Secret Life of Pets 2 – £19,570,258

The latest offering from Illumination managed to rake in the box office, despite a rather lukewarm reception.

Audience Thoughts: 90% – Rotten tomatoes / 6.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “A sequel that feels less necessary than willed into being, but that doesn’t mean it’s not pleasantly entertaining.”

9. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – £21,219,615

While the concluding How to Train Your Dragon movie wasn’t as successful as its predecessors at the box office, it continued to impress both audiences and critics in equal measure.

Audience Thoughts: 87% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Who would have thought that DreamWorks’ “How To Train Your Dragon” would end up as one of the best film trilogies out there?”

8. Rocketman – £23,572,360

The Elton John biopic followed in the footsteps of last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody and became a smash hit across the UK.

Audience Thoughts: 88% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.6 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Rocketman is an honest, heartfelt tribute to Elton John’s music and his public image.”

7. Dumbo (2019) – £26,964,177

The first of Disney’s live-action remakes this year, left an odd taste in the mouths of cinemagoers. As despite its high takings, no one really seemed overly enthused about it.

Audience Thoughts: 51% – Rotten Tomatoes / 6.4 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “The problem with this latest entry in Disney’s ever-expanding range of recycled classics isn’t that it hews too close to the studio’s original animated masterpiece, but that its many departures only muddle the original’s nursery-rhyme simplicity”

6. Spider-Man: Far From Home – £31,524,501

The most recent film in the ever dominant MCU, like many of its predecessors, deftly managed to please both audiences and critics.

Audience thoughts: 95% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.9 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “It’s not quite the home-run of Homecoming, but Far From Home isn’t far from matching it, with heaps of humour, energetic action, and the answers Endgame left you craving.”

5. Aladdin (2019) – £37,496,448

Back with Disney’s live-action remakes, unlike Dumbo, Aladdin did manage to please audiences, critics however were very mixed.

Audience Thoughts: 94% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.4 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Another lavish and largely entertaining Disney re-do, with strong turns from Massoud and Scott. But…Smith’s genie performance feels disappointingly constrained — both by overdependence on the original and some ghastly CGI.”

4. The Lion King (2019) – £37,816,339

The latest Disney remake has, in only 2 weeks, already proven to be Disney’s most successful solo developed project in the UK. It also managed to capture the love of the general public. But critics have been less kind to this effort:

Audience Thoughts:  88% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.2 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Unfolding like the world’s longest and least convincing deepfake, the new “Lion King” fatally misunderstands what once made Disney special.”

3. Captain Marvel – £42,632,688

Despite its divided reception by both audiences and critics, Captain Marvel continued to prove the power of the MCU’s marquee value.

Audience Thoughts: 55% – Rotten Tomatoes / 7.0 – IMDb

Critics Thoughts: “Captain Marvel is … a solid enough movie, but it suffers from an overbearing need for its agenda to be pushed – had it been handled with a little more care, it could have been fantastic.”

2. Toy Story 4 – £53,611,537

9 years after Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4 finally made it to cinemas. It continued the high standards set by the original Toy Story films, opening to almost unanimous praise across the board.

Audience Thoughts:  94% on Rotten Tomatoes / 8.2 – IMDb (#170 on IMDb’s top 250 films)

Critics Thoughts: “This franchise has demonstrated an impressive ability to beat the odds and reinvent itself…It’s a toy store of ideas, with new wonders in every aisle.”

1. Avengers: Endgame – £94,559,351

Lastly, we come to the highest-grossing movie of the year (and of all time). After over a decade of build-up, the MCU finally culminated with a fond farewell that pleased almost everyone.

Audience Thoughts: 91% – Rotten Tomatoes / 8.7 – IMDb (#24 0n IMDb’s top 250 films).

Critics Thoughts: “Avengers: Endgame is all that you hope it’ll be and a bag of chips. The Russo brothers hit all the right notes from start to finish, and the ending in particular is thoroughly satisfying.”

So ends the UK box office top 10 of the year so far. And with big releases like IT: Chapter 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker coming up, this year’s top 10 may even beat last year’s top 10 gross (approximately £523,006,040). We’ll just have to wait and see.

Also Read: What’s Next For Disney?

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Big Picture Film Club held a screening of psychological-thriller, Mile End , earlier this month. We had a brief Q&A with the film’s writer, director and creative architect, Graham Higgins.

Big Picture Film Club: What inspired you to create MILE END?

Graham Higgins: The idea for MILE END was inspired by real events when a jogger tried to high five me in the street and it started me thinking, what could have happened if I’d got to know him? I go running by the river in Limehouse, in east London where I live. I find that running is very liberating. It frees up your subconscious. So as I was running, this story which is very psychological would just come to me, and I would rush home and write it all down.

BPFC: Not to give too much of the plot away, but MILE END plays on the duality of the main character – what inspired this direction?

Graham: That’s the main question at the heart of the film – the enigma about the parallel lives of the two main characters. These two unemployed guys meet by chance while they’re out running and they become running mates. And they develop a bond, which is quite strange.

Many of us will have experienced that uncanny feeling when someone says something, the same thing we have just been thinking ourselves, and it’s curious how people can have the same thoughts at the same time. You could say it’s coincidence, but perhaps there is something else going on – something spiritual or an affinity between us that we don’t really understand.

During the story, three people are killed in strange circumstances and the film poses the enigma: what happened to them? The answer lies somewhere in the psychology of these two guys, and it’s up to the audience to decide what has happened.

BPFC: What aspect of the film do you think would surprise anyone who sees it?

Graham: MILE END is unique in that it’s my very personal take on what I call the ‘stranger danger’ thriller. People will be familiar with the genre from movies like ‘Single White Female’ where an innocent person meets a dubious stranger. But I’ve given it my own slant, which is to create a story that is deliberately ambiguous. People do find it refreshing that the film keeps them guessing and enjoy trying to figure out what has happened.

It’s also a very different take on the East End of London. There are no gangsters. It’s about an office worker who lives on the fringes of London’s banking zones, the City and Canary Wharf. He loses his job in the recession and goes running while he’s trying to get back into work.

The cinematography by Anna Valdez Hanks really captures the unique beauty of that washed out London light by the Thames, and also the ominous presence of the banking district of Canary Wharf which looms over east London. The music by Ed Scolding is very clever, you don’t feel like you’ve heard it before. One of the reviewers described the film as “beautiful and unsettling” and audiences have found it surprising that a film can have both those qualities at the same time.

BPFC: What are your plans for MILE END moving forward?

Graham: We’re currently submitting to international festivals, talking to distributors. The film premiered at Raindance where it was nominated for Best UK Feature, which was a great experience, so we’re looking forward to more festival screenings. We plan to have a limited theatrical release in independent cinemas next year and then digital release after that.

BPFC: Do you have any projects in mind for the future?

Graham: I have two other feature scripts I’ve written, set in east London. So the three films will be a loose ‘Limehouse’ trilogy. I’d like to make those over the next few years. I also have a drawer full of ideas for other features and a few books I’d like to adapt.

BPFC: How was the feedback from the film?

Graham: Amazing. Reviews have been really positive, picking up on the financial crisis theme, and also saying how “absorbing” and “compelling” the film is. The central performances by Alex Humes and Mark Arnold have rightly had a lot of praise.

One audience member described the film as “full of charm and darkness”, and I think audiences have really found it intriguing and gripping. It’s what I would call a European-style psychological thriller, and people have definitely come out feeling very affected by it. The suspense really ramps up as you go deeper into the story and you do notice audiences going very quiet as they’re drawn in.

Big Picture Film Club would like to thank Graham Higgins , and the entire cast and crew of Mile End. Look out for future screenings!

Follow Mile End on Twitter: @mileendmovie

Follow Big Picture Film Club on Twitter: @BigPicFilmClub

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