Weekend of Wednesdays engages audiences in the social film (r)evolution

The first Weekend of Wednesdays festival presented debate-generating films at Impact Hub at the end of last week.

A primarily young audience showed interest in London black activism, the portrayal of women and femininity, the refugee crisis captured by the documentaries.

Before the last screening of the first day, curator Paul Stringer spoke to us about how the audience engaged. He also told us what he is taking with him from this edition:

“Lots of thoughts, lots of ideas. It was really nice to actually hear feedback as well, and about things they might want to see and what has worked really well.”

London black activism stands out with Generation Revolution

Rooted in the 2-years-old Yellow Wednesdays film club, the festival stands out by the type of productions it showcases. Such is Generation Revolution, screened on Saturday evening, a documentary following the evolution of 3 organisations of black and brown activists in London.

The feature-length production offers a complex perspective on what motivates these young activists. But it also paints a detailed picture on the difficult decisions they sometimes face.

• Would a radical protest action spread the message better?
• And how radical can their protest be?
• Is physically attacking a police station a necessary radical action, or does it give the wrong idea?

With the film following the activists and their actions for two years, the debate they trigger remains. But so does the awareness they raise by taking actions through helping the homeless by distributing essential packs, and stopping traffic on the motorway with #BlackLivesMatter banners and chants.