Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
Looking for Love
Leading filmmaker Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion) explores intimacy and relationships within Britain’s black community.
Documentary 2015 115 mins
Director: Menelik Shabazz
Overview
Despite modern advances in communication technology, many people face loneliness and depression. This frank documentary from leading filmmaker Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion) combines music and performance with intimate interviews exploring relationships within the UK’s Black British community.
Individuals, groups, psychologists and comedians consider love, sex, intimacy, psychology and forgiveness. With contributions from Dr Umar Johnson, Jackie Holder, Dr Dwight Turner, Susan Quilliam and comedians Kojo, Andi Osho, Eddie Kadi, Slim, Mr Cee, Donna Spence and Glenda Jaxson.
strong sex referencesAccessibility
Related
Documentary
The Monopoly of Violence The Monopoly of Violence
Documentary 2020 89 mins Director: David Dufresne
As anger and resentment grows in the face of social inequalities during the Yellow Vests movement in France, many citizen-led protests are being repressed with ever-increasing police violence.
Gallant Indies Gallant Indies
Documentary 2020 109 mins Director: Philippe Béziat
By bringing together urban dance and opera singing, 30 hip-hop, krump, break, voguing dancers reinvent Jean-Philippe Rameau's baroque masterpiece, Les Indes Galantes.
The Filmmaker's House The Filmmaker's House
Drama-documentary 2020 75 mins Director: Marc Isaacs
Blending documentary with fiction, and a wry humour with emotional intensity, acclaimed filmmaker Marc Isaacs unfolds a story which asks pertinent questions about the nature of filmmaking itself.
Mother Mother
Documentary 2019 82 mins Director: Kristof Bilsen
An intimate and moving exploration of motherhood and the frustrations of being unable to care for the ones we love.
The Story of Lover's Rock The Story of Lover's Rock
Documentary 2011 100 mins Director: Menelik Shabazz
Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion) shines a light on the music genre often dubbed ‘romantic reggae’; a uniquely black British sound that developed in the late 70s and 80s against a backdrop of riots, racial tension and sound systems.
The Hard Stop The Hard Stop
Documentary 2015 86 mins Director: George Amponsah
The story of Mark Duggan, who was shot and killed in Tottenham in 2011, is brought to the screen in this humane, thought-provoking and topical documentary.
African Odysseys
Pili Pili
Drama 2018 81 mins Director: Leanne Welham
An HIV+ mother has a chance to turn her life around when she's offered a market stall, in Leanne Welham's extraordinary drama.
Rafiki Rafiki
Drama 2018 83 mins Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Romantic sparks fly between the daughters of two opposing politicians in Wanuri Kahiu’s neon-bright story of forbidden love in Kenya.
Premature Premature
Drama 2019 90 mins Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Budding writer Ayanna’s life is transformed over the course of one hot Harlem summer, when a handsome and mysterious stranger walks into her life.
Farming Farming
Drama 2018 107 mins Director: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
A fostered Nigerian boy growing up in Essex loses all sense of identity and joins a racist skinhead gang. Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Oz, Lost) directs this powerful drama based on his own, extraordinary upbringing.
The Day Shall Come The Day Shall Come
Comedy 2018 88 mins Director: Christopher Morris
An impoverished Miami preacher is lured into terrorism by the FBI, in the latest explosive satire from comedy genius Chris Morris.
Talking about Trees Talking about Trees
Documentary 2019 94 mins Director: Suhaib Gasmelbari
Beautifully shot documentary about four members of the 'Sudanese Film Club' who decide to revive an old cinema.
Directed by Menelik Shabazz
The Story of Lover's Rock The Story of Lover's Rock
Documentary 2011 100 mins Director: Menelik Shabazz
Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion) shines a light on the music genre often dubbed ‘romantic reggae’; a uniquely black British sound that developed in the late 70s and 80s against a backdrop of riots, racial tension and sound systems.
Burning an Illusion Burning an Illusion
Legal and Courtroom drama 1981 102 mins Director: Menelik Shabazz
Menelik Shabazz’s pioneering first feature traces the emotional and political growth of a young black couple in Thatcher’s London.
New
Embrace of the Serpent Embrace of the Serpent
Action and Adventure 2015 124 mins Director: Ciro Guerra
The spirit of Werner Herzog and Apocalypse Now imbue this majestic Oscar-nominated odyssey through the heart of the Amazon.
Betty Blue Betty Blue
Drama 1986 185 mins Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
Jean-Jacques Beineix’s story of a volatile, highly sexual relationship was one of the most successful French films of the 1980s.
The Epic of Everest The Epic of Everest
Non-Fiction 1924 87 mins Director: J.B.L. Noel
Premiere. A breathtaking and poignant account of the valiant 1924 British assault on the awe-inspiring peak, beautifully restored by the BFI.
Beyond the Horizon Beyond the Horizon
Drama 2019 88 mins Director: Delphine Lehericey
Under the relentless summer sun, Gus’s childhood is coming to an end as the long-awaited thunderstorms sweep across the exhausted countryside, taking a whole world with them in Delphine Lehericey sizzling rural coming-of-age drama.
The Monopoly of Violence The Monopoly of Violence
Documentary 2020 89 mins Director: David Dufresne
As anger and resentment grows in the face of social inequalities during the Yellow Vests movement in France, many citizen-led protests are being repressed with ever-increasing police violence.
Gallant Indies Gallant Indies
Documentary 2020 109 mins Director: Philippe Béziat
By bringing together urban dance and opera singing, 30 hip-hop, krump, break, voguing dancers reinvent Jean-Philippe Rameau's baroque masterpiece, Les Indes Galantes.