City venue selected as one of just three in UK to host film festival

THE ANNUAL Windrush Caribbean Film Festival is back in Newport this year, at The Riverfront Theatre, highlighting the significant and vital contributions of those that emigrated from around the globe to the UK, eventually settling in Wales.

The Windrush Caribbean Film Festival (WCFF) launched online on Thursday, June 13, 2024, but will head to Newport on Friday, June 21, with the theme Transition and Travels – The Journey Continues.

Now in its fifth year the Festival celebrates Black British film-making and the legacy of storytelling from the perspective of those who formed part of the Windrush generation, and their descendants.

Festival co-founder and director, Patricia Hamzahee, said: "Guests will be able to watch a selection of engaging short films and end with Super Sam, an inspiring tribute to 98-year-old Brixtonian Clovis Salmon.”

Riverfront Theatre will host the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival in Newport (Image: File)

The Film Festival will show over 30 films across just three cities, with Newport making the cut along with Birmingham and London.

Viewers are invited to watch online, with a programme of feature, documentary and short films.

The Festival will conclude with a closing ceremony on June 29, where awards will be given for Best Short, Best Feature and Best Film.

Alongside this, two special awards will be handed out: The Paulette Wilson Windrush Justice Award given in memory of the tireless campaigner for justice who confronted the continuing Windrush scandal, and the Menelik Shabazz Award given to an outstanding up-and-coming Black British filmmaker. Adjani Salmon won the inaugural Shabazz award in 2023.

Date and address: Friday, 21 June - Saturday, 22 June @ The Riverfront Theatre in Newport

More details of the Windrush Heritage Project can be found via the Race Council Cymru website here.

Hero: The Extraordinary Life of Mr Ulric Cross (12A) with Q&A

The film "Hero: The Extraordinary Life of Mr Ulric Cross (12A)" will bring in the festivities in Newport, beginning at 7pm on Friday, June 21, at The Riverfront Theatre.

The film Hero: The Extraordinary Life of Mr Ulric Cross (12A) will bring in the festivities. (Image: Canva)

The cinematic experience will detail the story of Ulric Cross, a West Indian lawyer who joined the Pan-African independence movements sweeping the world in the 1960s.

Drawing on events of Mr Cross' life, the film recreates the inner journey of a Caribbean hero.

Organisers have said: "Ultimately, it is about us, about who we are as Caribbean people, and citizens of the world."