Happy Soul Festival 2011 brochure 2.4 MB PDF

2011
31 May - 12 June 2011
A celebration of Black and
Minority Ethnic film and arts
exploring wellbeing
All events are FREE!
For information and booking go to
www.happysoulfestival.co.uk
1 | Contents
2
Introduction
3-5 Screenings:
Breathless
Tulisa: My Mum & Me
I am Sindhutai Sapkal (Mee Sindhutai Sapkal)
Rainy Seasons (Fasl-E Baron-Haye Moosemi)
In the Land of the Free
Life Above All
1999
6-8 Events:
How to Respond
The Patient
BeME, Feel Free, Be Free
Healing the Nation
Family Fun & Wellbeing Day
Wellbeing and Feel Good
Fun in the Field - in association with the Tooting Trot
Knocked Out: An Evening with Frank Bruno
Food for Thought ‘The Main Course’
Building Bridges: Remembering our Past to Shape our Future
Happy Soul Youth Awards
An Evening of Iranian Wellbeing
World Music
9
Venues
10
Programme
Introduction | 2
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the fifth Happy Soul
Festival. And what a busy year it’s been. We are now registered as
an independent charity and the festival has expanded into another
London borough this year, which is fantastic! Whilst our structure
may have become more formal our ethos remains the same in that
we aim to engage with Black and Minority Ethnic communities and
promote mental health and wellbeing through film screenings,
the arts and community events.
We’ve come a long way from the one-day pilot event in Sutton in
2007 supported by the South West London and St George’s Mental
Health NHS Trust. This year we’re running a 13-day festival running
across six London boroughs with events and film screenings taking
place in Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, Wandsworth and our
latest addition – Greenwich, in collaboration with Oxleas NHS
Foundation Trust.
The festival team has been hard at work and has put together
a tremendous programme for you including award-winning
international films from Korea, India and Iran as well as films closer
to home. To compliment this we have an action-packed schedule of
London wide community events, some of which will be joined by
celebrities who have their own personal experience of mental health.
It’s set to be a fantastic few weeks, which we hope will build on the
festival’s success in raising awareness and de-stigmatising mental
health issues in Black and Minority Ethnic communities in London.
Remember all our events are FREE so book your place to
guarantee you don’t miss out. We look forward to welcoming you.
Raficq Abdulla
Raficq Abdulla - Chairman of Happy Soul Festival
All festival screenings and events are FREE; but booking
in advance is essential. For bookings visit:
www.happysoulfestival.co.uk
Or call the Festival hotline on: 0208 682 6109
3 | Screenings
Breathless
(18)
Language: Korean with English subtitles.
Director Yang Ik June / with Yang Ik-Joon, KIM Kkobbi and Man-shik
Jeong / 115mins / 2009
After witnessing the deaths of his mother and sister as a child,
Sang-hoon (Yang Ik-June) grew up with rage and hatred towards his
father who was responsible. The shadow of his past dictates
his present. Sang-hoon, now a petty gangster and merciless debt
collector, regularly beats his father who returned home after 15 years in
prison. Although he’s reluctant to become close to them, he often sees
his half sister and young nephew and becomes a father figure to the
young boy. One day, he meets his match in a high school girl, Yeon-hee
(KIM Kkobbi) who is also having a tough life after her mother’s murder
by local gangsters. Her violent younger brother, a high school dropout,
and the former Vietnam veteran father harass her endlessly and treat
her like a slave. Without realizing how their lives may be connected,
Sang-hoon and Yeon-hee share some moments of relief and escape
from the brutal physical and emotional abuse and pain they face
everyday. Slowly Sang-hoon discovers that perhaps he can too change
and affect the lives of those around him.
Winner of 13 awards at international film festivals.
(Contains strong language and some scenes of graphic violence).
Screening followed by Q&A with lead actress KIM Kkobbi
Odeon Kingston, Thursday 2 June, 6.00pm
Tulisa: My Mum & Me
(PG)
Director Rowan Deacon / with Tulisa Contostaylos / 60 mins /2010
A documentary originally screened on BBC3. Tulisa Contostavlos
is best known for being the girl in the chart topping pop band
N-Dubz, but she is also a carer for her mum who has suffered from
a mental illness since before Tulisa was born. In this personal,
authored documentary, Tulisa finds out what life is like for some of
the 80,000 other young people in Britain caring for a parent with
mental health problems. Drawing on her own experiences, which
included seeing her mum forcibly sectioned in psychiatric care
when she was five years old, Tulisa explores the day-to-day
realities of caring for a mentally ill parent and finds that the effects
can be overwhelming and often endured with little outside support.
She discovers that there is help available, notably young carers
groups where people can meet others in the same boat. Tulisa also
looks into the difficult topic of heredity, asking whether her own
hectic rock-star lifestyle is putting her at risk of developing an
illness like her Mum's.
Empire Sutton, Saturday 4 June, 10.00am (BSL signed)
Screenings | 4
I am Sindhutai Sapkal (Mee Sindhutai Sapkal)
(U)
Language: Marathi with English subtitles.
Director Ananth Mahadevan / with Tejaswini Pandit, Jyoti
Chandekar, Upendra Limaye, Neena Kulkarni / 110mins / 2010
A moving and inspirational film biopic of Sindhutai Sapkal ‘The Mother
of Orphans’ who grew up in a poor family in 1950s rural Maharashtra.
Forced into an arranged marriage aged only 12, and denied an
education, she is the family minion at her in-laws and is routinely
beaten when she tries to read. Aged 23 and pregnant with her third
child she is falsely accused of adultery and thrown out of her home.
Abandoned by all, this touching story tells of Sapkal’s determination to
turn her life around and fight for the rights of impoverished women and
children. To date Sapkal has built three ashrams, educating two
thousand children and sheltering one thousand orphans becoming the
saintly woman known to millions as Maa or Mother.
Odeon Wimbledon, Sunday 5 June, 4.00pm
Rainy Seasons (Fasl-E Baron-Haye Moosemi)
(PG)
Language: Farsi with English subtitles.
Director Majid Barzegar / with Navid Layeghi Moghadam, Marzieh
Khoshtarash, Alireza Bagheri, Mehran Khodaie / 86 mins / 2010
This acclaimed feature debut tells the story of Sina, a 16-year-old boy
from Tehran, as he deals with his parents divorce and copes with his
own issues. Yet, behind his cool exterior is a frightened teenager with a
secret he can’t ignore. The only person he is able to confide in is Nahid,
a young woman secretly staying at his flat whilst studying and looking
for a job. As his predicament unfolds his friendship with Nahid deepens
and Sina has to make some brave decisions. A compelling coming of
age story, set in the rarely seen world of Iranian middle class youth, this
is a gritty urban drama of modern teenage life in Tehran today.
Odeon Richmond, Monday 6 June, 6.00pm
In the Land of the Free
(15)
Director Vadim Jean / with Daniel Bee, Robert King / 84 mins / 2010
Tells the shocking story of Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox and Robert
King, three black men who have spent a combined century in solitary
confinement in Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Targeted by
prison officials for being members of the Black Panther Party and for
speaking out against the inhumane treatment and racial segregation in
the prison, King spent more than thirty years in solitary confinement and
was released in 2001. Woodford and Wallace convicted in the highly
contested death of a white prison guard, remain in Angola where they
have spent over thirty six years in solitary confinement. How can this
be? Made aware of their plight, Congressman John Conyers, Chairman
of the House Judiciary Committee, visited Wallace and Woodfox in
prison in March 2008. This documentary tells the ongoing story of the
case of these three extraordinary men. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson
Screening followed by Q&A with Director Vadim Jean
Odeon Streatham, Tuesday 7 June, 6.00pm
5 | Screenings
Life Above All
(PG)
Director Oliver Schmitz / with Khomotso Manyaka, Lerato
Mvelase, Harriet Manamela, Keaobaka Makanyane and Aubrey
Poolo / 100 mins / 2010
A powerful adaptation of Allan Stratton's bestselling novel Chanda's
Secrets, Life Above All is a highly engaging drama about a
courageous young girl fighting prejudice in her South African
village. The spread of HIV/AIDS appears to be ravaging Chanda’s
South African township even though no one will speak the actual
words. 12-year-old Chanda is burdened with a drunken, good-fornothing stepfather and a loving but gravely ill mother. Following the
death of her newborn sister, Chanda is forced to grow up fast, as
gossip and rumours threaten the survival of the family and the
community begins to act in ways that are small-minded and
judgmental rather than close-knit and supportive. An emotional,
universal drama about a young girl fighting against the fear and
shame that have poisoned her community.
Cineworld Wandsworth, Saturday 11 June, 4.00pm
(BSL signed)
1999
(PG)
UK Premier
Language: Tamil with English subtitles.
Director Lenin.M.Sivam / with Suthan Mahalingam, Luxi, Thelepan
Somasegaram, Kaandee Kana and Ampalavanar Ketheeswaran /
98 mins / 2009
Inspired by real-life events, a fatal gang shooting on a quiet
suburban street in Canada sets into motion a chain of events that
changes the lives of three young men forever. Anpu is an intelligent
but isolated underachiever whose strained relationship with his
strict disciplinarian father forces him to seek out a sense of
belonging in all the wrong places. Kumar is a charismatic gang
leader desperate to break free from the cycle of violence and code
of honour that hold his crew together for the sake of his younger
brother. Far removed from this world is the ambitious university
student Ahilan who, having overcome enormous hardship, is on the
cusp of realising his biggest dreams. Bearing the unseen scars of
Sri Lanka’s devastating civil war, their worlds collide one fateful
Saturday that begins like any other day. Based on extensive
research with youth workers and reformed gang members, the film
delves into the myriad of challenges facing immigrant Tamil youth.
Odeon Kingston, Saturday 11 June, 6.00pm
Events | 6
How to Respond
A close family member tells you they are not well...How do you
respond? This question along with other themes around wellbeing will
be explored at this opening event in Greenwich. Celebrating Black and
Asian culture through film and arts, the free event promises to be a
great day out for all the family and includes film screenings of Good
Hair and Open Secrets, delicious food, complementary therapies,
music, live performances, a disco and a special celebrity guest.
Charlton House, Tuesday 31 May, 1.30pm – 9.00pm (BSL signed)
The Patient
Directed by Fraser Ayers, Writer Olusegun Akingbola in association with
TriForce Promotions
Somewhere off the coast of England a patient who has been convicted
of killing his wife and child is being treated in a secure psychiatric unit. A
doctor and patient unravel a harrowing history and shocking truth that
unites them forever. A modern, psychological drama that deals with
identity.
Lost Theatre, Wednesday 1 June, 7.00pm
BeME, Feel Free, Be Free
Sutton BeME project invites you to a fun-filled afternoon with performances from Ambition dance troupe, free belly dance and street dance
workshops plus a guest performance from Turbo, finalist from Sky 1
Got to Dance and much much more. The event will be hosted by
ex-Grange Hill star Zammo aka Lee MacDonald and will finish with a
disco hosted by DJ Smoothy.
Holiday Inn, Thursday 2 June, 4.00pm – 10.00pm
Healing the Nation
Fanon Resource Centre Merton welcomes you to get involved in
‘Healing the Nation’, an event aimed at strengthening our youth to
move forward, cultivating our future fruit. This is an interactive evening
of dance, film, workshops, stalls and Caribbean cuisine which will
develop your knowledge around wellbeing issues. Throughout the
evening participants will have the opportunity to create their own radio
jingle and showcase their talents. Guest performance from urban
music artist Rax.
The Hub, Friday 3 June, 5.00pm – 9.00pm
Family Fun & Wellbeing Day
The Ham Multi-Cultural Women's Group, invite you to a fun-filled day
of activity around mental wellbeing addressing the needs of women
and children from BME communities in and around the Ham area of
Richmond. Activities include yoga, massage and henna for the ladies
and arts & crafts and music for the children. There will also be field
games outside including football and an ice-cream van for that extra
little treat!
Ham Youth Club, Saturday 4 June, 3.30pm – 7.00pm
7 | Events
Wellbeing and Feel Good
Merton BME Forum in partnership with Merton Unity Network, Merton
Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Group (MSCTG) and Ethnic Minority
Centre invite you to join them for an afternoon of entertainment,
including Asian and Tamil dance, education and summer fun, exploring
health and well-being from adolescence to adulthood. Come along and
join in the fun!
Vestry Hall, Saturday 4 June, 4.00pm – 7.00pm
Fun in the Field - in association with the Tooting Trot
For those of you who fancy a leisurely afternoon come and enjoy some
festival fun. Community Inspirations and the Central London Golf Club
invite you to join them for a FREE golf taster session and partake in the
5-a-side football tournament. The club house will be screening a selection
of the Happy Soul Youth Award films and other award winning shorts and
there will be a special appearance from a surprise celebrity guest!
For registration for the 5-a-side football tournament visit
www.happysoulfestival.co.uk spaces are limited so register your team
now!
For information and registration for the Tooting Trot - a family run for both
adults (5km) and children (1km).
See www.thefixevents.com/content/tooting-2011/
Central London Golf Club, Sunday 5 June, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Knocked Out: An Evening with Frank Bruno
Frank Bruno MBE, former boxing Heavyweight champion, is one of
Britain’s most loved celebrities. In this intimate live interview Frank will
talk to Hari Sewell about the very public battle with his mental health.
Tracing his life back from childhood (as a local Wandsworth boy), to
ringside, the world of celebrity and his subsequent battle with bipolar
disorder which resulted in Frank being sectioned in 2003. Now recovered
from his mental health problems, Frank’s incredible story is one of a man
whose spirit is much bigger than his immense physical stature. Book
early to avoid disappointment.
Wandsworth Civic Suite, Monday 6 June, 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Food for Thought 'The Main Course'
An afternoon exploring wellbeing through food with talks and
tastings to stimulate both the mind and taste buds. Come along
and sample free mouth-watering cuisines from around the world.
Take part in the yoga session and watch as a celebrity chef
prepares some healthy options.
Market House, Tuesday 7 June, 1.00pm – 6.00pm
Events | 8
Building Bridges: Remembering our Past to Shape our Future
A Q&A and screening of the powerful documentary Post Traumatic Slave
Syndrome, Dr Joy DeGruy explores the impact of slavery as historical trauma
and the effect this has on the black community today. Dr DeGruy suggests it
is not plausible for Africans to have emerged unscathed from nearly two and
a half centuries of slavery, and looks at the survival adaptations that were
necessary, how these have passed along through the generations and looks
at how racism has manifested itself through poor mental health, physical
health, family and relationship dysfunction, and self-destructive impulses.
The screening is followed by a discussion facilitated by broadcaster and
co-founder of Colourful Radio Henry Bonsu. The panel will also include
broadcaster and comedian Geoff Schumann and Yvonne Coghill, OBE,
Programme Lead of the NHS Breaking Through Programme.
The Grand, Wednesday 8 June, 6.30pm – 10.00pm
Happy Soul Youth Awards
This year Happy Soul Festival has commissioned youth communities to make their own short films in the Boroughs of Wandsworth,
Richmond, Sutton, Merton and Greenwich. These new films explore
young people’s experiences and awareness of mental health. The
films will be screened and judged by a panel of industry professionals and community representatives. Come along and support your
borough. Arinze Kene, who plays Connor in Eastenders, will present
the award to the winning film makers. Kene’s play Little Baby Jesus
will be on 25 May – 15 June at the Oval Theatre
www.ovalhouse.com.
Cineworld Wandsworth, Thursday 9 June, 6.00pm – 9.00pm
An Evening of Iranian Wellbeing
The Iranian Disability Support Association (IDSA) hosts an
evening of activities themed around mental health and wellbeing.
Share and explore Iranian cultural heritage through information,
live music, food and dance.
Duke Street Church, Friday 10 June, 6.00pm – 10.00pm
World Music
Come and join the Happy Soul family as we bring the 2011 Festival
to a close with a variety of music performances showcasing how
faith-based music expands cultures. Performers on the night will
include: Legendary, British songstress Mica Paris, Balham Seventh
Day Adventist Gospel Choir, Rick Clarke, Bhajan Group, and the
Beechcroft Chapel Choir. Bring your dancing shoes.
The Grand, Sunday 12 June, 6.30pm – 11.00pm
9 | Venues
Central London Golf Centre
Burntwood Lane,
SW17 0AT
Cineworld Wandsworth
Southside Shopping Centre,
Wandsworth High Street,
Wandsworth,
SW18 4TF
Charlton House
Charlton Road,
Greenwich
SE7 8RE
Duke St (Evangelical) Church
Duke St,
Richmond,
TW9 1HP
Empire Sutton
St. Nicholas Centre,
St. Nicholas Way,
Sutton,
SM1 1AZ
Ham Youth Club
Ham Close,
Richmond,
TW10 7PL
Holiday Inn
Gibson Road,
Sutton,
SM1 2RF
Market House
Kingston Market Place,
Town Centre,
Kingston Upon Thames,
KT1 1JT
Lost Theatre Company
208 Wandsworth Road
SW8 2JU
Odeon Kingston
The Rotunda,
Clarence Street,
Kingston Upon Thames,
KT1 1QP
Odeon Richmond
72 Hill Street,
Richmond,
Surrey,
TW9 1TW
Odeon Streatham
47-49 Streatham High Road
SW16 1PW
Odeon Wimbledon
The Piazza,
The Broadway,
Wimbledon,
SW19 1QB
The Grand
21-25 St John's Hill,
Clapham Junction,
SW11 1TT
The Hub @ Tooting and Mitcham
Imperial Fields,
Bishopsford Road,
Morden
SM4 6BF
Vestry Hall
336 London Road,
Mitcham,
CR4 3UD
Wandsworth Civic Suite
The Town Hall,
Wandsworth High Street,
SW18 2PU
* Some details may change after
going to print, please check the
website for complete details and
maps for venue locations.
Programme | 10
Date
Time
Screening / Event
Venue
Tuesday 31 May
1.30pm
How to Respond (BSL signed)
Charlton House
Wednesday 1 June
7.00pm
The Patient
Lost Theatre
Thursday 2 June
4.00pm
BeME, Feel Free, Be Free
Holiday Inn
6.00pm
Breathless
Odeon Kingston
Friday 3 June
5.00pm
Healing the Nation
The Hub
Saturday 4 June
10.00am
Tulisa: My Mum & Me (BSL signed)
Empire Sutton
3.30pm
Family Fun & Wellbeing Day
Ham Youth Club
4.00pm
Wellbeing and Feel Good
Vestry Hall
10.00am
Fun in the Field In association with the Tooting Trot
Central London Golf Course
4.00pm
I am Sindhutai Sapkal
(Mee Sindhutai Sapkal)
Odeon Wimbledon
6.00pm
Rainy Seasons
(Fasl-E Baron-Haye Moosemi)
Odeon Richmond
6.00pm
Knocked Out: An Evening with
Frank Bruno
Wandsworth Civic Suite
1.00pm
Food for Thought ‘The Main Course’
Market House
6.00pm
In the Land of the Free
Odeon Streatham
Wednesday 8 June
6.30pm
Building Bridges: Remembering our
Past to Shape our Future
The Grand
Thursday 9 June
6.00pm
Happy Soul Youth Awards
Cineworld Wandsworth
Friday 10 June
6.00pm
An Evening of Iranian Wellbeing
Duke Street Church
Saturday 11 June
4.00pm
Life Above All (BSL signed)
Cineworld Wandsworth
6.00pm
1999
Odeon Kingston
6.30pm
World Music
The Grand
Sunday 5 June
Monday 6 June
Tuesday 7 June
Sunday 12 June
All festival screenings and events are FREE; but booking in advance is
essential. For bookings visit: www.happysoulfestival.co.uk
Or call the Festival hotline on: 0208 682 6109
Sponsers
Wandsworth
Sutton and Merton
Oxleas
NHS Foundation Trust
Partners & Supporters
Media Partner:
Happy Soul Festival Team
Happy Soul Festival Trustees: Chairman-Raficq Abdulla, Director-Stuart Thomson,
Assistant Director-Judie Fairweather, Secretary-Ermias Alemu, Treasurer-Drew McBride.
Happy Soul Festival Core Team: Manager-Sonja Heaslip, Producer-Michelle Crowther,
Event Manager-Denice James, Film Manager-Wade Jacks, PR & Marketing Manager-Jenni Asiama.
Happy Soul Festival Advisors and Steering Group: Anna Sullivan, Helena Sainz de Vicuna,
Peter Byrne, Stephanie Baptist.
Greenwich: Christine Rivers, Debbie Green, Ebony Fernandes, Frederica Joseph, Janice Williamson, Japleen Kaur, Julianna Fredrick, Qaisra Khan.
Kingston: Adrian Davey, Alan Martin, Carol Mulligan, Hannah Doody, Jacqui McCann, Roz
Plowright, Sarvalogeswari Kumarargiah, Sheetal Sirohi, Theresa Pardey.
Merton: Abayeh Savage, Ash Akhtar, David Pinder, Eula Valentine, Harendra Tilley, Helena Byles,
Ian Wint, Patricia Anderson, Raoul Kotian, Sabitri Ray.
Richmond: Mr Ansari, Malvia Kenlock, Lorraine Porter, Lynette Confait, Ajay Mehta.
Sutton: Adele Gregory, Cecile Bowie, Chris Gregory, Shawn Bent.
Wandsworth: Darren Fernandes, Devon Marston, Elicia Mollineau, Farida Osman, Geetha
Maheshwaran, Herjoyt Ubhi, Iran Siddiqui, Joan Morrison, Karina Teeha, Maria Charles, Musa
Razvi, Pastor Delroy Brown, Tanya Matthews.