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FREE UP
Friday, September 26, 2025 | 10:30 am
Director present
Play isn’t an escape – it’s how you fight back, stitch joy into the cracks, and turn survival into style. Skating, bubbling, strutting, remembering, each act a form of improvisation, a claim to space, a refusal to vanish. From carnival queens to shuttered community centers, this is play as pulse, protest, and possibility.
Event Details
Films
Dancing on Road
Dancing on Road documents and celebrates the Black British female roller-skating community, showcasing its long history and fixture within popular culture. Blurring the boundaries between documentary and music video, this experimental film reveals the expansive network of London’s Black skate scene through two key individuals that share their stories and delve into what this space and their skate crews and mentors provide them. This joyous exploration gives visibility to a subculture that to many outsiders is unknown but is made familiar through its nostalgic lens which pays homage to the sports DIY and music-led roots.
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SCREENINGS
Bubbling baby
Bubbling music is one of the most spirited manifestations of Caribbean-Dutch cultural heritage. The propulsive and highly danceable music symbolises freedom, power and ownership of the diaspora. This vibrant documentary celebrates bubbling’s storied history, tracing the historic and cultural roots of the club music, while exploring the contemporary scene that keeps pushing the envelope.
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SCREENINGS
Miss Honey: the Catsuit
Miss Honey: The Catsuit is the story of how Fashion Designer and Ballroom Icon Douglas Says, created his signature collection of cut-out garments and the origins of Caribbean Artist Moi Renee wearing the catsuit for a televised performance of his hit song, “Miss Honey.” The short is a proof of concept for a feature documentary on Moi Renee, in pre-production.
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SCREENINGS
Smile
“Smile” (shot on a One Plus 6 phone) is a haunting and beautifully crafted stop-motion short film that explores the hidden pain people often mask with a smile. Through striking visuals and without the use of dialogue, the film uses light and shadow to contrast moments of forced joy with the darkness of internal struggle. Each frame is carefully animated to convey emotion, creating a powerful narrative that speaks directly to the heart. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the character’s smile is not a reflection of happiness, but a shield—one that slowly fades as unspoken pain consumes from within. The film reminds us that behind even the brightest expressions, there can be deep suffering. “Smile” is more than just a visual experience; it’s a quiet call for empathy. It urges us to look deeper, to listen more, and to always choose kindness—because everyone is fighting battles that are often invisible to the world.
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SCREENINGS
Okay Keskidee! Let me see inside
Visiting sites like the former Keskidee Centre and other Black cultural institutions, ‘Okay Keskidee…’ examines how rising costs, scarce funding and redevelopment challenge physical gathering. A personal reflection on Black community spaces in the UK, focusing on the Caribbean diaspora, it asks whether digital space can sustain community and preserve collective memory.
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SCREENINGS
Caribbean Queen
“Caribbean Queen” tells the story of Q, a young Caribbean boy with a bold dream. He longs to become the Queen of the West Indian Day Parade but prejudice from his family and community threatens to hold him back. With unwavering determination and the support of Joe, his fearless best friend, Q fights to claim his place and celebrate his identity on the Parkway.
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