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City of London

In the Sky’s Wild Noise + Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us + Panel Discussion

Sunday 23rd August 2026

Presented as part of the Barbican’s groundbreaking Project a Black Planet film season, this compelling afternoon of cinema explores two defining moments in Caribbean history through the lives of revolutionary leaders, filmmakers and ordinary people striving for liberation. The programme brings together two landmark documentaries that examine the political struggles of Guyana and Grenada, offering audiences a powerful insight into the hopes, challenges and international significance of Caribbean movements for social change.

 

The screening opens with In the Sky’s Wild Noise (1983), produced by The Victor Jara Collective. Beginning with the funeral of renowned Guyanese historian, academic and activist Walter Rodney, who was assassinated in 1980, the film combines rare archival footage with Rodney’s own words to examine the political repression, economic inequality and social divisions experienced by Guyana during the presidency of Forbes Burnham. Rodney remains one of the Caribbean’s most influential intellectuals, and his writings on colonialism, Black liberation and working-class solidarity continue to inspire scholars and activists around the world.

The second film, Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us (1983), captures one of the most remarkable and turbulent periods in modern Caribbean history. Originally intended to document the achievements of Grenada’s revolutionary government under Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, the film became an extraordinary historical record following Bishop’s assassination and the subsequent United States-led invasion of the island in October 1983. Through rarely seen footage, audiences witness the optimism of the New Jewel Movement as it introduced ambitious programmes in education, healthcare, housing and social development before the revolution came to its dramatic end.

Together, these films examine the wider struggle against colonialism and neo-colonialism across the Caribbean while exploring the enduring ideas of Pan-Africanism, self-determination and international solidarity. They reveal how filmmakers documented revolutionary movements not simply as political events, but as expressions of hope, cultural identity and collective action that continue to resonate today.

Following the screenings, audiences are invited to remain for a special panel discussion, where filmmakers, historians and guest speakers will reflect on the legacy of Walter Rodney, Maurice Bishop and the revolutionary movements that shaped modern Caribbean history. The discussion will consider how these events continue to influence contemporary debates around democracy, social justice, decolonisation and Black internationalism.

Part of the Barbican’s Project a Black Planet season, which features more than fifty events inspired by the international history of Pan-Africanism, this special screening offers a rare opportunity to experience two important documentaries on the big screen while engaging with the ideas, histories and voices that continue to shape conversations about freedom, equality and global Black solidarity.

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