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Relaxed Screening: Handsworth Songs

Monday 10th August 2026

Presented as part of the Barbican’s groundbreaking Project a Black Planet film season, this relaxed screening of Handsworth Songs offers audiences the opportunity to experience one of the most influential films in Black British cinema. Created by the pioneering Black Audio Film Collective and first released in 1986, the film remains a landmark exploration of race, identity, migration and belonging, challenging conventional documentary filmmaking while giving voice to experiences that were often overlooked in mainstream media.

 

Taking the 1985 uprisings in Handsworth, Birmingham, and Tottenham, London as its starting point, Handsworth Songs looks beyond sensational newspaper headlines to examine the deeper social, political and historical forces that shaped these events. Through an innovative combination of archive footage, news broadcasts, photographs, interviews, poetry and an evocative soundtrack, the film connects the unrest to Britain’s colonial past, post-war migration and the lived experiences of Black communities during the Thatcher era. Rather than presenting a single narrative, the film encourages audiences to reflect on multiple voices, memories and perspectives, revealing a much broader story of displacement, resilience and identity.

Widely regarded as one of the defining works of British experimental cinema, Handsworth Songs transformed documentary filmmaking through its layered storytelling and visual style. More than forty years after the events it depicts, the questions it raises about race, belonging, representation and social justice continue to resonate, making it an essential work for anyone interested in Black British history and contemporary culture.

This special presentation is offered as a relaxed screening, creating a more accessible cinema environment for neurodiverse audiences and anyone who benefits from a less formal screening experience. During the event, lighting will remain dim rather than completely dark, sound levels will be slightly lower, audience members are free to move around or leave and re-enter the auditorium, and making noise during the screening is welcomed. Barbican staff will also be on hand to provide assistance throughout the event, ensuring an inclusive and comfortable experience for all visitors.

Part of the Barbican’s wider Project a Black Planet season, which explores the global history and cultural legacy of Pan-Africanism through exhibitions, film, music, talks and performances, Handsworth Songs remains one of the most important films ever made about Black Britain. This screening provides a rare opportunity to revisit a cinematic masterpiece whose themes of memory, migration and belonging remain as relevant today as when it first appeared on screen.

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