Films by Strands

All Films / Pollination

Pollination

Pollen, pollinate, pollination; an essential part of a plant’s reproduction. A process of sharing or transferring to yield more fruits or seeds. Our pollination takes the form of two commissions, one for an artist and the other for a curator, offering both the support and the space to take what they may need from Fringe of Colour to create something beautiful.

Curatorial Commission: Begana

For the first time, Fringe of Colour Films has invited a guest curator to programme a special event as part of the festival. Our 2023 commissioned curator is Neha Apsara, a film programmer based in Glasgow, focusing on programming stories full of joy, drama and hidden histories centred around the queer and diasporic South Asian experience.

This curated programme, Begana, features two films from the Queer South Asian and Indo-Caribbean archive, which explore themes and conversations that were far ahead of their time. The first, a portrait of Indian lesbian poet and writer Suniti Bamjoshi, by Pratibha Parmar (Flesh and Paper) and the second, a pivotal, pioneering work about the female, lesbian Indo-Caribbean perspective in exile by filmmaker Michelle Mohabeer (Coconut/Cane & Cutlass).

This event will also include a sound piece with a queer Shayari (urdu poetry) reading.

In-Person: Mon 26 June / 19:00 BST /  Summerhall: Red Lecture Theatre (CC/BSL) and Cairns Lecture Theatre (AD)

Online: 23 - 29 June / In your own time, in your chosen space

Artist Commission: Black Gold

Fringe of Colour commissioned multidisciplinary artist Ashanti Harris to create a new film for the festival, which led to a poetic study of pressure and the colonial extraction imposed on Guyana. Black Gold will be premiering at Fringe of Colour Films.

This screening will be followed by a live event with Ashanti Harris. A recording and transcript of this event will be made available to Online audiences the following day.

In-Person: Thurs 29 June / 19:00 BST /  Summerhall: Main Hall (CC/BSL) and Cairns Lecture Theatre (AD)

Online: 23 - 29 June / In your own time, in your chosen space

  • A still from the film Flesh and Paper, shows an older Indian woman sitting in front of a background of gold and purple material, and looking towards the camera as if in mid speech.

    Flesh and Paper

    UK / 1990 / 26m / English

    A lyrical exploration of the sense and sensibilities of Indian lesbian poet and writer, Suniti Namjoshi, directed by Pratibha Parmar. LEARN MORE

  • A still from the film Coconut/Cane & Cutlass, shows an Indian woman standing in a field, defiantly holding up what appears to be a collection of sticks into the air. The image has an aged, sepia tone, like the sky is on fire.

    Coconut/Cane & Cutlass

    Canada and Guyana / 1994 / 32m / English

    A mythic/poetic rumination on exile, displacement, and nationhood from the perspective of an Indo-Caribbean lesbian who migrated to Canada twenty years ago. LEARN MORE

  • A still from the film Black Gold, shows the arms and hands of a Black woman reaching up towards the sky, in front of a luscious green background.

    Black Gold

    Scotland / 2023 / 7m / English

    Moving through layers of thoughts, memories, visions and histories, Ashanti Harris’ filmic poem is a stream of consciousness of movements and sounds. LEARN MORE

The screenings in this Strand will all be accompanied by additional events and recordings. Learn about these on our Event Schedule Page.

Begana

Listen now: Queer Shayari poetry reading

Black Gold

In-conversation with: Ashanti Harris

A transcript of this event will be available here

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