Testimonies: Queer Shorts
Q&A + Networking

Sunday 8 May, 5pm | Watershed, Bristol

 

The Glorious Ones (Somina Fombo, 2022)

Tegan (Ngaio Anyia, 2022)

Twinkleberry
(Daisy Ifama, 2022)

We Are Parable and Aya Films are excited to present a programme of queer short documentaries in partnership with Bristol’s Blak Wave Productions.

Several generations of queer black women and non binary folk share their glorious moments in The Glorious Ones, fresh from its premiere at BFI Flare London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival; in Tegan, we discover the unbridled dedication of Bristolian Tegan Vincent-Cooke, a young black woman with cerebral palsy, to reach the 2024 Paralympics; and Twinkleberry tells the story of a school in a small West Country border town that had over 30 openly queer students in one year group between 2005 to 2012, produced - along with Tegan - as part of the inaugural Netflix Documentary Talent Fund.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with directors Somina Fombo (The Glorious Ones) and Ngaio Anyia (Tegan), and producer Grace Shutti (Twinkleberry), chaired by Watershed Associate Curator, Malaika Kegode.

There will also be opportunity for filmmakers, artists and documentary fans to connect and share experiences at a networking drinks after the screening in the Café & Bar.

The Glorious Ones (dir. Somina Fombo)

Several generations of queer black women and non binary folk share their glorious moments. An uplifting and important social history documentary spanning from the 1950s through to the present day exploring and celebrating these unheard stories - self authored by Director Somina Fombo.

Tegan (dir. Ngaio Anyia)

A young black woman with cerebral palsy is how the world categorises Tegan Vincent Cook. What we discover is her unbridled dedication to reach the 2024 Paralympics. Directed by Ngaio Anyia and produced and filmed by Aodh Breathnach.

Horse riding is a sport out of reach for most people, with its huge financial and physical requirements. None more so than for Tegan, a young black woman with cerebral palsy, whose muscles move uncontrollably in day-to-day life. Tegan fell in love with riding horses at a young age, discovering it relaxed her muscles and gave her freedom like nothing else. We follow her inspiring, determined and empowering journey to find the perfect equestrian partner to complement her disability, and her struggle finding the financial and emotional support required to break into the industry and compete in the 2024 Olympics.

Produced as part of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund.

Twinkleberry (dir. Daisy Ifama)

Daisy Ifama went to school between 2005 and 2012 in a small town on the border of the West Midlands and the West Country – affectionately named Twinkleberry, or Twink for short. In the late 00's and early 2010's the UK was not woke, it was asleep and Twinkleberry was hardly progressive. So it was pretty surprising that Daisy’s year group alone had so many openly queer students, fairly content living fluid teenage years when most people had to hide their sexuality.

Produced as part of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund.

 

Testimonies has been made possible with the support of the BFI Doc Society Fund.

 
 
 


There is a small travel fund available to assist filmmakers and others interested in documentary to come to the screening and networking event who could not otherwise afford to attend. If you would like to apply for a travel bursary, please contact carmen@weareparable.com.

 

Speaker Bios

  • Somina Fembo (she/her)

    Somina 'Mena' Fombo is a director, producer and co founder of Blak Wave Productions creating content for TV, film and digital across the BFI, BBC and C4. 

    She is particularly passionate about telling real stories that challenge perspective and centre women, queer black and poc communities and more widely sports.

    Her latest film The Glorious Ones premiered at BFI Flare London LGBTQ+ film festival in March 2022. 

    Mena is also a global speaker with a brilliant TEDx Talk: No. You Cannot Touch My Hair.

  • Ngaio Anyia (she/her)

    A multidisciplinary artist and journalist, Ngaio has presented a mini-documentary on BBC World, worked for BBC Radio Bristol, guested on Women’s Hour and Radio 4 and now broadcasts weekly on SWU FM. She uses her platform to push discussions around making the media and the Arts more accessible for marginalised groups.

  • Grace Shutti (she/her)

    Grace is a producer and multimedia journalist with an eye for people-focused stories that challenge perspectives and create empathy. She has worked for the Guardian, Netflix, gal-dem, VICE UK and more.

  • Malaika Kegode (she/her)

    Malaika Kegode is a writer, performer and creative producer based in Bristol. Her work is focused on uplifting and celebrating the voiceless, overlooked and misunderstood. Beginning her arts career as a performance poet in 2014, Malaika has since developed her practice to encompass theatre, radio and film writing.

    Malaika also works in film. She is currently an associate curator at Watershed in Bristol alongside Karen Alexander and Adam Murray. She has worked as a programme selector for Encounters Film Festival and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. She is currently part of the Queer Vision working group, and an editor for Rife Magazine.