In honour of Black History Month, Caribbean Creativity presents the second edition of CineCarib UK. For this edition, we will be bringing the feature film Fanon to The Garden Cinema for its first London screening. The screening will be introduced by Rebecca Hussey.

Fanon is a compelling biographical drama directed by Jean-Claude Barny, a French director of Guadeloupean and Trinidadian origin, that focuses on Fanon’s tenure at the Blida psychiatric hospital in Algeria during the 1950s. In 1953, the Martiniquan psychiatrist became the head of the hospital’s psychiatry department, where he treated both French soldiers and Algerian victims of torture and introduced innovative, patient-centered methods of psychiatric care. His progressive approach faced resistance from colleagues and the institution’s director. As the Algerian War of Independence intensified, Fanon’s commitment to decolonization led him to align with the National Liberation Front (FLN), deepening his involvement in the fight against colonial oppression.

The film’s narrative intertwines pivotal moments from Fanon’s earlier life in Martinique and France with contemporary scenes in Algeria, and ends with his untimely death from leukemia in 1961 at the age of 36 and his burial in Algeria, at a cemetery dedicated to fallen FLN fighters. His final book, The Wretched of the Earth, which he dictated from his hospital bed, was published shortly before his death and became a powerful manifesto for anti-colonial struggles around the world. Fanon, who would have become 100 last year (Fanon100), remains a key intellectual figure in the field of postcolonial studies and current decolonization debates.

Content Warning: The film contains scenes of violence, military occupation, and psychiatric patients suffering from severe trauma.

Caribbean Creativity is a Kingston- and Amsterdam-based non-profit organisation dedicated to the programming and promotion of Caribbean and Caribbean-themed cinema. Over the years, the organisation has organised over 350 screenings in cinemas and other venues, including numerous premieres. In 2020, Caribbean Creativity launched YardVibes, a streaming platform dedicated to independent Caribbean and African filmmaking. The platform currently features more than 100 titles, ranging from feature films and documentaries to web series and short films, with new content added monthly. This year, Caribbean Creativity launched CineCarib in the UK, a new screening series bringing contemporary Caribbean cinema to audiences in London.