Akinola Davies Jr is fascinated by the mundane
The BAFTA-nominated filmmaker turns his attention to the rituals of everyday Black life in his new project, rituals: Unionblack.
Culture
Words: Tiffany Lai
Akinola Davies Jr is taking me into the guts of Somerset House in central London. Dressed in a white vest accessorised by a generous stack of gold necklaces, the director leads the way through a maze of corridors and columns to his basement studio in the historic building.
After spending time in the preceding month in Cannes, for the film festival screening of his Lagos-set drama, My Father’s Shadow, which stars Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù and was the first Nigerian film to be picked for the festival’s Official Selection, Akinola has spent the last few weeks in this shadowed studio. The 40-year-old from Nigeria – nominated for a BAFTA for his 2020 short Lizard – has been putting the final touches to his latest project, rituals: Unionblack. Filmed in communities across the UK, it’s a collection of short, documentary-esque videos exploring the rituals and rhythms of Black British everyday life, particularly those outside London.
“It’s not about excess in terms of Black excellence and it’s not about Black trauma,” Akinola explains as he relaxes into an armchair. “It’s trying to serve this big group of people in the middle.” For that reason, Akinola stayed away from shooting people engaged in sports, dance and music, areas that he feels are already well-documented.
Instead, the filmmaker has sprung for footage of the more day-to-day moments of Black life: grandpas playing dominoes in Chapeltown, Leeds; Black doulas performing home births in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham; a Caribbean bakery in Old Trafford, Manchester – activities that make up the Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings of life but are, through the lens of Akinola, made magical.
Working alongside casting director Jessica Straker, the project has taken Akinola to communities in diverse parts of the UK, inspiring him to expand our vision of what Black life looks like. “London holds such a huge chunk of the perception of what it means to be Black,” he says. “When you think of Black people in the UK, you think of them [mainly] existing in London.” But as Akinola’s film vividly demonstrates, there’s a rich diversity of Black experience right across the UK.
“If you get a group of Black people together and they’re all focused on something, there is an alchemy of magic happening, no matter how mundane”
For the film’s premiere Akinola is hosting a screening just yards from his studio, in the Somerset House courtyard as part of its Summer Series. Though the film score features music by Duval Timothy, Klein and Kokoroko, the event will be accompanied by a live ensemble of Black British musicians ranging from Sampha to DJ Charlie Dark and reggae icon Dennis Bovell. Shaking his head in slight disbelief at the line-up, Akinola laughs. “I was like, we collected all the infinity stones!”
Above the courtyard, Akinola will fly the film’s namesake: the Pan-African (red, green and black) Union Jack flag made by Chris Ofili. The artist’s 2003 work, titled Union Black, in many ways embodies the impetus behind the films. As Akinola puts it: “My hypothesis, really is: if you get a group of Black people together and they’re all focused on something, there is an alchemy of magic happening, no matter how mundane. That’s how I see the world.”
To watch the film and shake a leg inside the Somerset House courtyard, grab a ticket and head down to the Strand on Monday 14th July
