Skip to content

Earl Cameron remembered at the BFI

The pioneering life of one of the first black actors to break Britain's colour bar in film and TV
4th August 2021

    The pioneering Bermuda-born actor, Earl Cameron – who died in July 2020, aged 102 – is commemorated in a new season of films and talks at the BFI.  In 1950, Cameron was one of the first black actors to break through in the British film and TV industry with the film, Pool of London.  At a time when thoughtful British journals carried headlines like ‘Would You Let Your Daughter Marry a Negro?’ the film was seen and celebrated for its sensitive depiction of a relationship between a black man and a white woman. The Earl Cameron season, reflecting on the actor’s life and career, is programmed by the actor, broadcaster and director, Burt Caesar. BFI Southbank’s Earl Cameron season runs until 31 August. http://bfi.org.uk/whatson

    Didi

    'My Grandfather did not let the world harden him. His eyes, which have greyed with his hair, shine like buttons when he laughs.'

    Gentle Euphoria

    A rare chance to rejoice in the collective craft of writing

    Ideas are like rabbits

    ‘Ideas are like rabbits, you get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you will have a dozen’

    Hurvin Anderson

    A meditation on the illusory nature of the reality of Britain’s entangled history

    Kin

    The journey of two childhood friends in the segregated South as their lives drastically diverge

    Afghanistanism

    'Red is the colour of joy and beauty and also of the killing that comes in waves.'

    video

    Free Will

    Will Harris reads his poem, 'Free Will'. Directed by Matthew Thompson and commissioned by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation.

    video

    Half Written Love Letter

    Selina Nwulu reads her poem, 'Half Written Love Letter'. Directed by Matthew Thompson and commissioned by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation.

    Illuminating, in-depth conversations between writers.

    Listen to all episodes
    Spotify
    Apple Podcasts
    Amazon Music
    YouTube
    Other apps
    What we leave we carry, The series that tells the true-life stories of migration to the UK.

    The series that tells the true-life stories of migration to the UK.

    Listen to all episodes
    Spotify
    Apple Podcasts
    Amazon Music
    YouTube
    Other apps
    Fiction Prescriptions

    Bibliotherapy for the head and the heart

    Listen to all episodes
    Spotify
    Apple Podcasts
    YouTube
    Everyone has an elsewhere

    Nine writers explore the elusive emotional truth behind narratives and storytelling.

    Listen to all episodes
    Spotify
    Apple Podcasts
    YouTube
    Search