Spanning four decades, Horace Ové’s work encompassed cutting-edge drama and documentary, as well as programmes examining music and the visual arts. At a time when telling authentic Black stories on mainstream broadcast media was incredibly limited, Ové broke through barriers to create films that truly represented a multi-cultural Britain, told with an integrity that reflected his own values and political convictions. In this illustrated discussion, we assess the man, his immense talent, his versatility and his enduring legacy.
Host: Samira Ahmed is a journalist and broadcaster and Visiting Professor of Media at Kingston University. She presents a number of BBC programmes including Newswatch and Sunday Morning Live on BBC1 and Free Thinking on Radio 3. Previously a reporter and presenter on Channel 4 News and Newsnight, she has also been the BBC’s Los Angeles correspondent and a news anchor for Deutsche Welle TV in Berlin. Samira writes a column in The Big Issue magazine and has a special love of westerns.
Annabelle Alcazar worked as a film and TV producer for over 25 years in the UK, including on Pressure (1978) and producer of two documentaries, Who Shall We Tell? and Dabbawallahs. All 3 were directed by her husband Horace Ové. She returned to Trinidad in the mid-1990’s where she was line producer on many music videos and ads including for Jay-Z, Eric Benet and Rihanna. From 2007 to 2018 she was Programme Director at the Trinidad+Tobago film festival. She is currently working on organising Horace’s photographic archive.
Peter Ansorge began his career in TV Drama at BBC Birmingham working as script editor and producer under David Rose. His productions there included Gangsters, David Hare’s Licking Hitler and Empire Road. His later award-winning drama series commissions at Channel 4 include A Very British Coup, Traffik, GBH, The Politician’s Wife and Tales of the City. He commissioned Playing Away and The Orchid House from Horace Ové.
He currently teaches the popular ‘Writing The TV Pilot’ course at the National Film & TV School which is sponsored by Sara Geater at All3Media.
Tara Prem started her career as an actress and director in the theatre. She then joined BBC TV English Regions Birmingham based Drama department and wrote the first film with an entirely Asian cast to be made and broadcast by a British TV company. As producer of Second City Firsts, a series of half hour dramas by writers and directors new to television, she challenged the status quo, supported stories of under-represented people and championed diverse talent. Her production of Michael Abbensetts’ Black Christmas starring Norman Beaton, led to the commissioning of the series Empire Road.
Marcus Ryder MBE is CEO of the Film and TV Charity. He has more than 25 years’ experience working in the media. Most recently he was Head of External Consultancies at the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, set up to explore and increase diversity across the media industry. He has worked around the world and previously, was a senior executive at the BBC, winning awards from BAFTA, the Royal Television Society, and the Foreign Press Association. He is also the Chair of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and is currently a trustee of the Press Pad Charitable Foundation. In 2022, he was named one of the 500 most influential people in the global film industry by Variety and has also been awarded the prestigious Percy Qoboza award in the US by the National Association of Black Journalists as one of its Foreign Journalists of the Year in 2023.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE: HORACE OVÉ’S RADICAL VISION
Horace Ové: Reflecting the People – A Career Retrospective + panel and Q&A with actor Lennie James, producers Annabelle Alcazar, Peter Ansorge, Tara Prem and Marcus Ryder, chaired by Samira Ahmed
Mon 23 Oct 18:00
Playing Away
Tue 24 Oct 18:10 (+ intro by writer Caryl Phillips); Tue 21 Nov 20:45
The Black Safari + intro by director Colin Luke + Skateboard Kings
Sat 28 Oct 15:15
James Baldwin and the ‘N’ Word: Baldwin’s N** + Q&A with author Colin Grant and additional guests (tbc)
Sat 4 Nov 14:10
**King Carnival + intro by Michael La Rose, George Padmore Institute + Reggae
Tue 7 Nov 18:00
Play for Today: A Hole in Babylon + Play for Today: The Garland Shai Mala Khani
Sun 12 Nov 15:00
Dabbawallahs + pre-recorded intro by producer Annabelle Alcazar + Who Shall We Tell?
Fri 24 Nov 18:00
HORACE OVÉ: FILM INFLUENCES
Pather Panchali
Wed 18 Oct 20:35; Mon 30 Oct 17:50; Tue 14 Nov 14:30
Seniors’ Free Matinee: La dolce vita + intro
Mon 23 Oct 14:00
Bicycle Thieves Ladri di biciclette
Tue 14 Nov 18:20; Sun 19 Nov 18:40; Fri 24 Nov 20:45
With special thanks to the Ové family for all their guidance and support for this season
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Programme notes and credits compiled by Sight and Sound and the BFI Documentation Unit
Notes may be edited or abridged
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