C4 reaches out to black UK filmmakers

UK broadcaster Channel 4 is commissioning a series of original films from black British filmmakers in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week.

Ian Katz

Channel 4’s director of programmes, Ian Katz, will order short- and longer-form films exploring the issues highlighted by recent events in the US and their impact on black Britons.

Specifically, the short films will explore and debate the arguments and questions about UK society that have been given new urgency by Floyd’s death and the protests that have swept the US.

Channel 4’s head of specialist factual, Fatima Salaria, will commission the short films, which will run on the channel over the coming weeks.

The longer-form films will explore different aspects of “the black experience” and questions about race in modern Britain.

“Channel 4 has been committed since its birth both to representing Britain in all its diversity and to promoting a more tolerant and equal society. We know that, like all broadcasters, we have much more to do to make our output truly representative of Britain and we are working hard on making real, sustainable change,” Katz said.

Fatima Salaria

“The killing of George Floyd and the events of the last week have crystallised into a profound challenge to the way we think about, discuss and act on race issues on both sides of the Atlantic. It is an urgent and potentially transformative debate that we must engage with now, and for the coming months this will be one of our editorial priorities.”

Salaria added: “This is a great opportunity for black filmmakers to make their voices heard at a crucial time. I look forward to supporting them and helping them bring their ideas to the screen.”