Bunny For BFI

As part of the African Odysseys series of films, an umbrella event that has been running for seven years at the BFI on London’s South Bank, there will be a UK premiere screening for I Am The Gorgon: Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee & The Roots Of Reggae on Saturday, June 14.
The documentary film, directed by Diggory Kenrick, tells the story of Jamaican music through the life of Bunny Lee from ska to rocksteady, dub to dancehall, from the backstreets of Kingston to the concert halls of the world. Lee, of course, worked with early pioneers such as Duke Reid and innovators such as Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Sly and Robbie, and his association with King Tubby in the ‘70s played a central role in the rise of dub. The man’s story involves politics, arguments, gangs and guns as Jamaican music spread from the ghettos of Kingston to the furthest reaches of the globe.
There will be a discussion after the screening, involving Diggory Kenrick and the film’s narrator, Dennis Alcapone, as well as assorted figures from Jamaican music scene.

Support is from Sound Business [UK 1981. Dir Molly Dineen. 43min], a short film focusing on the Coxsone Sound Sysytem, narrated by Mikey Dread. Ms Dineen will introduce the showing at 2pmin NFT1.