The British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) is set to return for its 2022 season in a new partnership with Rich Mix in Shoreditch, East London.

New BUFF 2022 partner: Rich Mix in Shoreditch, East London

Now in its 17^th year, BUFF, which holds esteemed accreditation from both BAFTA and BIFA, has announced a packed programme of 20 feature films and 74 shorts for its 2022 edition, from 26 November to 3 December as a week-long festival in its new east London venue.

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The festival’s opening night will be headlined by the world premiere of BUFF founder Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe’s Absolutely Marvellous (UK), marking his debut in the director’s chair. Filmed over a five-year period, the documentary profiles the aptly named Marvel Opara, the visually impaired mother of British Olympic heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce. Featuring interviews with close friends, family and boxing figures including Frank Warren and Spencer Fearon, cameras follow Marvel in and around Putney (where she’s lived for most of her life) as well as at ringside to be present for Joe’s fights, to get a sense of how she comes to terms with her disability.

British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) — (From left to right): Justin Chinyere, BUFF 2022 festival director, Amirah Garba, BUFF 2022 festival co-ordinator, Clare Anyiam-Osigwe, BUFF 2022 lead script judge and Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, BUFF founder and director of ‘Absolutely Marvellous’
Image credit: Muriel Narh

Also premiering at the event is Isaac Odeniran’s Child of The Occult (UK), about a self-proclaimed child of God and the attempts by his occultist Nigerian father to initiate him.

“…we can’t wait to showcase our film festival at such a well-respected and diverse space.”

Eleven other features will be making their UK premieres at BUFF 2022 including The Anger from Lebanese filmmaker Marie Surae, which tells the story of a Muslim girl who escapes from her alcoholic mother to find love and salvation with an older, European man; and No Bad Guys from prolific Australian filmmaker George Gittoes who spent three years in May Block, Englewood – known by many to be the epicentre of gun violence in Southside Chicago. The film follows the lives of both the gun-carrying perpetrators and the bereaved families of the victims.

Saturday 3 December will see the BUFF Awards ceremony, where the likes of British-Nigerian director Obi Emelonye (Black Mail) will receive this year’s honorary award in recognition of his film career which has spanned more than two decades. This year’s ceremony will be hosted by actor/director Femi Oyeniran (The Evolution of Black British Music).

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In a statement, Justin Chinyere, director of the British Urban Film Festival, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Rich Mix and having such a wonderful home to host this year’s British Urban Film Festival.

“This is a building that I have frequented often and seen so many unique and popular events here that have championed diversity. Naturally, it feels like the perfect fit for BUFF, and we can’t wait to showcase our film festival at such a well-respected and diverse space.”