On the occasion of today’s opening of the fifth edition of FRAMES of REPRESENTATION, our annual festival presenting the cinema of the real, here are some historical non-fiction films recently chosen by director Werner Herzog.

I have to thank curator Eliel Jones for sending me this work: Cell Project Space presents a new commission by Warsaw-based artist, music producer and filmmaker Krzysztof Bagiński. The work unearths questions of responsibility, empathy and interdependence between humans, non-human beings and the earth through a narrative of ecological disaster. The project has included a series of performative readings, with the final one happening on Saturday 28 November. Tickets can be booked here.

IWOW: I Walk on Water

To mark the opening day of FRAMES of REPRESENTATION, I would like to highlight the work of artist and filmmaker Khalik Allah, with whom we began our journey in 2015 with his film Field Niggas. His new feature, IWOW: I Walk on Water, largely filmed by Allah on the same Harlem street corner that has long preoccupied his filmmaking and photographic practices, is a continuation of Allah’s attempts to destabilise common narratives of race and marginalisation. While the film’s fragility is at times painful to bear, its unique soundscape and stunning visual approach never fail to amaze, ultimately forcing us to reassess the conventional modes we associate with documentary cinema.

IWOW: I Walk on Water is available to stream for seven days from 4 December, 6pm GMT.

 

In this episode of In Our Time (BBC Radio 4), Melvyn Bragg is joined by historians Vincent Brown, Bronwen Everill and Jake Subryn Richards to discuss the Zong massacre and how we know what happened aboard the ship. For those unfamiliar with the story, the programme will help to contextualize the forthcoming launch of NourbeSe Phiilp’s book Zong!, including links to further reading.

Zong! is available to stream for 30 days from Sunday 29 November, 7pm GMT.

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