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Hero: ECA kick off Black History Month with Black Film Club Screening
It was another full house at the Dugdale Arts Centre for ECA’s Black Film Club screening of Hero: The Extraordinary life of Mr Ulric Cross on Friday 26th of October.
It is a beautifully blended drama-documentary which chronicles the life of Ulric Cross, a Trinidadian lawyer who played a crucial role in the decolonisation of African nations in the 1950s and 1960s. The filmmaker-writer-director Frances-Anne Solomon strikes a reflective note, celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Cross. Yet tinged with regrets about unachieved ambitions in his lifetime as illustrated in footage of the actual, ailing Ulric Cross in his 90s.
As a trained RAF pilot-navigator, Cross went on to become the most decorated Caribbean serviceman of World War II and credited with helping to prevent some two hundred bombers from being shot down in a raid over Germany in 1943. He subsequently studied law and went on to fulfil a distinguished international legal career advising governments across Africa and within Trinidad and Tobago.
Out to Africa
The film sheds light on his relationships with a number of major black thinkers of the time including CLR James and George Padmore. Cross used his legal expertise to practise law in Ghana, Cameroon and Tanzania for many years. Cross worked closely with Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, where he became a senior advisor and lectured in criminal law at the Ghana School of Law. He also served in Cameroon and became the Attorney General in the 1960s and later moved to Tanzania where he became a High Court judge. He supported these countries in rewriting their constitution in the rise of their Independence.
After film Panel Discussion
After the film the evening’s panel discussion with the film maker Anne-Frances Solomon, local historian Avril Nanton, facilitated by ECA Chair, Oveta McInnis greatly enhanced the evening.
Solomon explained how Cross was a family friend of Solomon’s mother and they travelled together on the ship from Trinidad to the UK in the late 1950s. Fifty years later, Solomon’s mother was tasked with the request to make a film about Cross. Solomon took up the challenge for her mother. “I also wanted to highlight the heroic contributions of Caribbean people like Cross who worked together with African brothers and sisters to bring about independence, which is a “hidden story” that isn’t often told,” she adds. Essentially, Solomon’s goal was to provide a human experience that allows audiences to understand and appreciate this significant historical moment.
Avril Nanton highlighted the many challenges black filmmakers face when trying to make films. The difficulty securing financial support for films about heroic stories with funding often limited to negative narratives about black experiences.
“It is really important that films like Hero are made. It is important because we have to know this history. And it’s not just for black people to know this history. It’s for everyone to know this history.” Nanton reminded the mainly black audience that today’s community stand on the shoulders of giants.
Oveta McInnis said, “This was a beautiful film and I would like to congratulate Frances-Anne on the visual imagery, language and music of the film. The clever use of both archive materials and drama to effectively tell Ulric’s story. It’s definitely a film for everybody to see.”
Celebrating Black History Month by walking
ECA’s Black History Month continues on Saturday 4th October from 11am – 1pm: Black Statues Around Westminster Walk
On this fascinating walk you will find out about Black people and places in history that you never knew existed. Come and hear about the 15-year-old female martyr, the slave who voted, and the 16ft tall woman.
Click here for more information
About ECA’s Black Film Club (BFC)
Enfield Caribbean Association in collaboration with the Dugdale Arts Centre launched BFC in January 2025. This is a monthly year-round programme of films that showcase Black talent, filmmakers, stories, voices and actors, across all genres for all audiences with after film activities and discussions. BFC is supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.
