Respect Film Festival launches programme

The first ever Respect Film Festival launches with gala screening of ‘Raising Victor Vargas’.
‘Raising Victor Vargas’ by award winning director Peter Sollett will have an exclusive screening at the opening gala for the very first Respect Film, a week long season of films celebrating diversity from around the world, at cinemas across London from 10-17 July.
‘Raising Victor Vargas’ tells the story of young love in New York's Lower East Side and has received excellent reviews in the States. The film will be screened at the Curzon Mayfair on Thursday 10 July.
Respect Film is being programmed by Marc Boothe on behalf of the Mayor of London and will be one of the highlights of respect week, a wide-ranging programme of arts, community and educational events taking place across the capital in the run up to the Mayor's respect anti-racist festival at the Dome, Greenwich on 19 July.
Speaking about the event, Mayor Ken Livingstone, who is organising Respect for the third year with National Assembly Against Racism and TUC South East region, said: “Respect is about challenging racism, but it is also about celebrating diversity and reflecting different life experiences.
“We have films about relationships within and between communities from across the world, stories about the experience of refugees, as well as about family relationships and sexuality and I am delighted that we have been able to secure exclusive screenings of so many films”.
Amongst several premieres and exclusive screening are ‘Standing in the Shadows of Mowtown’ which will close the festival at the Ritzy, Brixton, on Thursday 17 July.
Marc Boothe said: “The Respect Film Festival provides a unique and much needed platform for London's multi-ethnic communities to celebrate the wealth and diversity of stories from the around the world on the 'Big Screen. It's a great honour to be part of something that is so positive and inclusive”.
There will be world premiere screenings of ‘Scarred’, ‘Tasvih’ and ‘A Long Way from Piccadilly’, three films made by and for refugees living in London and funded by the Princess Diana Memorial Fund and the Prince’s Trust.
Other special events include Q&As with Sophie Fiennes (director, ‘Hoover Street Revival’); Michael Ocelot (‘Kirikou – The Sorcerress’); Safina Uberoi (‘My Mother India’), and One Love will be introduced by directors Rick Elgood and Don Letts.
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