The East End Film Festival and the first annual Everyman Music-Film Festival has begun this week and features several compelling flicks aside from the hyperbolic Amy.
First up in Bonafide’s diary is Hip-Hop in The Holy Land by Noisey. Co-directed and presented by The Streets’ Mike Skinner the documentary takes a look at the little known rap scene in Israel and Palestine. Central protagonists include Tamer Nafar, also known as the godfather of Palestinian hip-hop who founded the group DAM, Ohad Cohen who after being a regular in the Tel Aviv rap scene as a teenager then moved towards ultra-orthodox Judaism, but still has ambitions to be a famous rapper, and Ben Blackwell, who is part of the fascinating Hebrew Israelite community of the desert town of Dimona. The film premieres at the Screen on the Green Cinema in Angel tonight (Thursday 2nd July) and will be followed by a Q&A with Mike Skinner.
Saturday sees the UK premiere of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Vision Of Paradise. The film, 15 years in the making, promises to be one of the most intimate portraits yet of the dub talisman. For the past 15 years, director Volker Schaner has followed Perry on a spiritual and geographical journey taking in Jamaica, Ethiopia, Germany, Switzerland and London. Over this period Volker has earned Perry’s trust, resulting in a never-before-granted level of access and insight into Perry’s fantastical, spiritual world. The screening includes a Q&A with Lee and the director Volker, tickets are available here.
Read interviews with Lee “Scratch” Perry here and Mike Skinner here.
