A powerful new film bringing previously untold stories of Britain’s Windrush Second Generation to the big screen is set to premiere this month in Bristol UNESCO City of Film.
First Born Second: Voices of the Children of the Windrush Era opens at Watershed on Thursday 29th October, bringing personal stories to light and exploring what it means to grow up Black and British during the turbulent 1970s and 80s.
The 43-minute documentary explores the joy, pain, challenges and achievements of the first generation born in Britain to many of the Caribbean pioneers who came to help rebuild post-war Britain.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Michelle Pascal and co-produced by writer and curator Roger Griffith MBE, the film brings together seven Bristol voices whose experiences illuminate a pivotal but still under-told chapter of modern British history.
Professor Shawn Sobers, Sherrie Eugene-Hart, Latoyah McAllister-Jones, Beverly Douglas, Delroy Hibbert, Vernon Samuels and Roger Griffith MBE share deeply personal accounts of growing up Black in Britain during the 1970s and 80s, a period shaped by profound social and cultural change.
Their stories encompass encounters with racism, street skinheads, discriminatory policing and the notorious “SUS laws”, alongside extraordinary achievement, creativity and determination.
Image: Plaster Communications
Collectively, their experiences chart a generation that broke barriers on Olympic tracks, in television newsrooms, within policing and across cultural and community life.
The documentary’s premiere screening will be followed by a Q&A and conversation featuring members of the film’s creative team and contributors, giving audiences an opportunity to hear directly from some of those whose stories appear on screen.
The event will also coincide with Sherrie Eugene-Hart and Beverly Douglas’s Dominican Front Room exhibition at Undershed, creating a wider opportunity to explore Black British and Caribbean heritage, memory and lived experience through film, conversation and visual culture.
Director Michelle Pascal said: “First Born Second is about hearing directly from prominent Bristol figures who navigated growing up with a dual identity in 1970s and 80s Britain. These personal stories collectively reveal a much bigger picture of resilience, belonging and change. Premiering the film at the Watershed, in the very city where these stories are rooted, feels incredibly significant.”
Illustration by Abbi Bayliss
Roger Griffith MBE, Executive producer & Lead Curator of the wider First Born Second programme, said: “Our parents’ generation came from the Caribbean to help rebuild post-war Britain. Their children forged a new identity, Black and British, whilst overcoming racism, institutional discrimination and a clash of cultures and continents.
“This generation turned tragedy into triumph, changing the face of Britain through cultural transformation. The First Born Second programme is about ensuring those experiences are celebrated and remembered.”
The documentary forms part of the wider First Born Second cultural programme, which explores and celebrates the experiences of the children and descendants of the Windrush generation. Developed in connection with the 60-year legacy of Britain’s 1965 Race Relations Act, the programme looks beyond the better-known story of the Windrush pioneers and the later Windrush scandal to examine what happened to the generation that followed.
The programme has been developed by Roger’s Creative Connex CIC and includes this film, a genealogy project, workshops, talks and other public engagement activities designed to preserve these experiences and introduce them to new generations.
It follows the earlier call for contributions to the First Born Second: Voices of the Children of the Windrush Era anthology, inviting writers, artists and storytellers to help expand the cultural and historical record through previously untold stories.
The project has secured Arts Council England support, alongside academic, public and private investment and community backing.
Following the screening, there will be an audience Q&A with Michelle, Roger, and several cast members, hosted by presenter Euella Jackson.
Book tickets here: https://www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/14316/voices-of-the-children-of-the-windrush-era/