TRAILBLAZERS CAREERS
Anyiam-Osigwe joined bfm as a staff writer and programmer. There, he met Barbados-born British filmmaker Menelik Shabazz, who founded the magazine in 1998 and launched the bfm International Film Festival one year later. “He became my first real mentor in the film industry,” says Anyiam-Osigwe of the Burning an Illusion director, who died in 2021. Of course, he never forgot his initial role model: “I aspired to be Melvyn Bragg; such was my appreciation of his love and support of the arts on television.” EYE-OPENING While studying at Thames Valley University (now University of West London), Anyiam-Osigwe attended The Prince’s Trust Urban Music Festival, a multi-day celebration of almost every sound under the ‘urban’ umbrella, with performances by Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and Beyoncé. There, Anyiam-Osigwe had an epiphany: “What if a Black person could coin a film version?” The idea came together quite quickly as ‘the demand was already identified’, according to Anyiam-Osigwe. Through his tenure at bfm , he’d made connections with Black filmmakers ‘who were looking for exposure’, and he was prepared to deliver. “I had everything I needed to launch the British Urban Film Festival – along with the remortgaging of the family home, unbeknown to my parents at the time!” he admits.
MAKING A MARK Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe with Mathew Knowles at the BeyGOOD London event
For the better part of 20 years, BUFF has been ‘showing up and showing out for diversity’. A decade after its inception, the festival introduced the BUFF Awards, which recognise writers, filmmakers and other upstanding community members. This year’s honorary award recipient was Angela Griffin. DYNAMIC DUO After BUFF took off, Anyiam-Osigwe used the opportunity to co-found a production company alongside his wife, Clare. BUFF Studios (previously BUFF Originals) initially acquired and licensed over 500 films from the festival to broadcasters and streamers. Now, the studio specialises in producing original content. “In the last 12 months, we’ve developed a slate of films, TV shows and documentaries,” explains Anyiam-Osigwe. Clare Anyiam-Osigwe is a filmmaker and television director, having worked with names such as Lime Pictures, ITV and BBC Studios. Both she and Emmanuel have contributed their own projects to BUFF Studios, including No Shade and Absolutely Marvellous , respectively. Together, they’ve brought the studio the recognition it deserves, receiving financial backing from Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD Foundation. “My biggest inspiration is my wife,” enthuses Anyiam-Osigwe, “who has gone
on to excel in two professions, thriving not only as an award-winning dermatologist but also an award-winning filmmaker.”
JUST GETTING STARTED The film industry has historically struggled with inclusion and authenticity, and though we’ve seen positive change, the problem continues. “BUFF has been championing diversity and representation since before the industry started to catch-up,” Anyiam-Osigwe shares. But it still has a long way to go. “Now more than ever, filmmakers and creatives feel disenfranchised, manipulated, ignored and rejected by large sections of the industry,” he states. This issue extends to everyone – writers, actors, editors, audio engineers and so on (just take the SAG-AFTRA strike as an example). “BUFF acts as a safe space for work and talent to be seen and validated,” assures Anyiam-Osigwe. Although he recently stepped down as BUFF director, Anyiam-Osigwe’s own work is far from finished. Earlier this year, he was named artistic director at Windrush Caribbean Film Festival, which borrows its name from the ship that transported migrants from the Caribbean to the UK 75 years ago. Anyiam-Osigwe also has a Menelik Shabazz documentary in the works – a way to honour his late mentor and bring his career full circle.
UNTOLD STORY Absolutely Marvellous, Anyiam-Osigwe’s directorial debut, follows Marvel Opara over several dramatic months
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