Click on picture to see the rest of the photos

Independent Spirit and Valencia - October 2007

Morgan Freeman wasn’t present for his award, but we had some excitement in the form of Ainsley Harriot’s surprisingly confessional speech – where he talked about Black people having to compromise themselves to get anywhere. Danny John-Jules also took the opportunity to name and shame ‘elements’ that refused to give Black people any respect on home soil until they made it big in the US, a less restrained version of which he’d given me at the BAFTA Black to the future event weeks earlier.

But the bits I enjoyed most were the opportunities to cheer and boo pantomime style when nominations were read out (boo for Blood Diamond, big up Yay! For Last King of Scotland). And even though we didn’t get no desert, a good time was had by all.

However, it was no where near the league of XXVIII Mostra de Valencia. I went with Ayo, Enor and Lawrence Coke, and we were all treated like celebrities at our Hotel Vincci Lys. The film festival also hosted real stars like Spike Lee, Raquel Welch and Don Johnson, so their  waterfront hotel Las Arenas must have been close to heaven.

Our screening on the 23rd went well – the subtitlers did an exceptional job because people laughed heartily in the same places as they had in the UK and the US. About 30 people stayed for the Q & A afterwards, but initially didn’t want to speak, so we asked them questions instead. That got comments pouring in – with one particularly insistent gentleman throwing out statements that veered from the adoring to the obnoxious – ‘Rag’s eyes are so beautiful’, ‘There are lots of black people in Valencia – I have a black girl at home’, etc.

Fortunately others were a lot more coherent, talking about the sizable Igbo population in the city (though we didn’t really see any black people on the streets), and asking about the prospects for black people in the UK and international film industries , as well as some of their favourite bits e.g. Ma Tagbo’s speech to Rag at the reception.

The following and final day, I took advantage of the chauffeurs laid out by the festival, and did a bit of sight seeing. I failed to spot either Spike or Raquel on the beach outside their hotel, but did bump into fellow festival attendee and writer/producer of ‘Basquiat’ Lech Majewsky, near the America’s Cup stand, and we decided to go see the fishees at the world’s 3rd largest aquarium. Being less than a foot below prowling sharks beat the flipping dolphin show hands down.

The festival itself ended merrily enough. Even though the multi-houred awards ceremony was in Spanish, all was forgiven by fiesta time. The cheering and good will towards winners started on the coach, and carried noisily on at the restaurant, where our new international best friends and award winners for ‘Falafel’ and ‘Making Of’ regaled us with bawdy jokes. If they don’t come to London, we will be going to check them in Beirut, Paris, Venice, Tunis, Manila, and of course, this time next year in Valencia. ¡Viva España!

Adaora x