Betty Davis: They Say I'm Different Film Screening

LUSH GORILLA ARTHOUSE PRESENTS.....
BETTY: THEY SAY I'M DIFFERENT.

THE STORY OF FUNK QUEEN, BETTY DAVIS

Betty changed the landscape for female artists in America. She “was the first...” as former husband Miles Davis said. “Madonna before Madonna, Prince before Prince”. An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, Betty arrived on the 70s scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion and outrageous funk music. She befriended Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, wrote songs for the Chambers Brothers and the Commodores, and married Miles – startlingly turning him from jazz to funk. Without Betty there would not be “Bitches Brew”. She then, despite being banned and boycotted, went on to become the first black woman to perform, write and manage herself. Betty was a feminist pioneer, inspiring and intimidating in a manner like no woman before. Then suddenly – she vanished. Creatively blending documentary and animation this movie traces the path of Betty’s life, how she grew from humble upbringings to become a fully self-realised black female pioneer the world failed to understand or appreciate. After years of trying, the elusive Betty, forever the free-spirited Black Power Goddess, finally allowed the filmmakers to creatively tell her story based on their conversations.

Following the film there will be a special 30 minute extra featuring a discussion about Betty’s relevance and legacy led by director Phil Cox, Guardian/Quietus music culture journalist Tara Joshi and Emma Garnett of Afrofuturist band Fehdah.

Please join us for a panel discussion exploring the role of visual art and music in political protest within the Black power and feminist movements.

**PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT WILL START PROMPTLY AT THE ADVERTISED TIME**