As mentioned, involving young locals in the process of curating these films is a key part of Abiba’s vision, hoping the project will introduce young people to the myriad ways they can enter the film industry themselves. “I’ve always been interested in film, but I knew I didn’t want to be a filmmaker,” she recalls. “It took me a really long time to realise that there’s actually lots of careers that are adjacent to film, like film-writing, curating or projecting”. In turn, alongside enlisting a team of young volunteers and co-curators, holding Q&As and talks from guest speakers, Abiba hopes to arrange workshops which explore a range of cinema-oriented skills, like film-writing.
The confusion and disappointment that young people often face when trying to enter the competitive film industry is an aspect very personal to Abiba. Once she had decided that a future in film curation was her calling, she was baffled as to the next step. Getting turned down from the very few job opportunities and internships she did find, dealt a massive blow to her confidence. But going to the cinema helped to re-motivate her, meeting people with similar interests at film screenings and events, volunteering at a multitude of film festivals and at another community cinema based in Norbury.
