A programme of four short films carefully curated by our Community Coordinator, Chim’Di Ugada. It offers insight into this powerful collection of British short films exploring black lesbian love, grief, and family-building through the work of queer filmmakers.
The screening will start with an intro from Chim’Di. The event will be followed by a Q&A with award-winning directors Simisolaoluwa Akande, Femi Tiwo, and Juliana Kasumu, who will discuss the making of their shorts, inspirations and reflect on the importance of telling diverse black lesbian stories.
View Programme Schedule
Introduction from Chim'Di Ugada, Community Coordinator for Showroom Cinema
Cab Ride (2024) by Chima Nsoedo and Femi Tiwo (10 minutes)
Losing Joy (2022) by Juliana Kasumu (15 minutes)
The Donor (2025) by Nana Duncan (15 minutes)
The Archive: Queer Nigerians (2023) by Simisola Akande (15 minutes)
Q&A with award-winning directors Simisolaoluwa Akande, Femi Tiwo, and Juliana Kasumu
Trigger Warnings
Whilst there are many moments that are sweet and hopeful throughout the films, we are providing a content warning. Some of these short films include themes of death, suicidal thoughts, violence, homophobia, trauma, and flashing images. Please take care of your well-being and step out for breaks if needed.
Accessibility Information
Accessibility information for Showroom Cinema can be found on our website and on AccessAble. If you have any questions regarding accessibility for this event, please feel free to contact us at communties@srws.org.uk
Community Screenings
Showroom's Community screenings are welcoming to all, celebrating the values, cultures and beliefs of Sheffield’s diverse communities. All tickets in the programme are £5.
Community Screenings at Showroom
Scroll down for full details on the programme and directors.
Black Lesbian Shorts Programme
Cab Ride (2024) by Chima Nsoedo and Femi Tiwo
Set in the streets of south London, this naturalistic, comedy drama sees two queer lovers bolt out of a house party, into a waiting cab where they have one eventful journey to figure out whether they are truly a match... Or maybe these dating apps are nothing but admin, admin, admin. The film is an honest insight into the different dynamics that exist within an interlinked community in the small city of London. Can these two individuals break from old habits to find love and a genuine connection?
Duration: 10 minutes
About Chima Nsoedo and Femi Tiwo
Chima Nsoedo is a writer, director and poet. Beginning his career in the creative arts within the DIY movement, Chima wrote, directed and starred in the well-regarded web series Everything a Hero is Not (2013) and A Safe Space (2017). Chima’s short films include Channel 4 Random Acts commission Danielle Belinda Zhawi (2014), and The Couple (2018). Currently, he has completed the pilot episode Ride. A black queer romantic comedy co-written and directed by Femi Tiwo (Ackee & Saltfish).
He is the type of filmmaker who will make a film by any means necessary. As a writer/director, he will make a short film that shows both his love of narrative and ability to communicate through cinema, past and present. Chima is from a working-class background and love for magical realism will bring to the table a warts-and-all story that explores lives less seen on screen with heart and warmth.
Michelle Femi Tiwo is a queer non-binary, Nigerian/Togolese multidisciplinary artist and Barbican young poet alumni. Raised in Sarf East London, Femi’s personal work explores their lost ancestral histories and rituals and the overlapping intersections of their identity. Their work spans from filmmaking, theatre, music and poetry to event production and curation- there is truly no art form off-limits when it comes to fully realising the perspective of this emo with a sunshine aura. Femi is best known for their opinionated and playful queer collective and podcast Sistren (2015-2019) and their acting performances in short-film-turned-YouTube-series, Ackee & Saltfish and Vimeo’s ‘staff pick’ short, Losing Joy.
Losing Joy (2022) by Juliana Kasumu
A young woman struggling to acknowledge the first anniversary of her sister's death is lost in her grief. Will a close friend and past lover be able to guide her into acceptance?
Official Selection of BFI FLARE, Blackstar Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Duration: 15 minutes
About Juliana Kasumu
Juliana Kasumu is a British-Nigerian artist and filmmaker whose multidisciplinary practice spans film, photography, and installation. Through fragmented, non-linear storytelling, she explores identity, memory, and diasporic experience. Her work has been shown internationally, including at the Rencontres de Bamako Biennale, Getty Images Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her installation, What Does the Water Taste Like? was featured in the 2022 London Open at the Whitechapel Gallery and won the 2021 Aesthetica Emerging Art Prize.
Kasumu’s award-winning short BABYBANGZ premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, earning the Grand Jury Prize at AFI Fest and multiple festival awards. Other works include Losing Joy, which screened at BFI Flare and Edinburgh International Film Festival, and Adura Baba Mi, which premiered at Camden International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival.
The Donor (2025) by Nana Duncan
In the pursuit to find the perfect sperm donor, tightly wound Eve and her free-spirited partner, Yasmin interview a string of eccentric candidates, which forces Eve to confront what she truly wants.
Duration: 15 minutes
About Nana Duncan
Nana Duncan is an award-nominated filmmaker and award-winning podcaster who is passionate about bringing queer black stories to the screen. She is a visual writer who can plant you at the centre of the world she creates.
She is a really exciting creative and voice – one half of Two Two’s Podcast which is hosted by Black, Queer, Masculine presenting womxn where they explore topics, from race, relationships and navigating queer spaces. Two Twos Podcast has been featured in publications including Stylist, BuzzFeed, Time Out, and The Guardian and have collaborated with brands including Apple, Spotify, Adidas and Amazon.
Her films include Losing Joy which premiered at BFI Flare LGBTQIA+ Film Festival and selected at Edinburgh International Film Festival and Blackstar Film Festival in the states and The Donor which premiered at S.O.U.L Film Festival and selected at Aesthetica Film Festival.
The Archive: Queer Nigerians (2023) by Simisola Akande
With Nigerian Queer history erased from the national narrative of Nigeria, Queer Nigerians in the UK gather to tell their stories, documenting their experiences so they can never be erased again.
Duation: 25 minutes
About Simisola Akande
Simisolaoluwa Akande is a multi-award-winning experimental filmmaker whose practice explores speculative non-fiction as a means of exploring the tension between national and personal archives. Her work engages archival materials to examine the politics of queer African memory and representation, centring African queer epistemologies and challenging the limits of institutional archives through alternative modes of remembering and knowledge production.
Her 2025 narrative debut, Baby, premiered at the London Film Festival and Won Best Cinematography at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival. Her 2022 documentary, The Archive: Queer Nigerians, achieved international acclaim, screening at IDFA and winning Best Short at LFF. Alongside filmmaking, she contributed the essay, ‘Disordered/speculative memory’, published within the anthology ‘Archiving Resistance and Freedom in African Cinema’.
Director Various
Duration
2h