SHOOT THE MESSENGER

NARRATIVE, UK, 2006, 100 minutes

Director: Ngozi Onwurah
Producer: Anne Pivcevic
Co-Producer: Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo
Screenwriter: Sharon Foster
Ngozi Onwurah in attendance

Working with acid-tongued screenwriter Sharon Foster and agile, bold actor David Oyelowo, director Ngozi Onwurah has fashioned a brilliant, flamboyantly theatrical, social satire that fearlessly takes on issues of black identity and self-hatred. The fall of Joe (Oyelowo,) a middle class black Londoner, begins when he loses his teaching job, thanks to the scheming of one of his students who resents his missionary attitude and regards him as a slumming Buppie. Blaming black people for everything wrong with his life, Joe descends into a paranoid-schizophrenic state, from which he is rescued by the very black people he believed were out to get him. Shoot the Messenger proved highly controversial in Britain when it aired on the BBC, which is exactly what Onwurah and Foster wanted it to be. It’s a film that will provoke discussion long after it’s over. (Amy Taubin)

· BBC Dennis Potter Screenwriting Award

Ngozi OnWurah was born in Britain then moved to Nigeria with her family, returning seven years later during the Nigerian civil war. She has been widely acknowledged as one of the most talented directors in Britain and has won international acclaim. She graduated St Martins School of Art with a First Class honours degree in Fine Art Film & Video. Her graduation film COFFEE COLOURED CHILDREN, kick-started her career when it won first prize in the BBC Showreel competition. She then completed postgraduate studies in Drama Direction at the National film & Television School.

More success and awards followed with further dramas and documentaries for a number of British and international broadcasters including SOUTH OF THE BORDER, a ground breaking drama series for the BBC. She was awarded the prestigious honour of a special retrospective screenings at the New York Film Festival for her films, THE BODY BEAUTIFUL (Channel 4/BFI), MONDAYS GIRLS (BBC) and AND STILL I RISE (BBC). Her first feature film, WELCOME II THE TERRORDOME, won first prize at the Birmingham International Film Festival & the Cologne Film Festival as well as the audience prize at the Verona Film Festival.

Ngozi has directed episodes of HEARTBEAT for Yorkshire Television, the top-rated British drama series with an audience of over 18 million. BEHIND THE MASK (BBC/M-Net, Africa), a drama-documentary made in collaboration with Broker Prize winner Ben Okri has been a great success in international television markets. I BRING YOU FRANKINCENSE (BBC) was premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and received awards at several international film festivals. HANGTIME (M-Net/Wellspring) had a theatrical release in America as part of MAMA AFRICA. Ngozi has also presented lectures, workshops and seminars at several universities including Harvard, Yale, UCLA, USC, NYU, Colombia, Wellesley, Spellman, Cornell, Syracuse, Morehouse and was a visiting fellow at University of Michigan. SHOOT THE MESSENGER (BBC Films) is her first project following a 4-year ‘baby making’ break.