Dissonance + The Life Cycle of Rainbows

A short film programme exploring music as a universal and healing force for Black people and people of colour at a time of challenging, turbulent and violent politics. The two films invite us to consider how music connects us cosmically to each other and the universe at large, and find common ground in the tools we share for resilience. ABOUT THE FILM PROGRAMME The Life Cycle of Rainbows (India Sky, 2021, UK) traces how the BaKongo Cosmogram has shaped Afro-diasporic music and dance culture. Dissonance (Aderayo Adenekan, 2025, UK) follows a young Black queer woman navigating identity and sexuality after moving cities, using movement, sound and symbolism to hold the tension between who we’re told to be and who we truly are. BEYOND THE SCREEN To shine a light on the films’ themes, there will be a post-screening sound workshop with Listen Gallery! Through a series of playful sound-making exercises, we’ll use the voice to warm the body before exploring where our sounds meet. Taking inspiration from the films, we’ll create an experience of collective songing: a collaborative practice where listening, sound and improvisation come together. This is a participatory workshop that does not require any musical or singing experience. ABOUT THIS EVENT This event will centre the experiences of BPoC audiences, prioritising the communities at the heart of the films being able to gather as freely and safely as possible. Screening as part of our Then, Now, Forever event series exploring music and resistance. BOOKING INFORMATION To make our events more accessible, we operate a sliding scale ticket policy (thanks to SQIFF for leading the way) across all our venues. Choose what to pay based on your personal circumstances, from £0-20. All we ask is that you are honest with us so that we can continue offering this flexibility to those who need it most. When you pay a higher price for a ticket, you help subsidise a ticket for somebody on a lower income.