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Young Barbican Pick & Mix: Beginnings (15*)

Hand-picked short films + a quiz mixer

Still from short film Cousins

Young Barbican Pick & Mix presents Beginnings, a curated screening of short films by Black women directors yet to make their features.

A continuation of her work with the BFI, Black Debutantes: A Collection of Early Works by Black Women Directors, Rógan Graham (Barbican Young Film Programmer alumna) pulls together five short films from the US and the UK that range from nostalgic period dramas, to moving, celebratory documentaries through to contemporary explorations of family - all with Black women in the director’s chair.

This screening will be followed by a quiz mixer for Young Barbican Members in the Cinema Cafe hosted by Grace Barber-Plentie and Isra Al Kassi

Rógan Graham is a writer and programmer from South London, with a specific interest in Black and female filmmakers. Her BFI season, Black Debutantes (May, 2025) gained international coverage and featured on Channel 4 News.

Age restriction: 15+

Event information:

Screening (open to everyone):
6.30-7.40pm in Cinema 3

Quiz social (open to Young Barbican Members only):
7.45-9.45pm in Cinema 2 & 3 Foyer

 

Booking information:

Log into your Young Barbican account to book your tickets for the quiz social. If you're not a Young Barbican member yet, you can register for free below.

16–25? Join Young Barbican for free

Tickets for the quiz are free but limited. Please ensure to add this during your booking, subject to availability.

Ticket prices

Standard
£13 *
* Excludes £1.50 booking fee

Booking fees

£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.

No fee when tickets are booked in person.

Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.

Programme

In Sudden Darkness

A slice of life film set in the Bronx, New York – In Sudden Darkness follows the life of the Moores, a working-class family trying to stay afloat in the midst of a city-wide blackout in 2003.

USA, 2020, dir. Tayler Montague, 13 min

Essex Girls

Flipping the "Essex Girl" trope, this coming-of-age film explores Black British girlhood and magical female friendships in 2009 Essex.

UK, 2023, dir. Yero Timi-Biu, 15 min

Access information

Access

Cinemas 2 & 3 are located at Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican Centre’s main Silk Street entrance. There are a couple of steep, dropped kerbs and an incline to negotiate between the two sites. Level access from Beech Street.

Mobility

Each auditorium has three permanent wheelchair spaces (two in the third row and one in the front row) and 153 fixed seats with capacity for a further three spaces in the front row. Access to each auditorium is up a ramp. There are also a number of seats with step-free access.

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs may be taken into the cinema – please tell us when booking to ensure your seat has enough space. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the foyer staff during the performance.

Hearing facility

An infrared system for hard of hearing customers is provided in each auditorium; headsets or neck loops can be collected from foyer staff. The ticket desk counter is fitted with an induction loop.

For more access information, please visit our Accessibility page.

Cinema 3

Location
Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you across the road to the venue. 

Address
Beech Street
London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.