Joe (David Oyelowo, Selma) a secondary school teacher, faces a rude awakening as the identity and community he’s rejected and chastised turns against him
After reading a report that Black pupils from inner city schools are being failed by the education system, IT consultant Joe Pascale (David Oyelowo,Selma) becomes a teacher at a secondary school in South London with the aim of challenging the system to break the biased culture. Joe’s use of discriminatory methods to ensure Black students are given extra tuition over their white counterparts and his outdated use of humiliation leads to rebellion among his pupils, one of whom falsely accuses him of assault.
Publicity and media attention follow Joe who finds himself branded a racist and it is only after a tumultuous journey of self-discovery that he comes to the understanding that race and cultural identity are merely a state of mind.
A true landmark in the history of Black British film, Shoot the Messenger is presented on Blu-ray for the very first time.
Extras
Presented in High Definition
Three short films by Ngozi Onwurah: The Body Beautiful (1990, 24 mins): an examination of the real-life relationship between the director and her mother, Madge; Flight of the Swan (1992, 12 mins): a young girl leaves her Nigerian village for the cold, harsh landscape of England and White Men are Cracking Up (1994, 20 mins): traces the last day in the life of a white detective, obsessed with a Black ‘street goddess’
English subtitles for the Deaf and partial hearing available on all three short films
Who We Are: Filmmaker Forum with Akua Gyamfi, Fiona Lamptey, Stella Nwimo and Delia René (2020, 66 mins): four women creatives explore Black British film in a series curated by We Are Parable
Illustrated booklet with new writing by Angela Moneke, co-founder of the T A P E Collective, Dwain Brandy, Ann Ogidi, Jan Asante and the BFI’s Grace Barber-Plentie
