BLKNWS : Terms & Conditions

  • BLKNWS : Terms & Conditions
Genre : Experimental
Type : Fiction
Original title :
Principal country concerned : Column : Cinema/tv
Year of production : 2025

BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions is designed as a cinematic experience to mirror the sonic textures of a music album. Adapted from Kahlil Joseph's highly acclaimed video art installation, which was shown at the Venice Biennale in 2019, the film interweaves fictional and historical characters in an immersive story that spans 247 years across land and sea. The ocean reveals its mysteries to those passengers aboard the transatlantic liner "The Nautica" who are willing to pause and listen. The film can be viewed as a form of inventory as the collective memories of Black people and the history of the diaspora are brought together in a multi-layered narrative. In its mix of fictional and documentary forms, the film is inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Saidiya Hartman and others, juxtaposing their ideas with archive material and samples from YouTube, social media, film, television and journalism.
The film's unique stereo sound was mastered by a music engineer. The artists involved, including Arthur Jafa and Garrett Bradley, deliver their distinct perspectives across the 21 tracks.



Film by Kahlil Joseph (Director, Screenplay), Saidiya Hartman (Screenplay), Irvin Hunt (Screenplay), Madebo Fatunde (Screenplay), Kristen Adele Calhoun (Screenplay), Christina Sharpe (Screenplay), Kaneza Schaal (Screenplay), Onye Anyanwu (Screenplay)with Kaneza Schaal, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Hope Giselle, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Funmilayo Akechukwu

*Selected for the BERLINALE 2025

Partenaires

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

Avec le soutien de