The Windrush Caribbean Film Festival (WCCF) seeks to engage and educate audiences across the UK about the contributions of the Windrush generation and their descendants to the country through film screenings, talkbacks, interviews, and workshops. It returns this month with live screenings in three UK cities offering a vibrant program of feature and short films, panels, and speakers. Part of the 2022 Windrush film festival lineup includes the short bio, ‘Russell Henderson’ by Director Mike McKenzie.
Russell Henderson was born in Belmont, Port-of-Spain. In the 1940s, he founded the Russell Henderson Quartet and was a recognized name in Trinidad, accompanying calypsonians such as Lord Pretender, Mighty Growler, and Roaring Lion. The pianist for Beryl McBurnie’s dance troupe at the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook, he also taught melodies to the steelpan pioneer Ellie Mannette of Invaders Steelband. After traveling to the UK, he co-founded Britain’s first Steelband combo (The Russ Henderson Steel Band) with Mervyn Constantine and Sterling Betancourt in late 1952.
Mike Mckenzie’s warm and touching film rightly provides some recognition for this veteran artist, reflecting on Henderson’s long road to fame, from a struggling musician in the 1950s combatting racism and poverty, to receiving recognition by the Queen, with an MBE for long-standing services to the music industry, including his involvement in developing the Notting Hill Carnival. The informality of the documentary provides a welcomed intimacy into Henderson’s life, with filmed interviews and additional commentary from friends who knew him. Unfortunately, the film’s duration seems too short to get a true account of this musician’s character, experiences, and influence of his undoubtedly colorful life. Russell Henderson died on 18 August 2015 at the age of 91. The documentary hits its mark in rightly celebrating Henderson and encouraging you to know more about the life and times of this influential and charismatic artist.
For further information on the festival and screening times, visit https://windrushfilmfestival.com/
Movie Rating: 3 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
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