To celebrate the UK release of Judas and the Black Messiah, available to rent on BFI Player from 11th March, the BFI and Warner Bros. have collaborated to offer audiences the chance to immerse themselves in this vital and compelling film, via a  three-day virtual experience comprising of a series of online events and curated content.

Judas and the Black Messiah cast and director Q&A

Tuesday 9 March, 7 PM, BFI YouTube

Hip hop artist and writer Akala talks to Shaka King, LaKeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya and Dominique Fishback about their new film Judas and the Black Messiah, and how they found their way into the characters at the heart of the electrifying biographical drama.

Creating the look of Judas and the Black Messiah

Tuesday 9 March, 8 PM, BFI YouTube

Costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones, hair department head Rebecca Woodfork and make-up department head Siân Richards talk to Matimba Kabalika about their work on Judas and the Black Messiah, and the joys and challenges of authentically recreating the world of the Black Panthers and 1960s Chicago.

The journey to bring Judas and the Black Messiah to the big screen

Wednesday 10 March, 7PM, BFI YouTube

Judas and the Black Messiah director Shaka King and producer Charles D. King share their experiences from the process of bringing the stories of Fred Hampton and William O’Neal to screen, including one unforgettable table read. Hosted by NME contributor Amon Warmann.

Shaka King selects

BFI Player from 10 March

Explore the director’s top picks from BFI Player, including Bong Joon Ho’s Mother (2009), which King deems “God level tier filmmaking”, and Short Term 12 (2013) – the film that made him want to work with LaKeith Stanfield.

Daniel Kaluuya in conversation

Thursday 11 March, 7pm, BFI YouTube

Academy Award nominee Daniel Kaluuya sits down with Akua Gyamfi from The British Blacklist to discuss his Golden Globe-winning performance as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, and reflect on his career so far.

Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. Photo: Glen Wilson/Warner Bros.

Daniel Kaluuya shorts collection

BFI Player from 11 March

A trilogy of capsule performances from one of the UK’s finest actors.

Original spoken word poetry by Poetic Unity

We Are Parable have teamed up with spoken word collective Poetic Unity to create and curate a series of poems, specially commissioned to describe 5 of the 10 points defined in The Black Panther Party for Self Defence programme, written by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. These five moving pieces, which illustrate how relevant the points of the programme still are to this day, will be available to watch alongside Judas and the Black Messiah on BFI Player.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Black Cultural Archives and We Are Parable present Hidden in Plain Sight, a conversation with Black Liberation Front member Zainab Abbas, as she talks through her relationships with Black Panthers such as Huey P. Newton and how they aligned in their attempts to secure human, political, social and economic rights for Black people on both sides of the Atlantic. Available to watch now.

Header Image: Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.