BUFF BUSINESS Group has unveiled its third festival director and second female festival Director in the 19 year history of the British Urban Film Festival.
Jennifer G Robinson, founder and director of Women of The Lens Film Festival, will take over from Justin Chinyere who stepped down after BUFF 2023 in West Yorkshire.
BUFF has also announced the appointment of Laurelle Jones as its new Artistic Director, replacing Paula Crickard.
The diversity-led film festival is shaking up its programming team ahead of the 20th anniversary of BUFF – founded by veteran film aficionado Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe.
The last 12 months has seen the organisation relocate its operations to West Yorkshire.
Earlier this year, BUFF launched Up North, Down South at Rich Mix in Shoreditch – showcasing its relationship with filmmakers and organisations based in Yorkshire.
It recently announced the London premiere of ‘Drift’ starring Academy award nominated actress Cynthia Erivo and distributed by Met Film (Met Film School has a base in Leeds.
Robinson takes over from Justin Chinyere who oversaw the virtual edition of BUFF on Apple TV in 2020, BUFF 2021 at Renaissance Studios in Brixton, BUFF 2022 at Rich Mix in Shoreditch and BUFF 2023 in Leeds and Halifax.
In January 2017, BUFF appointed Adeyinka Akinrinade as its first female festival Director.
Robinson’s first foray into festival production came in 2015 with the Black Filmmaker International Film Festival created by Menelik Shabazz (‘Burning an Illusion’, ‘The Story of Lovers Rock’). She then went on to create Women Of The Lens Film Festival, where it debuted in November 2017, dedicated to the work of Black British women in the film and creative industries.
Her career spans journalism – cutting her teeth at Bloomberg – and education having served as Head of Department at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Academy, Jennifer has written for multiple publications including The British Blacklist, MelanMagazine, Black FIlm Bulletin (as part of BFI’s Sight and Sound Magazine), the ICO’s Cinema of Ideas and MediaMagazine.
New Artistic Director, Jones, joins BUFF with a background in festival production having worked as festival coordinator for Women of The Lens in 2017.
Jones is a seasoned producer in film, TV and radio having served as a full-time producer with broadcaster TBN UK for two and a half years.
She is currently a producer/project manager at London Podcast Studios where she manages/produces a slate of projects with clients including BBC Sounds, BuzzFeed and Sony Music.
Speaking on her appointment, Robinson said: “It will be an honour to take the reins of one of the UK’s longest running festivals, which dedicates itself to serving our film and wider communities.
“Even with the tumultuous times we’ve been having in the industry over the last couple of years, I’m very optimistic about finding new opportunities, which extends the legacy of BUFF.
“I’m really excited to reflect on the past landmarks and be part of building the future of BUFF. Bring it on.”
Anyiam-Osigwe, BUFF founder, said: “We thank Justin for his huge commitment to BUFF as a mainstay of our team since the 2020 pandemic.
“Justin has made a massive contribution to the success of the film festival over the past four years and will always be much-loved by all of us.
“We’re looking forward to the next era of BUFF celebrating the announcements of Jennifer and Laurelle during International Women’s Month.”
Comments Form
1 Comment
Congratulations to the new team. It is evident that theses changes showcase BUFF’s dedication to promoting diversity and evolving with the times in the film industry. A great job well done to the team.