Nigerian-British entrepreneur, Clare Anyiam-Osigwe has made another mark as the 6th Black British female director in history to have a feature film released in UK cinemas with her debut feature, No Shade.
Scheduled for Friday, November 2, 2018, the highly anticipated release of No Shade follows a successful premiere in Cannes, Washington and London where it opened this year’s British Urban Film Festival (BUFF).
Written & directed by Anyiam-Osigwe, the award-winning dermatologist puts colourism and the problematic nature of skin-tone preference in the spotlight.
Last year, she became the first Black British female to be honoured by the Queen for services to Dermatology.
Speaking ahead of the release, Anyiam-Osigwe said: “From Welcome II the Terrordome to Wakanda in Black Panther, black directors have taken ownership on the constant feud that prevails amongst black people concerning what it means to be black and what it means to be favoured amongst one’s own race. Spike Lee has embraced this issue more than most with films such as School Days in the 1980’s and Jungle Fever in the 1990’s. Today in 2018, I find myself taking ownership on the same issue albeit from the perspective of a Dermatologist who has seen and heard from clients first hand, the long term effects of Colourism”.
The movie explores the hardships of the modern dating world through the dysmorphic presence of colorism as well as the fetishization of black women in a way that is tactful and honest. In No Shade, Jade is both effervescent and relatable as a 28 year old single woman of dark complexion who just “can’t seem to get it right,” let alone liberate herself from her unrequited love for the repressive and colorist Danny. The world through her eyes is both a quirky and tumultuous obstacle course of courtship catastrophes and heart-gripping silences. Despite Jade’s line up of Tinder flops and her challenges in the friend-zone, she is easy to engage with and adorable. Jade’s charisma, quirk, beauty, vulnerability and perseverance throughout the film make her a thoughtful heroine with a twist of comedic spunk in the end.