Latenight Tales with Cecil Morris
During the 16th Flatpack Festival (17-22 May 2022) we had the pleasure of staging a conversation between Cecil Morris and Garry Stewart of Recognize Black Heritage & Culture.
Since arriving in Birmingham from Jamaica in the early 60s, Cecil has been a musician, DJ and cultural entrepreneur for over fifty years. During the event he talked about the late-night film screenings he promoted at the Elite on Soho Road during the 1970s, and his role in setting up PCRL. This community pirate radio station was crucial to the city's Black community from its birth in the early 80s, surviving numerous raids by the DTI until it was finally closed down in 2004.
The conversation formed part of Flatpack's Wonderland programme, presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival and supported by Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund. Cecil is a featured character within the Wonderland exhibition, which runs at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery until 30 October 2022.
With thanks to the Mockingbird for hosting the event, and to Sima Gonsai for documenting it.
Watch here:
And if you're interested in more cinema conversations and events, head over to our Wonderland page.