Subverting historical narratives and identity norms through the surreal and fantastical, Afrofuturism radically critiques racial injustice through exploring alternative realities.

In John Akomfrah’s The Last Angel of History, factual documentary meets fictional narrative as we are guided through networks of music, space, and diaspora by a time-travelling protagonist. Retracing the displacement and deployment of Black musical traditions, Akomfrah bends reality to produce a remarkable work of science-fiction to understand diasporic culture.

Space travel continues in Frances Bodomo’s short film, Afronauts. Set in 1969, Bodomo follows the Zambian space program, hoping to beat America to the moon. Inspired by a true story, the short focuses on a seventeen-year-old girl who eventually becomes the program’s lead cadet.

Screening as part of NI Science Festival. Established in 2014, NI Science Festival has grown to become the largest celebration of its kind on the island of Ireland and in its relatively short lifespan became one of the leading Science Festivals in the whole of Europe.