Clovis Salmon, the UK’s first black documentary filmmaker, passed away at 98, leaving a legacy of powerful film documentation, including the Brixton riots of 1981. Salmon, who emigrated from Jamaica in 1954, used a clandestine approach with his camera to document the raw emotions and turmoil during the riots. His extensive archives depict the community life in south London, having previously captured struggles such as the fight to establish the first black church in Brixton. Despite his significant contributions being overlooked, his work gained recognition late in life, including a feature at Barbican’s Decolonising Lens series in 2021.
For three days, I went up and down different places, everywhere I heard that they were fighting, riding my bike. And I always take my camera with me.
Jobs, money, National Front, and all the rest, we'd just had enough, so we just explode.
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