film

Ajamu X, Holding the Frame is a 20-minute documentary that immerses viewers in the unapologetic world of acclaimed artist and archivist Ajamu X. Rejecting stereotypical and oppressive depictions of Black masculinity, Ajamu uses his camera to celebrate Black queer bodies with intimacy, agency and erotic power. The film chronicles him as photographer and archivist, documenting his pivotal role in the founding of the rukus! Black LGBTQIA+ Archive, a groundbreaking initiative that empowers communities to preserve their own narratives. Through scenes of photoshoots, childhood in Huddersfield and behind the scenes access to his creative process, the film captures Ajamu’s approach and art. Revealing an artist who revels in emphasising consent, joy and resistance and a work that radiates defiance and liberation. With its glitch-infused aesthetic and layered soundscape, Ajamu X, Holding the Frame, mirrors Ajamu’s own artistic rebellion, offering not just a portrait of an artist, but a bold statement on self representation, Black pleasure and his enduring fight against Black respectability politics.