BFI and Wikipedia join forces for marathon Wikipedia editing session

We need your help for an epic Editathon at the BFI Reuben Library to enrich Wikipedia’s entries relating to black and Asian British cinema.

Samuel Wigley
Updated:

On 26 January, the BFI is joining forces with Wikipedia UK to present a Wikipedia Editathon in the reading room of the BFI Reuben Library. Experienced Wikipedians and film enthusiasts will be brought together for a sprint of Wikipedia editing on the subject of British BAME (black, Asian, minority ethnic) cinema.

Some of the most important actors, directors and films in the history of black or Asian cinema in the UK have minimal or non-existent entries on Wikipedia. This afternoon-long session will be a concerted effort to enrich these areas of the site, with experts on hand to consult and the resources of the library at participants’ disposal.

The Editathon will run from 2pm to 6pm, beginning with training from Wikipedia’s Jonathan Cardy, before a marathon of editing and ongoing discussion about the issues involved with creating Wikipedia entries.

Among the films identified as in need of improvement are such milestones as Horace Ové’s Pressure (1975), the first film directed by a black person in Britain; Stephen Frears’ My Beautiful Laundrette (1985); and Gurinder Chadha’s Bhaji on the Beach (1993). The first British film directed by a black woman, 1995’s Welcome II to the Terrordome, currently has no Wikipedia entry at all.

Aimed at current and future users of the BFI Reuben Library, the event is open to all. All you need is to register at Wikipedia’s event page, where you can also find a tutorial in Wikipedia editing.

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