Movie profile

A Lesson in History

An allegorical story seen through the lens of a black school girl and her search for a history she can identify with.

Lesson in History was produced when Peters was a student at the West Surrey School of Art and Design. Having read The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, she was inspired to make what she describes as 'the stories of black achievement and how stories had not been told.' The animated film was subsequently screened on the BBC as part of the series 10X10. It was shot on 16mm using cutouts, photography and masks.

Directed by Maybelle Peters