On the 24th of November many schools in Redbridge visited Ilford Cineworld for a screening of the film adaptation of ‘The Colour Purple’. Students from The Ursuline Academy Ilford were given this opportunity due to their volunteering in their school Library. The film started approximately at 10 and finished at 1, and many students were surprised of the duration of the film. Multiple students didn’t know what to expect due to not having read the novel by Alice Walker and were constantly surprised with the life of the character of Celie (played by Whoopi Goldberg who won a Golden Globe Award for this role). The film focused on the young African American girl Celie Harris and explores the difficulties African American women faced during the early 20th century. Some of the problems they faced in the film are domestic violence, poverty, racism and sexism, but the film ends on a happier note as Celie finds her self-worth through the help of two strong female companions and is also able to reunite with her sister and children. Peace (Ursuline Academy Ilford), said, “this was a really good film, I’m definitely going to read the book now as”. Rebecca, (also from The Ursuline Academy Ilford) said, “this film had me tears, it really shocked me that women were treated this badly but it scares me that some women around the world are still being treated like this, it really needs to stop!”. The cast of the film also includes Oprah Winfrey (making her film-debut), Margaret Avery (Shug Avery), Lawrence Fishburne, etc., and was directed by Steven Spielberg and was also nominated for eleven Academy Awards but unfortunately failed to win any, however the film and story has been extremely eye opening for many and is still watched by many today.

Tahiya Ahmed-Ursuline Academy Ilford