Black History Month | USW Professor selected for Silicon Valley African Film Festival

A documentary film by Professor Florence Ayisi, exploring the lives of young boxers in Newport, is among the official film selections for the Silicon Valley African Film Festival, taking place in California this month.

A Beacon of Resilience: St Joseph’s Boxing Club focuses on the Pill community in Newport, and explores the important role of the club in supporting young people from socially and economically underserved and ethnically diverse backgrounds, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the many young people who walk through its doors, the club is more than a place for sporting activity; it provides a safe space for belonging, wellbeing, mentorship, discipline, and building confidence.

The film was made as part of a UKRI-funded research project called Co-POWeR (Consortium on Practices of Wellbeing and Resilience), which examined how Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities redefined wellbeing and resilience during and after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Created by Prof Ayisi alongside research fellows Dr Wendy Booth and Emyr Jenkins, A Beacon of Resilience: St Joseph's Boxing Club has also won a number of awards this year, including Best Feature Documentary at the South West Film Fest in Gloucestershire, and the Award of Honour at the International Sport Film Festival in Slovenia.

Prof Ayisi said: “I am particularly pleased that a documentary grounded in the experiences of a local Newport community boxing gym is now reaching audiences across different national and international contexts. Its recognition by a regional film festival, an international sport film festival, and an African film festival in Silicon Valley also demonstrates the different conversations the film is able to enter around documentary film practice, sport and youth development, community wellbeing, resilience, and the experiences of Black, Asian and African diaspora communities.

“The awards and official festival selections provide important recognition not only for the film and the research, but also for St Joseph’s Boxing Club and the young people, coaches and community members who generously participated in its making, from developing the ideas, to co-creating and shaping the content of the film. Their experiences and contributions are at the heart of the documentary.”

The Silicon Valley African Film Festival takes place in California from 8 - 11 October 2026.

A screening of Beacon of Resilience: St Joseph’s Boxing Club will take place on Thursday 15 October at the Meeting House, USW Treforest Campus, between 12noon and 2pm to celebrate Black History Month.