Dido Elizabeth Belle (1771-1804)

Amma Asante wrote & directed the film ‘Belle’ to tell the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle – her 2nd feature film. Dido Elizabeth Belle (1771-1804) the illegitimate daughter of Sir John Lindsay (1737–1788), naval officer with the Royal Navy. Her mother was a black slave of African origin, possibly called Belle, who had been captured from a Spanish slave ship in the West Indies and brought to England.