1
REEL SISTERS OF THE DIASPORA
This festival’s winning short films may qualify for consideration for the
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Oscars.org/Rules
2
WELCOME TO REEL SISTERS 1 ST LOVE + ACTIVISM VIRTUAL FILM FESTIVAL Dear Friends, Welcome to the 23rd Annual Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival and Lecture Series. Thank you for supporting Reel Sisters’ first virtual film festival! We are so proud to have presented 90+ films by women of color from Brooklyn to Taiwan and Haiti. Our season theme was Love + Activism to reflect the challenges of organizing during a pandemic and political unrest. We wanted to infuse joy and hope throughout this year’s season selection with inspiring films like Miss Curvy, the story of Uganda’s first full figured beauty pageant, and Barakat, a comedy about a middle aged mom who must break the news to her adult sons that she is getting married. We also held several lecture series conversations around films dealing with suicide prevention (Listen directed by Jhanelle Elissa), sexual trauma (Unlearning Sex by Zanah Thirus and Cupcake directed by Courtney Grace) and
overcome perceptions (Ungubani directed by Booker T. Mattison and Target Practice directed by Yasmin Neal). Our talks focused on using art and film to heal our communities by facing issues that need to be addressed. Reel Sisters is closing our festival season paying tribute to acclaimed actress Cecelia (CeCe) Antoinette whose transition in June surprised many of us in the theater and film community. She was a talented actress and writer who touched many lives through mentoring fellow artists and making audiences smile. CeCe’s motto was “I love my life.” Let’s share her zest for life through our service to each other. In the time of COVID, we must embrace love, faith and activism to keep our communities and families safe. Peace & blessings, Carolyn A. Butts Reel Sisters Founder/Festival Director Follow: @africanvoices + @reelsisters
A F R IC A N VO ICE S B OA RD Carolyn A. Butts, Publisher/Editor Jeannette Curtis-Rideau, Board Chairperson Kenneth Meeks, Board Treasurer Vera Sims, Member Ebonee Tinker, Esq.
Reel S iste r s F i l m Fe st i va l Co m mi t te e 2020 Carolyn A. Butts, Founder/Festival Director Sandra Proto, Festival Coordinator Esther Duran, Curator NĂke Uche Kadri, Curator Kim Singleton, Curator Christine Susan Chung, Production Manager Kailee Andrews, Technical Production Manager Kosi Harris, Publicist Denile Doyle, Volunteer Coordinator Kristin Pintauro, Graphic & Web Designer Courtney Chamblin, Festival Intern Joleen Small, Social Media Team Stacey Jones, Social Media Team Zhe Chen, Screening Volunteer
Special Thanks Heath Snow, Virtual Technician Rhonda Haynes and Moikgantsi Kgama
M ed ia Sp o n s o r s & Co m m un i t y Par t ne r s Sol Cinema Cafe, Akila Worksongs, Walk Tall Girl Productions, Black Public Media, Black Documentary Collective, National Black Writers Conference and Stephens College MFA in TV & Screenwriting
Vo l un te e r s 2 02 0 Special thanks to all our volunteers!
S p o n s o r s & S up p o r te rs Warner Media, the New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Brooklyn Arts Council, Council members Laurie Cumbo (35 CD) and Farah Louis (45 CD). Front cover photo: Yellow Girl & Me directed by Isabella Issa 4
RE E L S I STE R S AWA R D -W IN N IN G FI LMS 2020
BEST SHORT NARRATIVE AWARD
My Father The Mover Director: Julia Jansch Producer: Julia Jansch Mandilakhe Yengo Sheila Nevins
(Oscar Qualifying Winner) A Trip with Mom Writer: Sophie SHUI Director: Sophie SHUI Producer: TING, CHI-FANG
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barakat Writer: Amy Jephta Ephraim Gordon Director: Amy Jephta Producer: Ephraim Gordon
The Moon Never Dies Writer: Mariona Lloreta & Josep Lloreta Trull Director: Mariona Lloreta Producer: Mariona Lloreta & Fernanda Mandriola Director of Photography: Alberto Marchiori
BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE AWARD
The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show Director: Yoruba Richen Producer: Valerie Thomas, Joan Walsh and Big Beach
Ouro Preto Writer: San Sonadie Mateus Lustosa Director: San Sonadie Producer: Limonada Audiovisual
BEST ANIMATION AWARD
Windup Writer: Yibing Jiang Director: Yibing Jiang Producer: Silvia Rasheva Aleksander Karshikoff Animation Director: Jason Keane
BEST EXPERIMENTAL AWARD
REEL SISTERS SPIRIT AWARD
HONORABLE MENTIONS
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT AWARD
Sundays at The Triple Nickel Director: Jessica Colquhoun Producer: Cordielle Street
The Moon Never Dies Writer: Mariona Lloreta & Josep Lloreta Trull Director: Mariona Lloreta Producer: Mariona Lloreta & Fernanda Mandriola Kelet Writer: Susani Mahadura Director: Susani Mahadura Producer: Barbara Lybeck
Yellow Girl and Me Writer: Isabella Issa Director: Isabella Issa Producer: Paul V Fishback
- TIED Miss Curvy Directed by: Ghada Eldemellawy Producer: Ghada Eldemellawy
5
REE L S I ST E RS AWA R D -W IN N IN G F ILM SUMMA RI ES BEST SHORT NARRATIVE AWARD (Oscar Qualifying Winner) A Trip with Mom Director/Writer: Sophie SHUI Producer: TING, CHI-FANG Narrative, 25 min. In order to take care of his old mother (played by Liou, Yiin-Shang), who has lost her intelligence and is disabled, Xia Changming (played by Yi-Wen CHEN) remains unemployed at home. The family of four has been relying on his wife Xiaoling (played by CHIN, TZU-YEN), an insurance salesperson, for many years. BEST DOCUMENTARY & BEST DIRECTOR AWARDS The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show Director: Yoruba Richen Producer: Valerie Thomas, Joan Walsh and Big Beach Doc., 75 min. The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show illuminates how one week changed television culture, opening it up to entertainers of color and fusing art and politics in a singular way. It tells this story through contemporary interviews with Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, Questlove and many others. BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT AWARD - TIE Miss Curvy Producer/Director: Ghada Eldemellawy Doc., 24 min. When Uganda announces its first-ever beauty pageant for plus-size women, schoolteacher and single mother Namukasa Mariam seizes the opportunity. Hoping to gain strength by confronting past traumas and her abusive ex-husband, she soon finds herself surrounded by national controversy, fierce rivalry and extravagant characters. My Father The Mover Director: Julia Jansch Producer: Julia Jansch Mandilakhe Yengo and Sheila Nevins Doc., 12 min. Alatha’s father says he’s more than a dancer — he’s a Mover. Using a unique type of African electronic “Gqom beats,” The Mover helps kids in the township of Khayelitsha, South Africa, transcend poverty and abuse and “find their superpowers,” though he has difficulty getting his daughter, Alatha, to find her own powers. 6
REEL S I ST E RS AWA R D -W IN N IN G F IL M SUMMA RI ES , cont . BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE Barakat Writer: Amy Jephta and Ephraim Gordon Director: Amy Jephta Producer: Ephraim Gordon Narrative, 98 min. When matriarch Aisha Davids decides to accept a marriage proposal, she devises a plan to break the news to her four sons over Eid. Her big reveal is spoiled when the boys hear about their mother’s pending nuptials through the grapevine. Now it’s up to Aisha, her fiancé and her daughters-in-law to bring the sons around using the one thing they can all agree on — the barakat. BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD Ouro Preto Writer: San Sonadie and Mateus Lustosa Director: San Sonadie Producer: Limonada Audiovisual Narrative, 15 min. Ouro preto is a slave woman. She set up a peaceful plan and because of her plan, she and her Nation are freed. REEL SISTERS SPIRIT AWARD Yellow Girl and Me Director/Writer: Isabella Issa Producer: Paul V. Fishback Narrative, 19 min. Set in the Jamaican countryside, ten-year-old Nicole waits for her sister, Yellow Girl, to teach her how to swim. Circumstances escalate when Yellow Girl breaks her promise, and Nicole realizes that she is next in line for a life of sexual abuse. Nicole is forced to decide how far she will go to protect herself and her sister. BEST ANIMATION AWARD Windup Director/Writer: Yibing Jiang Producer: Silvia Rasheva Aleksander Karshikoff Animation Director: Jason Keane Animation, 10 min. A father tries to stay connected with his daughter through music. He plays a windup music box that she can hear in her dreams that helps guide her on her way back. 7
REEL S I ST E RS AWA R D -W IN N IN G F IL M SUMMA RI ES , cont . BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY & BEST EXPERIMENTAL AWARDS The Moon Never Dies Writer: Mariona Lloreta & Josep Lloreta Trull Director: Mariona Lloreta Producer: Mariona Lloreta and Fernanda Mandriola Director of Photography: Alberto Marchiori Narrative, 13 min. On the brink of becoming a teenager, carefree Leo lives with his father and ailing grandmother. While going through the motions of a seemingly normal day, they navigate the complexities of their relationship and the trials of a changing season. HONORABLE MENTIONS Kelet Writer: Susani Mahadura Director: Susani Mahadura Producer: Barbara Lybeck Doc., 65 min. Kelet, a young Somali trans woman, has left her family in Manchester and returned to her childhood home Finland, where with the support of her friends in the Ballroom community, she is following her dream of becoming a model. Kelet is about pursuing your dreams and the importance of family and community. Sundays at The Triple Nickel Directed by: Jessica Colquhoun Producer: Cordielle Street Doc., 13 min. On Edgecombe Avenue in Sugar Hill, Harlem, Marjorie Eliot is making sure her apartment building’s iconic Jazz legacy lives on. This film tells the story of the women behind the piano and the significance of Marjorie’s generous vision, as she leaves behind her own legacy.
8
RE E L S IST E R S AWA R D S S CH E D ULE 2020
Welcome – Carolyn A. Butts, Reel Sisters Founder Charles Reese, Master of Ceremonies A Posthumous Tribute to CeCe Antoinette Outta My Name – Short Film Cathleen Campbell Dedication to CeCe Antoinette Cathleen Accepts Reel Sisters Trailblazer Award on behalf of CeCe’s Family Greetings & Remarks — Council members Laurie Cumbo and Farah Louis Presentation to Reel Sisters Award Winners & Honorees Curator Award Presentations Honorable Mentions Best Experimental Best Cinematography Best Animated Short Rodney Earl Jackson, Jr., Performance Curator Presentations Reel Sisters Spirit Award Best Screenplay Best Director Jerrie Johnson, poet Curator Presentations Best Documentary Feature Best Documentary Short Best Narrative Feature Best Narrative Short (Oscar Qualifying Film) Jerrie Johnson, poet Closing Remarks — Carolyn A. Butts, Reel Sisters Founder After Party
9
A P O ST H U M O US T R IB UT E TO CECE LI A A NTO I NETTE REEL SISTERS TRAILBLAZER AWARD 2020 1949-2020 Cecelia Antoinette was an acclaimed theater and film actress as well as a writer. In CeCe’s own words: “I love my life!” She performed on Broadway in Mule Bone by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, and in regional productions of Member of The Wedding, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, and St. Lucy’s Eyes (where she originated the role and understudied Ruby Dee). She studied playwriting with Alice Childress, Charles Fuller, J. E. Franklin and Aiesha Rahman. She wrote Brown Gal’s Rising, a book of poetry; Just As I am, a produced play; and her popular one-woman show “Watermelon Git It While It’s Hot,” a comedic tour-de-force showcasing CeCe playing eight characters. She frequently guest-starred in network and Cable TV shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Godfather of Harlem, A Black Lady Sketch Show, The Punisher, Blue Bloods, Weeds, 2 Broke Girls, Scrubs, Girlfriends, Mad Men, Crossing Jordan, Law & Order: SVU, The Chris Rock Show, Sex And The City and Stage Left. Her film credits included New Jersey Drive, MOTV and numerous other award-winning independent films. She starred in Cathleen Campbell’s short film Outta My Name that premiered at the Reel Sisters. CeCe loved Reel Sisters audiences and they loved her right back. CeCe felt truly appreciated by Festival Founder Carolyn A. Butts, and Reel Sisters had a special place in her heart. She was respected and admired by her fellow actors. She lovingly embraced the role of mentor to younger actors, writers and directors. CeCe will be remembered for her incredible kindness and zest for life as much as for her amazing talent.
10
M AST E R O F CE R E M O N I ES
CHARLES REESE A thespian and performance artist for more than 25 years, Charles Reese is now streaming on Amazon Prime in the TV sitcom, Beauty and the Baller as the feisty chef, Jalil. Reese is known in the theatrical circles for his critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway performance in Howard B. Simon’s production of James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire. Critic David DeWitt of The New York Times called the play, “...funny, thrilling and wise, buoyed by the passionate performance of Charles Reese in the title role.” Reese co-authored the book adaption of James Baldwin: A Soul On Fire, which includes the play version and commentary to pay homage to Baldwin’s legacy as an author and civil rights activist. He is the Artist in Residence for the James Baldwin Writers’ Colony at the Emerson College European Center-Kasteel Well in the Netherlands. Reese is currently represented by BH Talent & Literary Agency. Instagram: @TheCharlesReeseExperience.
Charles and CeCe.
Charles and CeCe. 11
AWAR D S P R E S E N T E R TO CECE L IA A NTO I NETTE
CATHLEEN CAMPBELL Cathleen Campbell is a filmmaker and photographer. She was profiled on Shadow and Act in its “Black Women Filmmakers Speak” series. Campbell’s short film— Outta My Name (starring Cecelia Antoinette) — premiered at the Reel Sisters. It was televised nationwide in the African American Short Films series. It also screened at the Manhattan Film Festival, the National Black Writer’s Conference, the Black Women in Comedy Festival and NYWIFT Online Festival. Her short Am I Buggin’ is in this years’ Reel Sisters. It’s based on Selina Hernandez’s fierce poem about gentrification in East Harlem. Another short starring honoree Cece Antoinette — Langston Hughes’ No Crystal Stair — is streaming in the Black Harvest Festival (Nov. 12-25, 2020). To the Black Woman in a Trump Mask is her latest short, completed right before the 2020 Presidential election. Two photographs from her Black Lives Matter series were published in The Nation this summer. Last year, she had her first solo exhibit — along with several group shows — in New York and Chicago. She’s currently developing a web series and her first feature. You can see her photos and read more about Campbell’s films at cccpix.com an instagram.com/ cathleencampbellpix.
12
D IR ECTO R ’S S P OT L IG HT SOPHIE SHUI Director A Trip with Mom - Reel Sisters Oscar Qualifying Winner Sophie SHUI was born in a typhoon season in Fengsan, Koashiung. Bathed in the warm sunlight and gentle breeze of southern Taiwan, She grew up with a cheerful personality. She finds pleasure in seeking knowledge and is fascinated by novel things. After working for more than 20 years in the print media industry, Sophie began pursuing her passion for movies in her 50s, determined to devote the rest of her life to filmmaking. She resigned from her job and got accepted to a professional school to learn the theory and practice of filmmaking. Director SHUI is good at drawing materials from real-life experiences, supplemented by documenting and experimental storytelling technique, depicting the complexity of human nature. Her works are fantastic, daring and profound, which often have unexpected endings, yet filled with human feelings, leaving audiences with lingering afterthoughts.
Sophie was the playwright-director of the experimental film “My Childhood” and many feature films, such as “Remembering and Yearning”, “Penalty”, “This Is an Untold Secret” and “Underpass.” She was also the director of the documentary film “Jiang Fung’s Diary.” A Trip with Mom won the Canadian Short Film Award, the Best Short Film Award in the UK, the “Best Actress Award” in the Taipei Film Festival, the “Special Mention Award” of the Taiwan International Women’s Film Festival, and the Beijing Film Academy International Student Film and TV Works Exhibition “Excellent Work Award” (the only Chinese film award). The film was shortlisted for the first stage of the Golden Horse Awards Best Short Films. It was selected as the best drama film and best director of the Golden Spike Student Group. A Trip With Mom was selected as one of the important films in the Kaohsiung Film Festival and received the New Taipei City Student Video Star Award. 13
PERFORMERS RODNEY EARL JACKSON Rodney Earl Jackson Jr. is a Co-Founder of SFBATCO. He made his Broadway debut in “The Book of Mormon” and was last seen at American Conservatory Theatre in the West Coast premiere of “Toni Stone”. Prior to that he traveled North America in the first national tour of “Motown: The Musical.” A San Francisco native who built his love and foundation for art and theatre in public city organizations such as SFartsEd, San Francisco Recreation and Park’s Young People’s Teen Musical Theater Company, and the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts’ where he graduated from the theatre department. He is now the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company. Other theatre credits: Berkeley Repertory “Ain’t Too Proud: the life and times of the Temptations”, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company “I, Too, Sing America”. @rodneyearljacksonjr
JERRIE JOHNSON Jerrie Johnson is an Actress, Poet, and Arts Activist. She has graduated from the American Conservatory Theater with her MFA in acting and has since been seen in Freeforms Good Trouble. Before the Quarantine she had been filming The Untitled Tracy Oliver Project as a series Regular alongside Grace Byers, Meagan Good, and Shoniqua Shandai. Jerrie also is an advocate for fresh food accessibility in underserved neighborhoods, a spiritual advisor, and a wellness coach. She is currently working on a memoir on her healing journey as a queer black femme creative. You can follow personal page on Instagram @thejerriejohnson and her wellness page @earthfoodgoddess
THELMA RAMSEY Thelma Ramsey comes to us from across the Hudson in New Jersey. She has been dee-jaying for the past 15 years, turning her hobby into a side gig!! A lover of all genres of music, she considers herself a “house head” and plays lots of house music. In addition to being a DJ, she is a stand-up comic and a writer. You can catch her mixes on Mixcloud under dj teeramz. In her professional life she is a principal of a middle school in New Jersey. When not djing, she enjoys reading, riding her Can Am and hanging with her friends and family. 14
CO UN CIL M E M B E R NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FARAH N. LOUIS Farah N. Louis is a first-generation Brooklynite who was raised in an immigrant and pro-union household—an experience that later propelled her into advocacy, community organizing, and ultimately a career in public service. After nearly six years of service as a staffer, Louis ran in the special election to fill the 45th Council District seat after it was vacated by former Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. She won the election with 42 percent of the votes following six contentious weeks of campaigning. In 2019, Council Member Louis became the first woman to represent the 45th District, which comprises Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Marine Park, Flatlands, and Kensington in Brooklyn, NY. During her first year in office, Council Member Louis rolled out an ambitious agenda and spearheaded critical legislation to protect survivors of domestic violence; close the food insecurity gap; expand access to nonprofit services, education, reproductive rights, and healthcare. She is the Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus and Vice Co-Chair of the Black, Latino/a, and Asian Caucus. She is also a member of the committees on Civil Service and Labor; Economic Development; Education; Finance; Housing and Buildings; Youth Services; and the Justice System. Prior to joining the City Council, Louis worked as an administrator in healthcare at Mount Sinai Hospital and was an active 1199 member for eight years. Louis was also a seasoned publicist with fifteen years of experience and a journalist with several media outlets. In 2012, she founded Girls Leading Up (GLU), an organization seeking to transform girls and young women into emerging leaders through mentoring and hands-on experience. As a staunch believer in civic engagement, Louis has worked closely with elected officials, city agencies, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses to bridge the opportunity gap through education. Her parents emigrated from Haiti to Brooklyn where they overcame language barriers, discrimination, and other challenges while rebuilding their lives in Brooklyn as a middle-class family. Council Member Louis is a proud graduate of the New York City public school system as an alumna of Midwood High School, located in the heart of Flatbush. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Strategic Communications from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Long Island University. 15
CO UN CIL M E M B E R NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MAJORITY LEADER LAURIE A. CUMBO Council Member, 35th District, Brooklyn Laurie A. Cumbo, the founder of MoCada, was appointed as the Majority Leader for the New York City Council in January 11, 2018. She is the first African-American woman to serve in this capacity and proudly represents the 35th Council District in Brooklyn. In 2013, Ms. Cumbo was appointed to chair the prestigious Women’s Issues Committee and was selected to serve on the Finance, Cultural Affairs and Libraries, Higher Education, Youth Services and Public Housing committees. She remains an advocate for raising the minimum wage to $15, pay equity and breaking the cycles of domestic violence. She successfully championed for the implementation of the New York City Paid Family Leave policy. She passed the largest cultural legislative package almost tripling the budget for the Percent for Art Program and advocating for the largest increase in the Department of Cultural Affairs’ budget in 35 years. She passed legislation to create the first-ever citywide Minority and Women-Owned Businesses Task Force. Ms. Cumbo created the first-ever Mayor’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence. She is a fierce advocate for tenants’ rights. Ms. Cumbo has passed over two dozen pieces of legislation focused in the areas of tenants’ rights, seniors, foster care reform, sex education implementation, gun violence prevention, arts equity, women’s health, public safety and gender equity. Majority Leader Cumbo will play a pivotal role in guiding the borough delegations and caucuses, particularly during the budget process; securing additional Council funding for schools; empowering young women and girls as future leaders; expanding access for youth of all backgrounds to a globally competitive curriculum that incorporates science, technology, education, arts, and mathematics (S.T.E.A.M./S.T.E.M.); increasing opportunities for our M/WBEs, fighting for greater affordable housing and ensuring women have a seat at the table.
16
Write Reach Represent The Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting is proud to support the work of the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora. We share the goal of bringing more female and under-represented voices into the Hollywood mainstream. Our low-residency MFA program is focused on women’s voices. Our WGA writer-mentors will show you how to compete as a writer in the new Golden Age of television and succeed in the rapidly changing world of screenwriting while celebrating and respecting your personal story.
dream up.
Writre your story. Reach the world. stephens.edu (573) 876-7207 gradadmissions@stephens.edu
17
CELEBRATING DIVERSE VOICES WarnerMedia is committed to providing opportunities to emerging storytellers. As a proud sponsor of the 2020 Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, we understand the importance of showcasing ďŹ lms produced, directed and written by women of color.
Now, more than ever, your stories need to be told.
18