Program Guide Contents Schedule at a Glance ...................... 3 About the Festival ...................... 7 Who We Are ...................... 11 Panel Descriptions ................. 18 Short Film Programs .................... 24 Film Synopses .................... 28 Screenplay Competition .................... 61 Closing Night Ceremony .................... 64 Getting to the Festival .................... 68
SCHEDULE-AT-A-GLANCE Thursday, August 1
Friday, August 2
Saturday, August 3
Sunday, August 4
Black Film Now! 11:00am | IHP (Free)
By Any Means Necessary: Producing Independent Film 11:00am | IHP (Free)
Tiny Sparks: Children & Family Films 11:00am | IHP (Free)
Howard University & Visualizing Blackness 12:00pm | IHP (Free)
African Independence 12:30pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
Freedom Unfolds: Shorts Program 1:00pm | DU ($10/$7/$5)
Black Radical Imagination 12:30pm | IHP (Free) Homegoings 2:00pm | IHP (Free)
Butterfly Rising 12:50pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
Pull of Gravity 4:00pm | IHP (Free)
Darkness Before Light: Shorts Program 2:45pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
Question Bridge: Black Males 6:00pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
Living Thinkers 4:15pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
Opening Night Reception 8:00pm | CTH (Free) RSVP required
This Is Who I Am: Films by Youth 6:00pm | IHP (Free) Arts Shorts 6:45pm | BF ($10/$7/$5) Tey (w/Merkato) 8:30pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
Black Women, Body Image & Hollywood Home:_____ 1:00pm | DU (Free) 1:45pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5) Screenplay Competition 3:00pm | IHP (Free)
Elza 3:00pm | DU ($10/$7/$5)
Ring di Alarm: Shorts 3:00pm | DU (Free)
Yelling to the Sky 4:10pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
Hip Hop: The New World Order 4:30pm | DU (Free)
Mother of George (w/Boneshaker) 6:15pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
Chasing Sonic Rainbows: Music Videos 5:30pm | IHP (Free)
Awards Ceremony & Closing Reception 8:30pm | IHP (Free)
The Brother From Another Black February Planet (Re-contextualized) 6:30pm | DU ($10/$7/$5) w/ live score 9:00pm | JB ($12) Nairobi Halflife 7:00pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5) Things Never Said (w/The Bluest Note) 9:00pm | IHP ($10/$7/$5)
For full synopses, trailers, and special guest bios, please visit our website blackstarfest.org/events 3
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ABOUT THE FESTIVAL BlackStar is a gathering of filmmakers, patrons, and enthusiasts who will attend screenings and participate in panels, workshops, and conversations to expand the vision and understanding of the global black experience. Acknowledging the diversity and complexity of identity within a diaspora that includes long-standing communities throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Africa (including its 54 countries), creates space for dialogue and opens the opportunity for a greater perspective of what it means to be black. The films presented by BlackStar comprise a dynamic and important collection--one that is unlike any other--because they highlight both independence and cultural community. Over all, the festival aims to provide a 360째 view about art and its place in daily life, and celebrates the varied landscape of black life. Venues
Tickets
International House Philadelphia (IHP) 3701 Chestnut Street
Individual Film Tickets
Drexel University, Papadakis Building (DU) 33rd and Chestnut Streets The Barnes Foundation (BF) 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Johnny Brendas (JB) 1201 Frankford Avenue City Tap House (CTH) 3925 Walnut Street
$10 ........ General Admission $7 ........... Students & Seniors (with ID) $5 ........... International House Members & Drexel Students/Staff King Britt Concert at Johnny Brendas $12 ........ General Admission Festival Passes $125 ........ All-Festival Pass $125 $ 75 ......... Ten Ticket Bundle $75 $40 .......... Five Ticket Bundle $40 To purchase tickets online visit blackstarfest.org/schedule.
#BlackStarFF 7
August 1, 2013 Welcome to the 2nd Annual BlackStar Film Festival, dedicated to amplifying the often-unheard voices of black independent artists who, through high quality and genre-defying film works, are facilitating an exchange of fresh ideas and new stories that reflect the wide diversity of the global black experience. This year we are amazed to have nearly doubled in size and present to you over 70 films from around the world—narrative, experimental, documentary, and music video—that disrupt narrow stereotypes and help to expand our thinking and facilitate nuanced ways in which we see blackness represented in cinema. We are introducing new elements—a short screenplay competition, a juried film competition, and audience awards, as well as awarding the Howard University Film Program with special recognition for its impact in shaping independent black cinema over the past three decades. However, and perhaps most importantly, we are gathering again to engage and connect with other like-minded filmmakers, critics, and cinéastes, who are passionate about cinema emanating from the African diaspora. On behalf of the all-volunteer Producing Committee, Program Committee and Advisory Board, I thank all of our sponsors, donors, and community partners, and I also thank you for joining us. Peace,
Maori Karmael Holmes Founder & Artistic Director
Maori Karmael Holmes Artistic Director Denise Beek Managing Director Lauren Jane Holland Communications Director HONORARY CO-CHAIRS Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter ADVISORY BOARD Erica Atwood Danielle Ayers Yaba Blay Brigitte Daniel Nicole Giles Karim Lateef Shantrelle Lewis Brandon Pankey Marangeli Mejia-Rabell Roya Rastegar Donyale Reavis Taj Reid Rakia Reynolds Akiba Solomon Tayyib Smith FISCAL SPONSOR Art Sanctuary
PRODUCING COMMITTEE Amadee Braxton Nuala Cabral Kamilah Clarke Jos Duncan Madeleine Hunt Ehrlich Marla Harris Eugene Haynes Adrienne Kenton Dave McDowell Biany Pérez Evelyn Salcedo Jacob Winterstein Patrice Worthy Adina Wright Rashid Zakat PROGRAM COMMITTEE Phil Asbury Kim Brundidge Sara Zia Ebrahimi Hope Steinman-Iacullo INTERNS Julia Aguilar Jordana Lipsitz Kelcie Ulmer
BlackStar Film Festival c/o Art Sanctuary 628 S. 16th Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 267. 603. 2755 star@blackstarfest.org www.blackstarfest.org facebook.com/blackstarfest twitter.com/blackstarfest
#BlackStarFF
2013 POSTER DESIGN Andrea Pippins MEDIA RELATIONS Skai Blue Media
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BlackStar would not be possible without the support of our individual donors, filmmakers, sponsors, community partners, vendors, and you! 2013 Donors (in alphabetical order)
Special Thank Yous
Denise Beek Aronte Bennett William and Revella Bostard Amadee Braxton Beverly Braxton Denise Brown Kim Brundidge Allison Budschalow Craig Carpenter Casey Cook & Shauna Swarz Sara Zia Ebrahimi David A. Fields Marla Harris Maori Karmael Holmes Anita Holland Lauren Jane Holland Jeri Lynne Johnson Adrienne Kenton Edgar Kenton Sandra Kenton Debora Kodish Tina Morton Sham-e-Ali Nayeem Biany Perez Kavita Rajanna Donyale Reavis Irit Reinheimer Evelyn Salcedo Jacob Winterstein
Cheldin Barlatt-Rumer (i-g Creative) Yaba Blay (Drexel) Courtney Bolden (Skai Blue Media) Jim Breslin (Media Copy) King Britt Denise M. Brown (Leeway Foundation) Tarana Burke Meegan Denberg (Little Giant Media) Mike Dennis (ReelBlack) Ryan Dennis (Skai Blue Media) Homer Jackson (Philadelphia Jazz Project) Val Gay (Art Sanctuary) Kathleen O. Greene (The Barnes Foundation) Jessica McGarvey (City Tap House) Nicole Paloux (Red Balloon Public Relations) Bill Parker (International House) Roshni Patel (International House) Irit Reihheimer (Leeway Foundation) Andrea Pippins Jesse Pires (International House) Rakia Reynolds (Skai Blue Media) Jacqueline Rios (Drexel University) Deborah Salkin (Media Copy) Wayne Sebastian (Media Copy) Megan Smith (Brownstone PR) Tayyib Smith (Little Giant Media) Tiffany Tavarez (PECO) Chris Ward (Johnny Brendas) Stacey Wilson Suzanne Wright (Media Copy) Debra Yemenijian (PECO) Ellen Yin (Fork Restaurant)
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Panels
BLACK FILM NOW! August 1 | 11:00 AM | IHP Join us for this conversation with filmmakers Mike Dennis and Craig Carpenter who will share an exclusive excerpt of their new film Black Film Now and also discuss their experience meeting black filmmakers for over a decade via Reelblack. Black Film Now explores how Hollywood has influenced the way we think and feel about ourselves in the past versus our ability to control the images we see and record our own history. In the film Dennis and Carpenter are collecting the wisdom of those who came before them to help inspire future generations to excel. There are dozens of interviews including Kevin Hart, Julie Dash, Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, Terence Nance, Kerry Washington, and Chris Rock.
Mike Dennis and Craig Carpenter with Spike Lee @Reelblack @afrophonics For panelist bios, please visit our website at blackstarfest.org or scan the QR code.
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BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY: PRODUCING INDEPENDENT FILM August 2 | 11:00 AM | IHP The independent film landscape continues to evolve and the manner in which indie projects are funded, produced, and distributed shifts along with it. Crowdfunding has become a new normal, producing labs are being established at prestigious institutions left-and-right, and more MFA programs are adding producing concentrations. How is all of this focus on the “business” aspect of filmmaking changing the game for independents? This panel will focus on the specific career trajectory of its participants, who will offer insights and best practices for getting a film developed, produced, and distributed—by any means necessary. Panelists include: Dennis Dortch & Numa Perrier (The Couple), Nefertite Nguvu (In The Morning), Nekisa Cooper (Pariah), and Lendl Tellington (The Living); moderated by Nzinga Kadalie Kemp (In The Meantime).
Dennis Dortch @blackandsexytv
Numa Perrier @missnuma
Nefertite Nguvu @hollywdafricans
Nekisa Cooper @nekisacooper
Lendl Tellington @sukkatash
Nzinga Kadalie Kemp @NzingaKadalie
For panelist bios, please visit our website at blackstarfest.org or scan the QR code above.
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BLACK WOMEN, BODY IMAGE, AND HOLLYWOOD August 3 | 1:00 PM | DU Too tall. Too short. Too fat. Too skinny. Too light. Too dark. How can Black actresses maintain a healthy sense of Self while working in an industry that defines beauty according to non-Black standards? How can decision makers in the entertainment industry, Black filmmakers and producers included, begin to broaden definitions of beauty through their casting choices? Following the screening of Though I’m Not Perfect (dir. Stacey Sargeant) and Imagine A Future (dirs. Lisa CortÊs & Shola Lynch) this panel will discuss issues of body image and the struggle to perform Black beauty in Hollywood. Panelists include: Stacey Sargeant, Ellen Domingos, and Michelle Trotter; moderated by Dr. Yaba Blay.
Stacey Sargeant
Ellen Domingos @eedomingos
Michelle Trotter @MichelleTrotte1
Yaba Blay @fiyawata For panelist bios, please visit our website at blackstarfest.org or scan the QR code. 20
HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND VISUALIZING BLACKNESS August 4 | 12:00 PM | IHP Howard University has long been referred to as “The Mecca” for many reasons. Its illustrious alumni fill the highest ranks in almost every profession. Over the past several years, film department alumni have been steadily winning awards and gaining recognition most notably for cinematography but also in directing and producing. This small department—the only of its kind at an HBCU—now celebrating the 30th year of offering the MFA, has become known for a specific politically-charged aesthetic in which students are encouraged to push beyond the boundaries of conventional cinema to re-present Black bodies masterfully and beautifully. In this panel participants will discuss the legacy of the program, the philosophy of their work and the future of Black film. Panelists include: Haile Gerima (Sankofa), Bradford Young (Mother of George), Loren Lillian (Pariah), and Najma Nurridin (A Lovers Call); moderated by Dr. Montré Missouri.
Haile Gerima
Bradford Young
Najma Nurridin
Montré Missouri @MontreMissouri
Loren Lillian @LorenLillian
For panelist bios, please visit our website at blackstarfest.org or scan the QR code.
Films
ARTS SHORTS
CHASING SONIC RAINBOWS: MUSIC VIDEOS
Aug 2 | 6:45pm | BF
Aug 3 | 5:30pm | IHP | Curated by Patrice Worthy
In partnership with The Barnes Foundation, BlackStar presents a group of dynamic short experimental films created by renowned contemporary artists Wangechi Mutu, Mickalene Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Terence Nance, and tiona.m.
This program of dynamic music videos by independent musicians from across the globe pushes the boundaries of the genre.
Films include: Be Alarmed: The Americana Epic Movement I-The Visions, The End of eating Everything, Happy Birthday To a Beautiful Woman, and Untitled (Peace)
Videos include: AWOL, Chasing Rainbows, As You Are, dearwhoever, Glory, Gone, Heir Conditioning, Living, and Voice.
BLACK RADICAL IMAGINATION: EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS
DARKNESS BEFORE THE LIGHT: SHORTS PROGRAM
Aug 1 | 12:30pm | IHP | Curated by Amir George and Erin Christovale
Aug 2 | 2:45pm | IHP
This program invokes a futurist aesthetic where artists delve into a post-modern society through focused observations that explore the state of black culture.
This program features short films in which things are not what they seem—mysteries are unveiled, redemption is found, and some secrets gets pushed down even further.
Films include: Afronauts, The Changing Same, The Golden Chain, Mae’s Journal, Quiescence Interrupted… Adumbrate, Reifying Desire 3, and Split Ends, I Feel Wonderful.
Films include: Breaking Night, Faux Pas, I See a Darkness, La Petite Mort, The Living, Pas De Restes, and Sweet, Sweet Country.
Curator Erin Christovale will be present for a Q&A after the films. 24
Directors Yolonda Ross, Lendl Tellington, and Numa Perrier will be present for a Q&A after the films.
FREEDOM UNFOLDS: NARRATIVE & DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
RING DI ALARM: SHORTS PROGRAM
Aug 4 | 1:00pm | DU
Aug 3 | 3:00pm | DU
This group of short films explores a diversity of themes including death of loved ones, political revolution, and personal liberation.
Presented by New Caribbean Cinema Collective
Films include: Color Me In, The Divorce Counselor, Dust, Freedom, In Defense Of Another, Ngutu, and Ying and Yang
Moving from the majestic Blue Mountains to the gritty ghetto to the stunning north coast, and spinning stories funny, suspenseful, thrilling and poignant, this is a cinematic mosaic as diverse and complex as the island that inspired it. Films include: Missed, My Vote, Parish Bull, Sunday, Watching Him Kissing Her, and The Young Sea. Director Michelle Serieux will be present for Q&A after the films.
THIS IS WHO I AM: SHORT FILMS BY YOUTH FILMMAKERS
TINY SPARKS: CHILDREN’S & FAMILY FILMS
Aug 2 | 6:00pm | IHP | Curated by Nuala Cabral
Aug 3 | 11:00am | IHP | Curated by Eugene Haynes & Jos Duncan
This program features short films written, directed and produced by youth filmmakers ages 11-18. Films include: Can We Keep It Real?, The Cycle, Human, I Love Being Me, Life Under Suspicion: Youth Perspectives on the NYPD’s Stop & Frisk Policy, POPPYN Presents: Hip Hop Heritage, Project 2012: Education Apocalypse, Pushouts, and This is Who I Am There will be a Q&A with youth filmmakers after this screening.
This program of films for children ages 2-12 is the first for the festival and an attempt at presenting young viewers with positive and culturally-enriching images of themselves. Films include: The Adventures Of Teddy P. Brains, Blackout, A Creation Story, The Dance Lesson, and Sule And The Case Of The Tiny Sparks
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THE ADVENTURES OF TEDDY P. BRAINS Dirs. Julie Goldstein & Mike Dennis Animation 2008, USA, 4 min. Tiny Sparks August 3 | 11:00 AM | IHP Boundless exploration is at the heart of this new 3D animated feature-length movie. Six-yearold Teddy P. Brains is given a magical diploma by his parents for successfully graduating kindergarten. With a wave of his scroll, a slick spaceship appears enabling him, his cousin Tempest and his dog D’Artagnan to travel in time and through space. The kids use their minds in imaginative and creative ways to solve fun and exciting missions in the Amazon Rain Forest.
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AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE Dir. Tukufu Zuberi Documentary 2012, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, 117 min. August 3 | 12:30 PM | IHP “African Independence” covers the most important events to happen on the African continent since European slavery and colonization. Through the voices of freedom fighters and leaders, this featurelength documentary highlights the birth, realization and problems confronted by the movement to win independence and justice on the continent. Through the lens of four watershed events—World War Two, the end of colonialism, the Cold War, and the era of African republics—“African Independence” shows a unique side of the Africa’s recent history. The film is hosted and produced by Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, University of Pennsylvania sociology and race relations professor and 10-year contributor to PBS’s “History Detectives.” Hosted by Dyana Williams; Q&A w/Creative Director Jabari Zuberi
AFRONAUTS Dir. Cristina de Middel Experimental 2012, Spain, 5 min. Black Radical Imagination World Premiere August 1 | 12:30 PM | IHP In 1964, still living the dream of their recently gained independence, Zambia started a space program that would put the first African on the moon, catching up the USA and the Soviet Union in the space race. This short film follows Edward Makuka, the school teacher in charge of presenting and raising funds for the ambitious— and ultimately unsuccessful— program.
AS YOU ARE Dir. Wildersee Music Video 2012, USA, 4 min.
AWOL Dir. Kofi Okai Music Video 2013, USA, 5 min.
Chasing Sonic Rainbows
Chasing Sonic Rainbows
Philadelphia Premiere
World Premiere
August 3 | 5:30 PM | IHP
August 3 | 5:30 PM | IHP
Composed of musician/producers Hayling Price and John E. Daise, Columbia Nights’ work is an organic blend of analog and digital elements—a hybrid that looks to the past while taking a giant leap forward. This brief yet expansive introduction to the group shows their love of soul, hip-hop, jazz and electronic music to yield a sound some describe as soultronic.
Pining for his lost love, Dame Luke expresses his struggle as he tries to move forward with his current girl.
BE ALARMED: THE AMERICANA EPIC MOVEMENT I-THE VISIONS Dir. tiona.m. Experimental 2010, USA, 3 min. Arts Shorts Philadelphia Premiere August 2 | 6:45 PM | BF “Be Alarmed: The Black Americana Epic” consists of 12 trailers exhibited in four movements that reference an epic film that does not exist. The experimental short will be presented with a press kit containing photo stills, posters and lobby cards.
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BLACK FEBRUARY Dir. Vipal Monga Documentary 2011, USA, 64 min.
BLACKOUT Dir. Natasha Ngaiza Narrative 2012, USA, 17 min.
THE BLUEST NOTE Dir. Marques Green Narrative 2012, USA, 15 min.
Philadelphia Premiere
Tiny Sparks
Philadelphia Premiere
August 3 | 11:00 AM | IHP
August 3 | 9:00 PM | IHP
Kemi wants to give her daughter a handmade Tanzanian doll for her 7th birthday. But her husband, Sam, decides to buy her a commercial doll instead. As the birthday progresses a storm and sudden power outage inspires Kemi to tell a magical story using shadow puppets that reveals more than they expected.
Before losing his singing voice Tony Mann was a well-respected recording artist. While he’s hopeful for a change in his condition he is silently slipping into a state of depression and his dutiful wife feels unable to reach him. Finding solace at a local nightclub, he has an alcohol-fueled fantasy of a mythical Siren named Niva who offers him a chance to sing again if he will spend the night with her. Now Tony must decide at what cost will he pursue her.
August 3 | 6:30 PM | DU “Black February” documents an unprecedented series of concerts performed in February 2005 by the legendary jazz composer and conductor Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Conduction, his revolutionary technique for live music-making, Morris put on 44 performances in 28 days with 85 musicians. Along with footage from these remarkable concerts that spans a full range of musical styles—from big band to funk to electronic—“Black February” features some of the leading lights of the New York music community including Henry Threadgill, JD Allen, Brandon Ross, Graham Haynes, Howard Mandel and Greg Tate. Q&A w/Greg Tate Co-presented by
Screens w/Things Never Said
Presented by
BONESHAKER Dir. Frances Bodomo Narrative 2013, USA, 12 min.
BREAKING NIGHT Dir. Yolonda Ross Narrative 2012, USA, 9 min.
BUTTERFLY RISING Dir. Tanya Wright Narrative 2012, USA, 93 min.
August 4 | 6:15 PM | IHP
Darkness Before the Light
August 2 | 12:50 PM | IHP
“Boneshaker” follows a Ghanaian immigrant family taking a road trip to a Pentecostal church in Louisiana to cure its problem child. As the family journeys to a tent revival at the ends of the leveeless Louisiana delta, they discover the complications of trying to perform a traditional ritual away from home. “Boneshaker” focuses on the feelings of homelessness, landlessness, and rootlessness that accompany immigration.
Philadelphia Premiere
Set in a small, sleepy town called Lucasville, Mississippi, this feature follows the town matriarch Esther, a barren woman whose husband is cheating on her; his mistress, Rose; and Lilah, a singer who doesn’t sing anymore “on account of stuff that happened.” All three women’s fortunes change when Esther invites them to visit Lazarus, a legendary medicine man.
Screens w/Mother of George
August 2 | 2:45 PM | IHP A girl flees a heavy situation at home with her boyfriend and in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, she comes face to face with a vision of confidence and sophistication that she’s never seen before. As night gives way to morning, she abandons the young, lost girl she was, emerging as a young woman with purpose.
Q&A w/Director Tanya Wright
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CAN WE KEEP IT REAL? Dirs. Sisters Action Media Documentary 2012, USA, 3 min.
THE CHANGING SAME Dir. Cauleen Smith Experimental 2001, USA, 10 min.
CHASING RAINBOWS Dir. Keagan Anfuso Music Video 2013, United States, 3 min.
This is Who I Am
Black Radical Imagination
Chasing Sonic Rainbows
August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP
August 1 | 12:30 PM | IHP
World Premiere
In this short, Sisters Action Media interrogates “Seventeen,” a publication that has claimed to show real, authentic girls and diversity in its monolithic pages.
An alien is sent to earth to investigate the “incubators.” She discovers that she is replacing a rogue agent and starts to questions her mission as relationships become intimate.
August 3 | 5:30 PM | IHP King Britt presents Fhloston Paradigm’s song “Chasing Rainbows” in a snapshot of post apocalyptic, sci-fi action.
Presented by
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COAST Dir. Nile Saulter Narrative 2012, Jamaica, 12 min.
COLOR ME IN Dir. Sharvon P. Urbannavage Narrative 2013, United States, 10 min.
A CREATION STORY Dir. Natasha Ngaiza Animation 2011, USA, 9 min.
Ring di Alarm
Freedom Unfolds
Tiny Sparks
Philadelphia Premiere
August 4 | 1:00 PM | DU
August 3 | 11:00 AM | IHP
August 3 | 3:00 PM | DU
Based on “Homicidal Rainbow,” a poem written and performed by Kai Davis, “Color Me In” focuses on Kyle, a bullied gay teen who plans a mass murder. In this haunting short, Kyle reaches the brink of both his internal and external torture, finding himself on the edge of following through with a plan that could cost lives including his own.
It’s early evening and a little girl sits on the floor between her mother’s legs. As her mother carefully combs, oils and brushes her hair, the little girl asks a simple question, “Mama? Why does it take so long to do my hair?” As the mother’s dexterous hands weave in and out of her daughter’s hair, a mythical story about the origins of African hair emerges. Clay animation shows the complex story from a child’s point of view.
Patasha’s morality is tested when she’s called upon to make a routine delivery to a young tourist couple. Samson, a young spear fisherman, wants to make a transaction of a more sinister nature. “Coast” is an examination of choices and how ugly or stunningly beautiful Jamaica can truly be.
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THE CYCLE Dirs. VOICES Narrative 2013, USA, 4 min.
THE DANCE LESSON Dir. Chinonye Chukwu Narrative 2010, USA, 13 min.
DEARWHOEVER, Dir. Temitope Olutunmbi Music Video 2012, United States, 3 min.
This is Who I Am
Tiny Sparks
Chasing Sonic Rainbows
World Premiere
August 3 | 11:00 AM | IHP
World Premiere
August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP
A young girl struggles to be a ballerina in an increasingly gentrified community that she sees as so different from her own.
August 3 | 5:30 PM | IHP
A disrespectful interaction escalates to violence and retaliation on a spring day in North Philadelphia.
Visual accompaniment to recording artists Uhlife debut album, “(barely) uhlive�.
Presented by
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THE DIVORCE COUNSELOR Dir. Thembisa S. Mshaka Narrative 2012, USA, 10 min.
DUST Dir. Shane Book Narrative 2013, USA, 9 min.
ELZA Dir. Mariette Monpierre Narrative 2012, Guadeloupe / France, 82 min.
Freedom Unfolds
Freedom Unfolds
Philadelphia Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
World Premiere
August 4 | 3:00 PM | DU
August 4 | 1:00 PM | DU
August 4 | 1:00 PM | DU
In the “The Divorce Counselor,” an estranged couple search for for answers to why their marriage deteriorated. Mr. and Mrs. Jones confide in their own friends and visit a marriage counselor, even if it serves as confirmation that the union is over. As they explore their needs and frustrations, the counseling session gives Mr. and Mrs. Jones much more than they bargained for.
Adapted from a National Magazine Award-winning poem, “Dust” combines two memories from a writer’s youth. In one memory, the young man remembers a last moment with a lover. In the other, he recalls his final hours with his dying grandfather. Ultimately this contemplative examination of the nature of grief becomes a poetic meditation of “water, skin and dust.”
Bernadette is thrilled when her daughter Elza, the first college graduate in the family, completes her master’s degree. But Elza breaks her mother’s heart by running off to their native Guadeloupe in search of a distant childhood memory: the father she barely remembers. Based on director Mariette Monpierre’s own life experience, this debut feature captures the passion and contradictions of a family in transition. Q&A w/Director Mariette Monpierre
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THE END OF EATING EVERYTHING Dir. Wangechi Mutu Animation 2013, USA, 8 min.
FAUX PAS Dir. Raphael Nash Narrative 2013, USA, 20 min.
FREEDOM Dir. Matthew Brown Experimental 2012, USA, 4 min.
Arts Shorts
Darkness Before the Light
Freedom Unfolds
North America Premiere
World Premiere
World Premiere
August 2 | 6:45 PM | BF
August 2 | 2:45 PM | IHP
August 4 | 1:00 PM | DU
In her debut animated video, artist Wangechi Mutu collaborates with recording artist Santigold to mark a journey of a flying, planetlike creature navigating a bleak skyscape. This “sick planet� creature is lost in a polluted atmosphere without grounding or roots and led by hunger for its own destruction.
After an illicit night together, college friends Cedric and Tiffany vow to end their respective relationships to build one together. When one forfeits on the agreement, the other is left broken.
This docupoem honors the spirit and legacy of the Haitian revolution and explores the complexity and awe-inspiring story of the First Black Republic.
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FROM MAN TO MAN: THE LEGACY OF AIR SMOOTH - REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE OF DR. SHAWN L. WHITE Dir. Mark Ah Documentary 2013, USA, 20 min. Question Bridge World Premiere August 1 | 6:00 PM | IHP This documentary-memoir explores the life of Dr. Shawn L. White, who passed away on April 6, 2013 from coronary artery disease. Also known as Air Smooth, White had success as a recording artist and producer and as a research director of health initiatives. The short includes men of varied industries—Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Pete Rock, City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement executive director Greg Corbin. Presented by
GLORY Dir. Zakee Kuduro Music Video 2012, Brazil, 3 min. Chasing Sonic Rainbows World Premiere August 3 | 5:30 PM | IHP The Senegal-rooted, Philly-based avant pop artist travels to Brazil in “Glory.”
THE GOLDEN CHAIN Dirs. Adebukola Bodunrin & Ezra Clayton Daniels Experimental 2013, USA, 6 min. Black Radical Imagination World Premiere August 1 | 12:30 PM | IHP In a blend of afro-futurist motifs and hard science this animated short tells the story of Yetunde, a Nigerian woman who oversees a space station in a remote nook of the solar system that orbits a pinpoint of matter so dense it cannot exist on Earth.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN Dir. Mickaelene Thomas Documentary 2012, USA, 23 min. Arts Shorts Philadelphia Premiere August 2 | 6:45 PM | BF In her debut film artist Mickalene Thomas celebrates her mother and muse, Sandra Bush, who has been the subject of numerous photographs and paintings.
HEIR CONDITIONING Dir. Roni Nicole Music Video 2013, United States, 4 min. Chasing Sonic Rainbows Philadelphia Premiere August 3 | 5:30 PM | IHP “Heir Conditioning” celebrates the Black man as a nurturer, provider and guide to his children shaping a vision counter to that of the predominant reading and performance of Black masculinity in mass media culture. Featuring Fahumu Pecou and stic.man of dead prez.
HIP HOP: THE NEW WORLD ORDER Dir. Muhammida El Muhajir Documentary 2013, USA, Japan, France, UK, South Africa, Brazil, 80 min. North America Premiere August 3 | 4:30 PM | DU Shot in eight cities—Tokyo, Havana, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg—over a span of four years, “Hip Hop: The New World Order” unearths the practice and business of hip hop culture worldwide. The first documentary produced on global hip hop, the film has mushroomed into a rare archive and video survey of pioneering artists and communities at the turn of the 21st century. Q&A w/Director Muhammida El Muhajir
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HOME: _____ Dir. Jono Oliver Narrative 2013, USA, 112 min.
HOMEGOINGS Dir. Christine Turner Documentary 2013, USA, 56 min.
HUMAN Dir. Jessica Grose Narrative 2012, United States, 2 min.
Philadelphia Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
This is Who I Am
August 4 | 1:45 PM | IHP
August 1 | 2:00 PM | IHP
World Premiere
A man suffering from mental illness tries to rebuild his life, moving from the group home where he resides and into an apartment of his own where he attempts to reconnect with his son.
Filmed at Owens Funeral Home in New York City’s historic Harlem neighborhood, “Homegoings” takes an up-close look at the rarely seen world of undertaking in the black community, where funeral rites draw on a rich palette of tradition, history and celebration. Combining cinéma vérité with intimate interviews and archival photographs, the film paints a portrait of the dearly departed, their grieving families.
August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP
Q&A w/Director Jono Oliver
Q&A w/Director Christine Turner
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“Human” is an exploration grounded in an overarching conceptual theme of “Roots & Representations.” All music in “Human” was written and performed by Ms. Grose.
Presented by
I LOVE BEING ME Dir. Anissa Cooper Documentary 2011, USA, 2 min.
I SEE A DARKNESS Dir. Dina Fiasconaro Narrative 2012, USA, 12 min.
IMAGINE A FUTURE Dirs. Shola Lynch and Lisa Cortés Documentary 2013, USA, 30 min.
This is Who I Am
Darkness Before the Light
World Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
August 3 | 1:00 PM | IHP
August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP
August 2 | 2:45 PM | IHP
In this short three girls speak in one voice about empowerment.
Candice and Kristen, who speak to each other in a made-up language that only they can understand, struggle for autononmy. Only one makes it out alive.
An ordinary black girl’s extraordinary journey to self love.
Presented by
Shown as part of the “Black Women & Body Image” Panel
Presented by
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IN DEFENSE OF ANOTHER Dir. Brian Carter Narrative 2011, USA, 9 min.
LA PETITE MORT Dir. Numa Perrier Experimental 2012, USA, 5 min.
Freedom Unfolds
Darkness Before the Light
Philadelphia Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
August 4 | 1:00 PM | DU
August 2 | 2:45 PM | IHP
Through the lens of victims and family members “In Defense of Another” explores the trauma of domestic violence.
“La Petite Mort” travels the landscape of a woman’s loneliness and sensuality.
LIFE UNDER SUSPICION: YOUTH PERSPECTIVES ON THE NYPD’S STOP & FRISK POLICY
Dirs. Ke Ding, Gordon Chen, Raelene Holmes, Khayri Smith, Tania Lazaro, Dominique Bovain, Lobsang Gyaltsen, Edwin Guzman, Edwin Linares, Brandi Blinker, Anasia Ford, Gabriel Barcacel, Muhammad Atif Ghuffar
Documentary 2012, USA, 24 min. This is Who I Am Philadelphia Premiere August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP Youth participants from the Educational Video Center investigate New York City’s controversial stop and frisk policy which has resulted in 700,000 mostly Black and Latino males being stopped in 2011. Critics point to the policy’s fundamental failure since a gun is recovered in less than one percent of stops.
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Presented by
LIVING Dirs. Tony Reames, Speech Thomas, Nsil, Jason Berry Music Video 2012, USA, 4 min. Chasing Sonic Rainbows World Premiere August 3 | 5:30 PM | IHP A motivational anthem for hip-hop, spiritual people and activists by the Grammy-winning group Arrested Development.
LIVING THINKERS: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BLACK WOMEN IN THE IVORY TOWER Dir. Roxana Walker-Canton Documentary 2013, USA, 75 min.
THE LIVING Dir. Lendl Tellington Narrative 2012, United States, 7 min.
Philadelphia Premiere
North America Premiere
August 2 | 4:15 PM | IHP
August 2 | 2:45 PM | IHP
“Living Thinkers” examines the intersection of race, class and gender through the experiences of contemporary Black women professors and administrators and reveals the travails, disappointments and triumphs of Black women professors in the U.S.
A widower attempts to regain normalcy a year after the death of his wife. His path collides with that of a crafty pickpocket who puts the widower’s commitment to the test.
Q&A w/Director Roxana WalkerCanton & Director of Photography Tina Morton
Presented by
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Darkness Before the Light
MAE’S JOURNAL Dir. Amir George Experimental 2013, USA, 13 min.
MERKATO Dir. Sosena Solomon Documentary 2013, Ethiopia, USA, 19 min.
MISSED Dir. Michelle Serieux Narrative 2012, Jamaica/St Lucia, 18 min.
Black Radical Imagination
Philadelphia Premiere
Ring di Alarm
World Premiere
August 2 | 8:30 PM | IHP
August 3 | 3:00 PM | DU
August 1 | 12:30 PM | IHP
“Merkato” explores the daily lives of four merchants who sell their wares on the open-air market in Ethiopia. Here we meet Hawa, the oldest woman working in Merkato; Gideon, a former gang member looking for redemption; Ashenafi, a young dreamer learning how to make it; and Wurro, a young woman responsible for her own success. As their livelihoods are on the verge of being transformed by incoming strip malls and parking lots, this documentary pays tribute to the people who live, work, and dream in Merkato.
A startling reality unfolds for Catherine when she is forced to confront her husband’s Blue Mountain roots. “Missed” is a story about human folly and the devastation of unmet expectation.
Through fictional journal entries, live action reenactments and real footage of her STS-47 voyage, “Mae’s Journal” chronicles Mae Jemison’s historic 1992 space journey.
Q&A w/Director Michelle Serieux
Screens w/Tey Q&A w/Director Sosena Solomon
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MOTHER OF GEORGE Dir. Andrew Dosunmu Narrative 2013, United States, 107 min.
MY VOTE Dir. Joel Burke Narrative 2012, Jamaica, 5 min.
NAIROBI HALF LIFE Dir. David Tosh Gitonga Narrative 2012, Germany/Kenya, 96 min.
Philadelphia Premiere
Ring di Alarm
Philadelphia Premiere
August 4 | 6:15 PM | IHP
Philadelphia Premiere
August 3 | 7:00 PM | IHP
After the joy of their nuptials, Nigerian couple Adenike (Danai Gurira of “The Walking Dead”) and Ayodele (veteran actor Isaach De Bankolé) struggle to conceive a child. Then Adenike makes a shocking decision that could either save her family or destroy it.
August 3 | 3:00 PM | DU
A young aspiring actor from upcountry Kenya dreams of becoming a success in big city Nairobi. After he makes his way there he quickly learns why the city is nicknamed Nairobbery as he is robbed of his money and belongings. Luck, or the lack of it, brings him face to face with downtown crooks and he forms a friendship with a small-time gang leader who takes him in. Drawn into a new world of theft and violence he struggles to keep his acting and criminal worlds separate.
Q&A w/Director Andrew Dosunmu and Director of Photography Bradford Young
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After a local MP is found murdered Akeem is on the run. Even worse a mob from his community wants to show him how they feel.
Reavis & Associates salutes the second BlackStar Film Festival.
REAVIS & ASSOCIATES, PC
Creativity. Practical Solutions. Innovation www.lawreavis.com Donyale Y. H. Reavis, Esquire
SontĂŠ Anthony Reavis, Esquire
COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARKS FILM AND MUSIC PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY LICENSING NONPROFIT GOVERNANCE FOUNDATION MANAGEMENT COMMERCIAL LITIGATION GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Briana D. Elzey, Esquire
Partner 1425 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 ph 215.665.5733 direct 215.882.4008 do donyale@lawreavis.com
Partner 2101 Pine Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 ph 215.772.1101 direct 267.249.7873 sonte@lawreavi sonte@lawreavis.com
Associate 1425 Locust Street ph 215.665.5733 direct 267.225.0808 briana@lawreavis.com
NGUTU Dirs. Felipe del Olmo & Daniel Valledor Narrative 2012, Spain, 4 min. Freedom Unfolds August 4 | 1:00 PM | DU Ngutu is a newspaper street vendor who hardly sells any copies. Hoping to make progress in his business he starts watching passersby more closely.
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PARISH BULL Dir. Michael “Ras Tingle” Tinglin Narrative 2012, Jamaica, 20 min.
PAS DE RESTES Dir. Johnny Ray Gill Narrative 2013, United States, 13 min.
Ring di Alarm
Darkness Before the Light
Philadelphia Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
August 3 | 3:00 PM | DU
August 2 | 2:45 PM | IHP
Confident, charming and without scruples, Michael is not afraid to make his bed but he may be afraid to lay in it.
The Spauldings, out to a rare dinner together, experience Michelin starred food, stimulating conversation, and find the restaurant truly lives up to its name. The family tastes culture, privilege, and American excess—and they’re left with indigestion.
POPPYN PRESENTS: HIP HOP HERITAGE Dirs. POPPYN Documentary 2012, USA, 4 min. This is Who I Am August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP In this short film, POPPYN highlights the Hip Hop Heritage program at Palumbo High School, an after-school enrichment program of Philadelphia’s Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition, Inc. Presented by
PROJECT 2012: EDUCATION APOCALYPSE Dirs. Krystal Gueco, Youth United for Change, Art Factory, PhillyCAM Music Video 2012, USA, 13 min.
PULL OF GRAVITY (PREVIEW) Dirs. El Sawyer & Jon Kaufman Documentary 2013, USA, 66 min.
This is Who I Am
Every year in the United States, 700,000 people are released from prison or jail. Sixty seven percent will re-offend within three years. “Pull of Gravity” tells the stories of three men who are attempting to avoid reentry. Filmmaker and co-director El Sawyer brings both a keen ear and eye to this story, having traveled this path himself.
August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP “Project 2012: Education Apocalypse” is a docu-music video that explores the current state of the Philadelphia school system and how the closing of schools throughout the city will affect students, teachers and communities.
August 1 | 4:00 PM | IHP
Q&A w/Directors El Sawyer and Jon Kaufman
Presented by
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PUSHOUTS Dirs. PhillyCAM, YESPhilly and Voice of Philadelphia Documentary 2011, USA, 28 min.
QUESTION BRIDGE: BLACK MALES Dirs. Chris Johnson, Hank Willis Thomas, Kamal Sinclair & Bayeté Ross Smith Documentary 2012, USA, 74 min.
QUIESCENCE INTERRUPTED... ADUMBRATE Dir. Anansi Knowbody Experimental 2013, USA, 6 min.
This is Who I Am
Philadelphia Premiere
Black Radical Imagination
Philadelphia Premiere
August 1 | 6:00 PM | IHP
World Premiere
August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP
“Question Bridge” is an innovative transmedia project that facilitates dialogue between Black men from diverse backgrounds. The process is straightforward: On video, a Black man poses a question to another man from whom he feels estranged. A Black man representing that difference records his answer. These exchanges create a question bridge, a media-based forum for necessary, honest expression and healing dialogue about topics that divide, unite and puzzle Black males in the United States.
August 1 | 12:30 PM | IHP
Funded with support from J-Lab’s Enterprise Reporting Fund, “Pushouts” project explores why young people of color are failing to graduate from Philadelphia public schools and what is being done at the community level to address the problem. Presented by
Buddah is a regular guy with irregular dreams. This work in progress plays on ideas of distraction, disruption, fear and premonition.
Q&A w/Directors Hank Willis Thomas and Bayeté Ross Smith Presented by
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REIFYING DESIRE 2 Dir. Jacolby Satterwhite Experimental 2012, USA, 9 min.
SPLIT ENDS, I FEEL WONDERFUL Dir. Akosua Adoma Owusu Experimental 2012, USA, 5 min.
Black Radical Imagination
Black Radical Imagination
SULE AND THE CASE OF THE TINY SPARKS Dirs. Shawnee Gibbs & Shawnelle Gibbs Animation 2010, USA, 12 min.
World Premiere
World Premiere
Tiny Sparks
August 1 | 12:30 PM | IHP
August 1 | 12:30 PM | IHP
Philadelphia Premiere
The latest in a six-part series, “Reifying Desire” is a surrealist creation myth featuring 3-D modeled versions of drawings, snapshots of the filmmaker’s body and animated figures.
Manipulating and re-positioning found footage as subject matter, “Split Ends, I Feel Wonderful” takes us to a time when Black is beautiful and hair is worn as a symbol of cultural pride.
August 3 | 11:00 AM | IHP
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In a young African girl’s quest to learn the meaning of the proverb “Great fires erupt from tiny sparks,” she seeks guidance from a lively 10-year-old proverb detective named Sule.
SUNDAY Dir. Kyle Chin Narrative 2012, Jamaica, 12 min.
SWEET, SWEET COUNTRY Dir. Dehanza Rogers Narrative 2013, USA, 19 min.
TEY (AUJOURD’HUI) Dir. Alain Gomis Narrative 2012, France & Senegal, 86 min.
Ring di Alarm
Darkness Before the Light
August 2 | 8:30 PM | IHP
Philadelphia Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
August 3 | 3:00 PM | DU
August 2 | 2:45 PM | IHP
With an angry crowd and the police on his tail, a gunman seeks refuge in the neighborhood church. Will Randy find redemption or is it too late?
Living in a small Southern town, 20 year-old Ndizeye struggles to support not only herself, but the family she left behind in a Kenyan refugee camp. Her struggle intensifies when her family literally shows up at her doorstep.
This is a place where Death still sometimes warns that it is coming. It happens the day before, like a certitude that descends upon the bodies and minds of the one who has been chosen, and the people close to him. No doubting it, no fighting it. Today will be Satché’s last day.
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THINGS NEVER SAID Dir. Charles Murray Narrative 2012, USA, 112 min.
THIS IS WHO I AM Dir. Clarence Grimes Narrative 2012, USA, 2 min.
Philadelphia Premiere
This is Who I Am
August 3 | 9:00 PM | IHP
World Premiere
Wounded by a miscarriage and an angry husband, Kal tries desperately to find an outlet for her struggling artistic voice.
August 2 | 6:00 PM | IHP
Q&A w/actors Omari Hardwick and Dorian Missick
The theme of “Roots & Representations” is explored in this honest but humorous response to the question, “How does society, your friends, family and you yourself see you?”
Presented by
Presented by
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UNTITLED (PEACE) Dirs. Hank Willis Thomas & Terence Nance Experimental 2013, USA, 3 min. Arts Shorts August 2 | 6:45 PM | BF “Untitled (peace)” is about a male character who represents the body in conflict, divided against itself. In what appears to be an unsuccessful attempt to overpower the landscape with brute force, custodians of the forest observe him in his struggle and ultimately release him from his torment.
VOICE Dir. Simp Music Video 2013, Austria, 4 min.
WATCHING HIM KISSING HER Dir. Storm Saulter Experimental 2012, Jamaica, 6 min.
YELLING TO THE SKY Dir. Victoria Mahoney Narrative 2012, USA, 95 min.
Chasing Sonic Rainbows
Ring di Alarm
August 4 | 4:10 PM | IHP
Philadelphia Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
August 3 | 5:30 PM | IHP
August 3 | 3:00 PM | DU
The jazz improv and Nu Soul singer Soia presents “Voice.”
A visual poem about love, jealousy, murder and remorse. A young woman contemplate’s revenge for her husband’s infidelity
A visceral coming-of-age story, “Yelling to the Sky” features a sobering, breakthrough performance from Zoe Kravitz, with an all-star supporting cast including Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Yolonda Ross, Jason Clarke, Gabourey Sidibe,Tim Blake Nelson, and Antonique Smith. Q&A w/actors Tariq Trotter, Yolonda Ross, and composer Zakee Kuduro
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YING AND YANG Dir. Kevin Darnell Walker Narrative 2013, USA, 12 min.
THE YOUNG SEA Dir. Nile Saulter Experimental 2012, Jamaica, 5 min.
Freedom Unfolds
Ring di Alarm
Philadelphia Premiere
Philadelphia Premiere
August 4 | 1:00 PM | DU
August 3 | 3:00 PM | DU
In this spoken word piece, a confused young man tries to get a grip on his identity, sexuality and relationships.
A boy wanders the coastline one lonely summer, looking for connection and meaning in various places. The sea whispers with the voice of his father and secrets are revealed.
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Screenplay Competition
SCREENPLAY COMPETITION August 3 | 3:00 PM | IHP For the first time ever BlackStar presents a short screenplay competition. Screenplays were submitted from international applicants and finalists were selected. This year’s finalists will have the opportunity to have their short screenplays read live by a group of actors and judged by a panel of industry veterans. The jurors will select a winner who will receive $2,500 toward the production of their short film. Hosted by Brandon Pankey. Our special jurors include:
Adesuwa McCalla
Dorian Missick @tailwindturner
Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter @blackthought
Brandon Pankey @bpank
Lisa Cortés @misscortes
For juror bios, please visit our website at blackstarfest.org or scan the QR code.
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SCREENPLAY COMPETITION FINALIST SYNOPSES Join us for the live reading and hear these screenplays read by a group of professional actors! Watch as the celebrity judges make their decision as to who will win the $2,5000 oprize! FOH DRAMATIC
Harboring DRAMATIC
The Realest DRAMATIC
XAVI COMEDY
Before saying goodbye to everything...a woman goes on a quest for the ultimate peak of pleasure.
In the near future, a post-apocalyptic virus has created an infection that renders children voiceless. In the aftermath of the contagion, a police state was created, governed by a security agency known as the Marshals. A rebellious faction called the Gourd had been fighting against the oppressive regime, but most of its members have been killed. Two surviving members are JEREMIAH and ALTHEA PORTER, a married couple who live on a shrimp trawler in the bayous of the state formerly known as Louisiana. In their latest mission, they recover a special boy from a safe house, who might be the key to restoring the children’s voices. But when a MARSHAL boards their boat, they must hide the boy or face severe punishment for sedition.
Through use of memories stitched haphazardly together like an uglybeautiful patchwork quilt, Louisa remembers her relationship with Indiana. While no answers are given, Louisa remembers what felt like magic and what felt like a free fall from a very tall cliff. She remembers them all the same, and that is the nature of what once was.
Bobo finds that life as a clown no longer suits him and decides to become his alter ego Xavi. Xavi leaves the circus and enters the city on a quest to find love, become a male model, and to be the best.
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You are cordially invited to the
BLACKSTAR CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS CEREMONY Sunday August 4, 2013 8:00pm – 10:00pm International House Philadelphia 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 sponsored in part by
Join us for a special evening closing the 2nd Annual Festival and announcing the festival award winners. Haile Gerima will accept a special award on behalf of the Howard University Film Program Music by Sum; hosted by Dyana Williams
GETTING TO THE FESTIVAL
3 4 2
1
University City Locales
Uber (Private Car Service)
Most of the festival takes place in the neighborhood of University City. The map above shows how to get back and forth between the following locations:
Uber is an on-demand private driver. Request a ride at any time using their iPhone and Android apps or from m.uber.com. See their ad in our guide for a discount code on page 26!
1. City Tap House (CTH); 3925 Walnut Street 2. Drexel University, Papadakis Building (DU); 33rd and Chestnut Streets 3. International House Philadelphia (IHP); 3701 Chestnut Street 4. University City Sheraton; 3549 Chestnut Street Transportation SEPTA (Public Transportation) Subway - Market Street/Frankford (Blue) Line to 40th Street or 34th Street Trolley - #10 Trolley to 36th Street Bus - #21 to 36th Street
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Taxi Companies • • • • • •
All City Taxi - (215) 467-6666 Capital Dispatch - (215) 235-2200 Crescent Cab - (215) 365-3500 Freedom Taxi - (215) 222-9999 Old City Cab - (215) 708-8888 Quaker City Cab - (267) 298-1088
Parking Discount parking for International House patrons is now available at the Science Center Parking Garage, 3665 Market Street. A special rate of $5.00 per vehicle, effective after 4:00pm until 7:00am, Monday through Friday plus all day Saturday & Sunday. Please bring your parking stub to the International House Box Office to be stamped when attending events.
GO ONE MORE BLOCK. Baltimore Avenue Cedar Park
Johnny Brenda’s Fishtown
Silk City Northern Liberties
Milk & Honey Market Spruce Hill
Photo by J. Fusco, M. Kennedy and R. Kennedy for GPTMC
On visitphilly.com/neighborhoods: • Watch insider videos • Follow itineraries of top experiences • Find events and festivals • Flip through Instagram photos • Map out your next move
“Howard University, an incubator for cinematographers� - The Washington Post
H
oward University is dedicated to educating students from diverse backgrounds at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. The MFA in Film Program is the only graduate program of its kind at an HBCU. The MFA-Film program at Howard is committed to grounding students in film studies from a global perspective. Each year, select students from the program complete internships at the Cannes International Film Festival in France and many produce a thesis project abroad.
We put our energy into diversity. At PECO, we celebrate diversity by supporting and promoting the activities of our six employee network groups, whose members volunteer hundreds of hours to help create a community where every individual is valued and respected. PECO is proud to support the 2nd Annual BlackStar Film Festival. Find out more at www.peco.com/community Š PECO Energy Company, 2013