BlackStar

Category: Press Release

  • United States Artists Awards Maori Karmael Holmes 2023 Berresford Prize

    United States Artists Awards Maori Karmael Holmes 2023 Berresford Prize

    United States Artists (USA) is thrilled to announce Maori Karmael Holmes as the recipient of the 2023 Berresford Prize, USA’s annual award honoring cultural practitioners for their significant contributions to the advancement, wellbeing, and care of artists in society. As a curator, filmmaker, and writer, as well as founder and Chief Executive & Artistic Officer of BlackStar Projects, Holmes’ dynamic career emphasizes the porous boundaries between artmaking and organizing, illuminating how the creation of new paradigms for supporting artists can be an artistic practice in and of itself.

    Across filmmaking, curating exhibitions, organizing film and performance programs, and writing about the field, Holmes’ practice is grounded in this sense of worldbuilding, imagining alternative frameworks for storytelling, collaboration, and being in community with one another. In 2012, she founded BlackStar Projects, an organization dedicated to fostering new platforms for Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists. Over the last decade, participants and collaborators have lauded the thoughtfulness, intentionality, and artist-centered approach represented in BlackStar’s programming, most notably the acclaimed BlackStar Film Festival, opening its 12th edition this summer.

    Read more.

  • BlackStar’s Signature Podcast, Many Lumens with Maori Karmael Holmes, Debuts Third Season

    BlackStar’s Signature Podcast, Many Lumens with Maori Karmael Holmes, Debuts Third Season

    BlackStar Projects, the premier organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists, is pleased to announce a third season of its podcast, Many Lumens with Maori Karmael Holmes. The new season features ten episodes airing in two parts, with five episodes being released on Wednesdays now through May 17, and the second half of the season coming in the fall. The first episode is live today, presenting Holmes in conversation with filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, the celebrated co-creator and showrunner of Reservation Dogs.

    Guests this season include changemakers such as director and writer Cherien Dabis, who made history in 2022 as the first Arab woman to be nominated for an Emmy in the directing category; and model, modeling agent, and activist Bethann Hardison, recognized as a champion for representation in the fashion industry. Hardison will be joined by director and producer Lisa Cortés, whose documentary film Invisible Beauty chronicles Hardison’s career and recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. 

    Owing to BlackStar’s Philadelphia roots, Holmes will also be in conversation with some of the city’s cultural leaders, such as chefs Cybille St.Aude-Tate and Omar Tate, known for their work amplifying Black farmers and transforming food systems. Additional episodes will feature actress Danielle Deadwyler, known for her roles in Station Eleven, Till, and The Harder They Fall; actor, writer, and comic D’Lo; cinematographer Michael Fernandez; jazz composer and pianist Jason Moran; multidisciplinary artist Fariha Róisín; and curator and writer Meg Onli, co-curator of the 2024 Whitney Biennial.

    “Our global community of listeners has continued to grow with each episode of Many Lumens, and with season three, I am excited to share another dynamic lineup of guests who have been influential to me or inspire me,” said Maori Karmael Holmes. “Spanning film, fashion, art, food, and music, I hope that these luminary thinkers inspire listeners to imagine new possibilities through storytelling that is entertaining, inviting, and deeply personal.”

    The first episode features Maori and Sterlin Harjo discussing working in Oklahoma, how he runs his sets, and which “Rez Dog” character he most identifies with. In the coming weeks, listeners can tune in to learn about Cherien Dabis’ directing style, hear how 1990s hip hop taught D’Lo to be outspoken, and find out what pop culture Meg Onli turns to at the end of a long day.

    Previous Many Lumens guests have included fashion designer Telfar Clemens, filmmaker dream hampton, artists Arthur Jafa and Amy Sherald, and poet Sonia Sanchez. Last season, Holmes sat down with multidisciplinary artist Terence Nance, whose solo exhibition, Terence Nance: Swarm, was curated by Holmes and is currently on view at the ICA Philadelphia.

    Many Lumens listeners can tune into new and previous episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, and other podcast outlets. For more information about Many Lumens, visit manylumens.com.

    For information about BlackStar Projects, including its festival and programs, visit blackstarfest.org.

     

    About Many Lumens

    BlackStar founder Maori Karmael Holmes chats with the most groundbreaking artists, change makers, and cultural workers—finding meaning in the intersections of art, social change, and popular culture.

     

    About BlackStar Projects

    BlackStar Projects is the producer of the BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color—showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In addition to the acclaimed festival, BlackStar presents an array of programming across film and visual culture year-round, including the twice-annual journal Seen, the podcast Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, and the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, among other initiatives.

     

    Press Contacts

    Sam Riehl

    Associate Director, Cultural Counsel

    sam@culturalcounsel.com

     

    Devon Ma

    Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    devon@culturalcounsel.com

     

  • First Solo Exhibition of Terence Nance Opens at ICA in Philadelphia This March

    First Solo Exhibition of Terence Nance Opens at ICA in Philadelphia This March

    This spring, BlackStar Projects and Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania (ICA) present Terence Nance: Swarm, the first solo museum exhibition dedicated to the genre-defying and innovative practice of Terence Nance. Curated by Maori Karmael Holmes and on view from March 10 through July 9, 2023, Terence Nance: Swarm highlights Nance’s experimentation in film, television, sound, and performance through the presentation of six large-scale, multi-channel videos and installations that the artist has reimagined specifically for the exhibition.

    As a filmmaker, writer, actor, and musician, Nance brings an interdisciplinary approach to his practice, offering unexpected and alternative paths for creating work that layers video, sound, printed matter, and live performance in contemporary environments. He first gained national recognition for his semi-animated feature film, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. He also attended the first edition of the BlackStar Film Festival in 2012, which Holmes, the exhibition’s curator and BlackStar’s chief executive and artistic officer, founded that year. He debuted another seminal work, Random Acts of Flyness, at the BlackStar Film Festival in 2018. The Peabody Award-winning HBO series examines contemporary Black life in America, and it returned for a second season on HBO this past December.

    Nance draws much of his influence from the communities in which he creates work, including his birth city, Dallas, his current home, Baltimore, and Brooklyn. His career emerged in the wake of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s; its enduring creative lineage and kinship reveals itself in the work of Nance, which imagines a future that incorporates Black needs, desires, and spirit. The exhibition’s title, Swarm, refers to a Brooklyn-based group of artists with whom he built a community in the early to mid-2000s. Holmes further describes this community in the exhibition catalog, writing: “Terence thrives in community, and I felt it was important to place that ethos at the forefront of this show. I’d read about and heard him speak about “The Swarm” in the early to mid-aughts often; in a 2019 interview with Simran Hans, Terence defines this as “Black or Black-adjacent people who find themselves in fractal, interlocking social networks in different cities.”

    Stated by Zoë Ryan, Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, “Storytelling and ritual is at the heart of Terence’s work, which expands across media and genres. We are delighted to be partnering with BlackStar Projects, a trailblazing Philadelphia-based organization dedicated to celebrating visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists, on the presentation of the first museum exhibition dedicated to Terence’s multifaceted practice. It is especially rewarding to be collaborating again with Maori, who previously served as ICA’s Director of Public Engagement, on this exhibition that will shed new insight into Terrence’s creativity and vision.”

    The exhibition opens with the newly commissioned and never-before-seen Swarm Part Zero, a two-channel installation featuring a meditation on Black cinematic expression, Black music, resistance, and notions of community. The next room opens to Univitellin, a multi-channel projection presented at ICA within a recreated bedroom. A star-crossed romantic tragedy—with a touch of the uncanny—the short film from 2016 unfolds on the streets of Marseille, France.

    In From the Void, visitors experience excerpts of past and recent work by Nance on a linear television station broadcast by Ummah Chroma, MVMT, and Telfar. An oval projection screen shows various works from Nance’s catalog, including video from Random Acts of Flyness, TELFAR.TV, music videos, and documentary shorts, among other works. The exhibition in the main gallery concludes with Swimming in Your Skin Again, a short film from 2015 celebrating the coming of age through dance- and movement-based works, scored by the artist’s brother, the musician Norvis Junior. In the ICA’s Tuttleman Auditorium, visitors have the opportunity to hear Nance’s debut LP, V O R T E X, in a special listening room created for the experience of this new album.

    “Terence Nance’s work as a filmmaker, performer, and musician reveals an artistic practice infused with rigor and ritual. He is constantly challenging himself to explore new mediums while investigating the boundaries of romantic and familial relationships, gender, and spirituality. He makes work that isn’t easily categorized, and in my own practice as a cultural organizer and producer, I have been deeply invested in work that blurs genre and pushes the boundaries of existing forms,” added Holmes. “Nance has screened his innovative and daring work in nine of the past eleven editions of the BlackStar Film Festival, and he is always an amiable presence, cheerfully and generously engaging with fans, cineastes, donors, and fellow filmmakers. I am thrilled to collaborate with him once again.”

    Public Programs

    A full list of accompanying programs will be announced in the coming weeks, including an opening reception on March 10 and a concert with Nance and opening act Madison McFerrin on May 25 and May 26 at Union Transfer.

    Penn Live Arts will showcase a taste of his fascinating cinematic work with one program of his short films (listed below) on March 15 at 7:30 p.m. and a screening of An Oversimplification of Her Beauty on March 16 at 7:30 p.m.

    Blank Canvas (Calvin Klein commercial, 2021)

    Guisado on Sunset (2020)

    Jimi Could Have Fallen from the Sky (2017)

    Swimming in Your Skin Again (2014)

    Univitellin (2016)

    Vortex (2022)

    As part of BlackStar Projects’ William + Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, taking place March 16–18, Nance will offer the Director’s Commentary on March 17.

    Exhibition Catalog

    Alongside the exhibition, a catalog will provide greater insight into Nance’s practice and career. It includes contributions from Bradford Young, brontë velez, Darius Clark Monroe, Elissa Blount Moorhead, James Bartlett, Ja’Tovia Gary, John L. Jackson, Jr., Lynnée Denise, Ra Malika Imhotep, Shawn Peters, and Taylor Renee Aldridge.

    Exhibition Organization and Credits

    Terence Nance: Swarm is curated by Maori Karmael Holmes and co-organized and presented by BlackStar Projects and the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania. Major support for Terence Nance: Swarm has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. This project is also generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support has been provided by Danielle Anderman, Dorothy and Martin Bandier, Stacey and Benjamin Frost, Christina Weiss Lurie, Lori and John Reinsberg, and Stephanie and David Simon.

    About Terence Nance

    Terence Nance is an artist, musician, and filmmaker born in Dallas, Texas in what was then referred to as the State-Thomas community. Nance wrote, directed, scored, and starred in his first feature film, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically in 2013, was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2014, and debuted his Peabody award-winning television series Random Acts of Flyness on HBO in the summer of 2018. In the fall of 2018, it was announced that Nance was tapped to write, produce, and direct Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring Lebron James, and in 2020 Terence released his first EP, THINGS I NEVER HAD under the name Terence Etc. In 2020 he also partnered with filmmakers Jenn Nkiru, Bradford Young, Nanette Nelms, and Mishka Brown to form The Ummah Chroma Creative Partners—a directors collective and production company. This team released KILLING IN THY NAME in collaboration with Rage Against The Machine in January of 2021. Nance is currently at work on healing, curiosity, and interdimensionality following the 2022 release of both Random Acts of Flyness Program II as well as his debut album, VORTEX.

    About Maori Karmael Holmes

    Maori Karmael Holmes is a curator, filmmaker, and writer. She founded BlackStar in 2012 and serves as its Chief Executive & Artistic Officer. She has organized programs in film at a myriad of organizations including Anthology Film Archives, Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), The Underground Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. As a director, her works have screened internationally including her feature documentary Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip-Hop (2006). Her writing has appeared in The Believer, Film Quarterly, Seen, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance, and most recently, Collective Wisdom: Co-Creating Media within Communities, across Disciplines and with Algorithms. She is a member of Lalibela Baltimore, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, and Programmers of Color Collective. Maori was a 2019–2020 Soros Equality Fellow and serves as mediamaker-in-residence at the Annenberg School for Communication at University of Pennsylvania, and curator-at-large at Penn Live Arts/Annenberg Center. In 2022, she was named one of the Kennedy Center’s Next 50, and most recently, she was awarded a Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures Artist Fellowship.

    About BlackStar Projects

    BlackStar Projects is the producer of the BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color—showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In addition to the acclaimed festival, BlackStar presents an array of programming across film and visual culture year-round, including the twice-annual journal Seen, the podcast Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, and the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, among other initiatives.

    About the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

    The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania is a non-collecting institution presenting interdisciplinary exhibitions and programs at the forefront of contemporary art. Through its exhibitions, commissions, special projects, publications, and programs, ICA serves as a laboratory for new artistic and curatorial practices, supporting the production of urgent work and providing a critical platform for an exchange of ideas on art and society. Since its founding in 1963, ICA has shared the University’s commitment to experimental research and belief in supporting the next generation of imaginative and creative thinkers. ICA is dedicated to advancing new directions in artistic practices, creating meaningful connections for the public with art and artists, and advocating for artists, research, and dialogues that contextualize and resonate with the socio-political conditions of our time.

     

    Press Contacts

    ICA Philadelphia

    Resnicow and Associates

    Shea Seery / Sophie Weinstein / Francesca Kielb / Juliet Sorce

    sseery@resnicow.com / sweinstein@resnicow.com / fkielb@resnicow.com / jsorce@resnicow.com

    212-671-5173 / 212-671-5164 / 212-671-5152 / 212-671-5158

    Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania

    Jill Katz, Director of Marketing & Communications

    katzj@ica.upenn.edu / 215-573-9975

     

    BlackStar Projects

    Sam Riehl

    Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    sam@culturalcounsel.com

    Devon Ma

    Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    devon@culturalcounsel.com

     

  • ‘America ReFramed’ Announces Addition of BlackStar-supported film By Water

    ‘America ReFramed’ Announces Addition of BlackStar-supported film By Water

    America ReFramed, the award-winning series produced by WORLD Channel and American Documentary, announced today the addition of the short film By Water, directed by Iyabo Kwayana and produced by BlackStar Projects’ founder and Chief Executive & Artistic Officer and former American Documentary board member, Maori Karmael Holmes. The film is an official selection of the Animation Short Film Program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. A co-production of WORLD Channel and BlackStar Projects, By Water will debut as part of the 11th Season of the television and streaming series launching February 2023 on WORLD Channel.

    “America ReFramed has a long legacy of supporting, showcasing, artist-driven films spanning American culture, race, healthcare, politics, civil rights and religion,” said Erika Dilday, executive director/executive producer of American Documentary | POV. “With the addition of Iyabo Kwayana’s visual work, By Water to our catalog, the series has another form of storytelling to present to our audience.”

    “Presenting By Water in America ReFramed is an exciting opportunity that enhances WORLD’s partnership with Iyabo Kwayana and BlackStar Film Festival,” said Chris Hastings, executive producer for WORLD Channel at GBH in Boston. “Ten years ago, WORLD Channel partnered with American Documentary to create America ReFramed, shaped by a desire to tell the many stories of a diverse and changing America. By Water is a proof point for this success, as recognized by Sundance. We are thrilled to be able to share this film with audiences across the country.

    By Water, will be the first animated experimental film to appear on America ReFramed. This short film follows an unlikely hero’s journey into his own memories and becomes a vehicle for reconciliation and healing for himself and his sibling. Based on a true story, the film was written and inspired by Iyabo Kwayana’s personal experience. After an unexpected voicemail 3 years after his disappearance, Kwayana made the decision to heed the instructions of her brother’s message and create By Water as a way to ‘complete’ her brother’s story.”

    In 2020, WORLD Channel partnered with BlackStar Film Festival for the second annual BlackStar Pitch, an annual grant focused on documentary short projects. Kwayana’s By Water won the top prize and a $25,000 co-production deal from WORLD Channel. The award was handed out at a ceremony held during the festival.

    Iyabo Kwayana is an independent filmmaker and cinematographer who uses sensorial and immersive techniques in cinematography, directing and editing in order to amplify the more discreet, often hidden aspects of film narratives, compelling viewers towards an immersive, supra-sensorial, and transformative experience.

    A tentpole program of public television’s WORLD Channel, America ReFramed brings to life compelling stories, personal voices and experiences that illuminate the contours of our ever-changing country. Since 2012, the anthology series has premiered 179 films from more than 380 filmmakers, including works from established artists like Shola Lynch, Deann Borshay Liem and Marshall Curry and featured broadcast debuts of Nicholas Bruckman, Ursula Liang and PJ Raval. More than half of these documentaries were helmed by female filmmakers and a third are credited to BIPOC filmmakers. The series has centered the stories of the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated, veterans, seniors, immigrants and people from a myriad of backgrounds.

    America ReFramed, a series co-produced by WORLD Channel and American Documentary, airs every Thursday at 8pmET/7C on WORLD Channel. America ReFramed is available on worldchannel.org, amdoc.org, WORLD Channel’s YouTube Channel and on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. Episodes of America ReFramed also roll out weekly on-air and online on Link TV (Direct TV channel 375 & Dish Network channel 9410).

  • BlackStar Projects Announces Dates and Opens Submissions for 2023 BlackStar Film Festival

    BlackStar Projects Announces Dates and Opens Submissions for 2023 BlackStar Film Festival

    Philadelphia, PA (January 10, 2023) –– BlackStar Projects––the premier organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists––is pleased to announce that the 12th edition of the BlackStar Film Festival will take place from August 2nd to August 6th, 2023. Once again hybrid, this year’s festival will offer opportunities for in-person attendance in Philadelphia and virtual participation online. 

    Submissions to the festival opened this week, and to be eligible for consideration, films must be directed by a person who identifies as Black, Brown, or Indigenous, and tell a story of Black, Brown, or Indigenous experiences. Last year’s festival featured a lineup spanning narrative features and shorts, documentary features and shorts, and experimental films. The 2022 BlackStar Film Festival presented 16 world, 8 North America, 12 East Coast, and 8 US premieres. 25 films were Philadelphia premieres. Instructions to submit to the 12th iteration of the festival can be found on this submissions page.

    To kick off 2023, BlackStar has also opened registration for its 2023 William + Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, which will be held in-person in Philadelphia for the first time. Taking place March 16th to 18th at Drexel University, the gathering caters to Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists working in cinematic realms. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the technical and creative aspects of media-making while having honest conversations about the successes and pitfalls of their work. The environment aims to consider the intersection of cinema and visual arts, and it is exclusively designed for people of color to focus and not manage the added burden of representation. Speakers will include interdisciplinary artists Cauleen Smith, who will give the Keynote Address, and Terence Nance, who will offer the Director’s Commentary. 

    The Seminar is named after visionary filmmakers William and Louise Greaves, who together co-produced landmark documentaries such as Symbiopsychotaxiplasm and Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey. The first and second seminars were held virtually in 2021 and 2022. Registration details are available here.

    In 2022, BlackStar presented the 11th annual BlackStar Film Festival, announced its second cohort of Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab Fellows, shared the second season of the Many Lumens podcast, and published the fourth issue of Seen, BlackStar’s signature journal of film and visual culture. In 2023, this expansion will continue with new hires, additional events, and the presentation of Terence Nance: Swarm at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania (ICA). Issue 005 of Seen will be released at the end of January. More information on this year’s festival, and other BlackStar programs, will be announced soon. 

    About BlackStar Projects

    BlackStar Projects is the producer of the BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color—showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In addition to the acclaimed festival, BlackStar presents an array of programming across film and visual culture year-round, including the twice-annual journal Seen, the podcast Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, and the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, among other initiatives.

    Press Contacts

    Sam Riehl

    Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    sam@culturalcounsel.com

    Devon Ma

    Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    devon@culturalcounsel.com

  • BlackStar Announces 2023 Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab Fellows, Expands Program to Include Both Directors and Producers

    BlackStar Announces 2023 Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab Fellows, Expands Program to Include Both Directors and Producers

    BlackStar Projects––the premier organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists––today announced the second class of the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, presented by Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity. Founded in 2021, the year-long fellowship supports and uplifts Black, Brown and Indigenous emerging and mid-career filmmakers in the Greater Philadelphia area by providing funding as well as access to mentorship, critical feedback, equipment, crews, and space.

    Following the success of its first year, the Lab has expanded to include both directors and producers, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the filmmaking process. The newly-announced cohort is twice the size of last year’s, featuring four filmmakers paired with four producers––eight individual fellows who will create four short films.

    The 2023 Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab fellows are Zardosht Afshari (Director) and Aaron Brokenbough Jr. (Producer); David Gaines (Director) and Elizah Turner (Producer); Simone Holland (Director) and Stephanie Malson (Producer); and ashley ijoema omoma (Director) and Samiyah Wardlaw (Producer). 

    As with the inaugural class, BlackStar will act as an executive producer of the short films created through the Lab, and they will premiere during the next edition of the BlackStar Film Festival in August 2023 with opportunity for distribution on the Black Experience on Xfinity channel. 

    “In this second year of the Lab, we are excited to add a producing track, offering support for producers of color, who often receive fewer opportunities for mentorship in our region,” said Maori Karmael Holmes, BlackStar’s Chief Executive & Artistic Officer. “Both directors and producers play a vital role in telling our communities’ stories, and we’re thrilled to honor their work and nurture their creativity through the Lab.”

    “Discovery and support of diverse emerging content creators, like the filmmakers in this lab, is a top priority for our Black Experience on Xfinity channel,” said Keesha Boyd, Executive Director, Multicultural Entertainment, Comcast. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to continue our support of the BlackStar team to further our company-wide mission of investing in and showcasing authentic culture driven stories.”

    The 2023 Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab Films include:  

    An Endoscopy

    In director Zardosht Afshari and producer Aaron Brokenbough Jr.’s forthcoming project, a film student accompanies a newcomer Iraqi student for a medical procedure, with the agreement that he will be her subject in a documentary.

    The Freedom to Fall Apart

    Directed by David Gaines and produced by Elizah Turner, the short will comprise an anthology of four disparate vignettes together questioning the function of shame within the Black American body politic.

    All That’s Left

    Through their film, director Simone Holland and producer Stephanie Malson will tell the story of Mercedes, who struggles to differentiate reality from her imagination as she embarks upon a journey of self-exploration and relationships.

    Now That We’ve Killed Me

    Director ashley ijoema omoma and producer Samiyah Wardlaw will together realize the story of a mother, Ezienne, as she discovers the truth of her daughter’s life on the eve of her daughter’s funeral.

    The Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab is open to emerging and mid-career filmmakers seeking to create short narrative, experimental, or hybrid projects in any genre. The inaugural cohort of fellows (2021-2022) included Bettina Escauriza, Jasmine Lynea, Xenia Matthews, and Julian Turner. Xenia Matthews was subsequently named one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine and Julian Turner’s Lab-produced The Big Three was selected for the 58th Chicago International Film Festival. 

    Applications for next year’s Lab will open in August 2023.

    About Zardosht Afshari

    Zardosht Afshari is an Iranian filmmaker whose work has screened in international film festivals in the U.S., Iran, Poland, Croatia, India, and Italy. He received his MA in Dramatic Literature from the University of Tehran in Iran and his MFA in Media Arts from Temple University after moving to the United States in 2019. He currently teaches film courses at Temple University while working on various film projects.

    About Aaron Brokenbough Jr.

    Aaron Brokenbough is a Philadelphia-based filmmaker with over 12 years of production experience. Aaron has worked with multiple award-winning directors, writers, artists, and multimedia creatives. Getting his start in community-based media, he started producing for the YouTube channel Entertainment Buffet before producing art installations. He is the co-founder and producer for SlyTree Creative, a content-focused brand-building experience.

    About David Gaines

    David A. Gaines (he/they) is a Black writer, filmmaker and performer born and raised in the greater Philadelphia area. His work examines Blackness, masculinity, Christianity and mental health through an intersectional lens, and seeks to strengthen community through vulnerable self-expression. He is an award-winning, nationally touring poet and fellow of The Watering Hole who holds several slam poetry championship titles, including 2017 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational Champion and 4th rank in the 2018 Individual World Poetry Slam. In 2020, he was inaugurated as the Poet Laureate of Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County. In 2021, David published his first collection of poems, “soft boy.”, and his directorial debut poetry short film, “”fine china.””, received international acclaim and won the 5th Weimar Poetry Film Award. His work has also been featured in the National Black Arts Festival, Button Poetry, Write About Now, VICE Media, among many others. When not writing, performing or fiddling with cameras, you can find David teaching poetry to Philly youth, playing video games on his PC and searching for the best homemade pickle recipe.

    About Elizah Turner

    Elizah Turner began her journey as a unit still photographer on non-union film sets during the off season from the music touring industry.  Fascinated with the overlap of the two worlds, she has since worked in various roles providing both creative and technical production for nonprofits, production companies, musical artists and political campaigns. Her career paths have varied but all have one thing in common: supporting creatives to create systems & processes in the midst of chaos. Elizah’s focus in the film world is centered around highlighting stories told by writers and directors through a Black feminist lens.  Her north star is equally invested in work that restructures the entertainment industry to empower and earnestly engage with artists of the global majority and the power of culture.

    About Simone Holland

    With their storytelling grounded in reality, Simone uses subtle surrealism as her lens. They’ve worked as director and cinematographer on projects for Red Bull, Jazmine Sullivan, Bustle, Tone Stith, and Jamila Woods, and was a part of the creative direction team for the 2021 BET AWARDS; Simone focuses on amplifying the voices of those who do not have the space. As a 2021 Emmy Award winning camera operator and a 2019 Mural Arts Philadelphia Black Artists fellow, Simone continues to push boundaries. Cross-pollinating her creative versatility, Simone applies her multi-disciplinary technical experience to her directorial and creative work as a current resident of the 2022 ROTATE program at YouTube and Wieden + Kennedy.

    About Stephanie Malson

    Stephanie Malson is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker and producer who is drawn to telling ancestral stories. Her recent short film, SLOW BURN, was an official selection of the Gary International Black Film Festival and the Baltimore International Black Film Festival. She produced the festival gem, OURIKA!, which premiered at BlackStar Film Festival. She is a co-producer on the upcoming feature documentary, ULRICK, which chronicles the life of Haitian master painter Ulrick Jean-Pierre. Her cinematography is featured in the short experimental film We Are Free Because of Harriet Tubman, which was also an official BlackStar Film Festival selection. Among many work-for-hire projects, she has produced work for Intercultural Journeys, The Debbie Allen Dance Academy, and ARRAY. She also teaches script writing part-time at Temple University. Stephanie holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Rosemont College.

    About ashley ijoema omoma

    ashley ijoema omoma is a filmmaker, writer, mover and interdisciplinary artist creating documentary & narrative films, experimental videos and visual installations. A daughter of Nigerian immigrants, much of her work is influenced by her nomadic upbringing which challenges ideals of a singular Black experience. Personal and communal liberation, Black interiority, Black femalehood and the complexities of migration & diaspora are recurring themes of her work often explored through music, memory, intimate findings in personal archives, love, intergenerational familial ties, definitions of home, self perception, juju and time travel.

    About Samiyah Wardlaw

    Samiyah Wardlaw is an independent filmmaker passionate about producing diverse, innovative and unique projects. A Philadelphia native, she graduated from Drexel University with a B.S. in Film and Television. With experience on both indie and commercial sets, Samiyah has ample experience as a producer, assistant director and production coordinator. She has produced several short films, and recently directed and produced her debut feature film Burn Out which is currently in post-production. Samiyah is extremely excited to work with Ashley Omoma and bring Now That We’ve Killed Me to life!

    The BlackStar Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab is presented by Xfinity with additional support from the William Penn Foundation, All Ages Productions, Independence Public Media Foundation, Seven Knots Productions, Mellon Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Gucci Changemakers Fund, and Expressway Cinema Rentals.

    For more information about the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, please visit https://www.blackstarfest.org/lab/.

    About BlackStar Projects

    BlackStar Projects is the producer of the BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color — showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In addition to the acclaimed festival, BlackStar presents an array of programming across film and visual culture year-round, including the twice-annual journal Seen, the podcast Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, and the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, among other initiatives. 

    Press Contacts

    Ed Winstead

    Senior Director, Cultural Counsel

    ed@culturalcounsel.com

    Sam Riehl 

    Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    sam@culturalcounsel.com 

    Emma Frohardt

    Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    emma@culturalcounsel.com

    Devon Ma

    Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    devon@culturalcounsel.com

  • BlackStar Film Festival Announces 11th Edition’s Award-Winners

    BlackStar Film Festival Announces 11th Edition’s Award-Winners

    BlackStar Projects—the premier organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists—is pleased to announce the award-winning films from this year’s BlackStar Film Festival, which concluded yesterday in Philadelphia and online.

    Winners include Best Experimental film Conspiracy, which was co-directed by Simone Leigh and Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich on the occasion of Leigh’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and Best Feature Narrative film Mars One, Gabriel Martins’ chronicle of a Brazilian family coping with an uncertain future during a far-right leader’s rise to power. 

    This year, the first-ever Love+Grit Philadelphia Filmmaker Award—supported by Visit Philadelphia’s Love + Grit, a leading podcast that tells the authentic and diverse stories of the city—is awarded to Quarantine Kids, directed by Bilal Motley and Bria Motley. Quarantine Kids, which held its world premiere at BlackStar, tells the courageous story of nine-year-old Bria Motley in her own words, drawing attention to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children. 

    Once again, Lionsgate and STARZ partnered with BlackStar to present the Lionsgate/STARZ Speculative Fiction Award. The winner of this prize receives $5,000 and the opportunity to showcase their films on STARZ in Black. This year’s winner is CLONES, a mockumentary short film directed by Letia Solomon that documents a suburban couple’s trial cloning experiment. 

    Another special award—the Shine Award—is decided by BlackStar members and goes to a first-time filmmaker. This year, Storming Caesars Palace director Hazel Gurland-Pooler is the winner. Her feature documentary, which premiered at this year’s festival, uplifts the story of Las Vegas activist Ruby Duncan and the mothers who launched one of the most extraordinary yet forgotten, feminist, anti-poverty movements in US history.

    The full list of honorees—selected from a slate of 76 films representing 27 countries—is below. BlackStar attendees were invited to vote for Audience Awards in each category as well. 

    “We are so grateful to this year’s jurors and to our audiences for taking such care selecting this year’s award winners,” says BlackStar Founder, Artistic Director, and CEO Maori Karmael Holmes. “We are so proud of all of their contributions to the festival and congratulate them on their achievements.”

    “It has been a joy gathering with the BlackStar family this past week—both virtually and in person,” adds Festival Director Nehad Khader. “As we reflect upon the 2022 festival, we extend our gratitude to each participating artist, viewer, and team member—old friends and new. We look forward to continued imagination, learning, and community building in the weeks and months ahead.” 

    With a lineup spanning narrative features and shorts, documentary features and shorts, and experimental films, the 2022 BlackStar Film Festival presented 16 world, 8 North America, 12 East Coast, and 8 US premieres. 25 films were Philadelphia premieres. As an Academy Award-qualifying festival for both short documentary and short narrative films, BlackStar’s Best Narrative Short and Best Documentary Short winners will be eligible for entrance at the Academy Awards.

    In addition to screenings, this year’s festival included panels, workshops, parties, morning yoga sessions, and The Daily Jawn—a talk show hosted by Maori Karmael Holmes. Festival guests included directors Moses Sumney and Kevin Jerome Everson; activist Ruby Duncan; authors Marc Lamont Hill and Jason Reynolds; and singer Durand Bernarr, among others. 

    This edition of the BlackStar Film Festival marked the world premiere of short films created through BlackStar’s Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, presented by Black Experience on Xfinity. The opportunity is designed to uplift emerging and mid-career artists in the Greater Philadelphia area. Applications for the next cohort will open on September 1, 2022. 

    Winning Films:

    BEST EXPERIMENTAL

    Jurors: Reveca Torres, Asinnajaq, Christopher Harris

    Winner: Conspiracy, dirs. Simone Leigh and Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich

    On the occasion of her pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Simone Leigh co-directs a film with Madeleine Hunt – Ehrlich in her studio.

    Jury Comment: “The film Conspiracy is music, and it speaks of the sonic manifestations of Blackness. Working on all registers with minimal gestures—it is textured, complicated, and transparent.”

    Honorable Mention: Golden Jubilee, dir. Suneil Sanzgiri

    In Golden Jubilee, Sanzgiri reconsiders ideas of freedom, loss and recovery in the wake of colonial and neo-colonial theft. The film asks us to consider “what is liberation when so much has been lost?”

    Jury Comment: “Golden Jubilee is excellently rendered and has a dreamlike effect on its audience with the power of reality—it is both real and unreal, we are seeing one thing but feeling something different.”

    BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

    Jurors: Janaína Oliveira, Theresa Hill, Louis Massiah

    Winner: One Take Grace, dir. Lindiwe Matshikiza

    Eclectic cinematic portrait of Mothiba Grace Bapela (58), South African mother, grandmother, film & television actor, and former domestic worker for over forty years. Narrating events from her extraordinary life, Bapela searches for a way to break out of the societal roles cast for her.

    Jury Comment: “The exceptional film One Take Grace presents a different and exciting way to make documentary with the potential to impact audiences and filmmakers alike. This film is a powerful journey and a masterful example of fugitivity.”

    Honorable Mention: Wisdom Gone Wild, dir. Rea Tajiri

    An immersive meditation on elder consciousness and the act of caregiving a parent with dementia, filmmaker Rea Tajiri weaves her mother’s storytelling wisdom into the fabric of this film. Rose’s songs provide a soundtrack for time travel as we witness her evolution across nine decades of living.

    Jury Comment: “Wisdom Gone Wild is a compelling film that will have a long life, and represents a poetic, sensitive tribute to the complexity of motherhood, aging, and love.”

    BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE 

    Jurors: Kamilah Forbes, Jason Reynolds, Naomi Johnson

    Winner: Mars One/Marte Um, dir. Gabriel Martins

    A Brazilian family copes with an uncertain future as a far-right conservative leader rises to power. Through this time of turbulent change, the family’s optimism and deep capacity for love guides them through.

    Jury Comment: “Mars One is a masterpiece about perseverance, voyaging on new terrain, and maintaining optimism in the face of adversity. A great story with compelling characters, this film receives the jury award by unanimous consensus among the jury.”

    BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY

    Jurors: Errin Haines, Michelle Ortiz, Asad Muhammad

    Winner: The Game God(S), dir. Adrian L. Burrell

    The Game God(S) shows 4 characters: Martina, Frank, Brianna and Craig. They share their experiences as the Goddess of the Crossroads pushes us between the then and the now, connecting The Game God, The Game and Capitalism to the Blackness.

    Jury Comment: “The Game God(S) plays like a sermon, and is brimming with thoughtful, tender, exciting images. The perspective is unique and unexpected to the point of knocking the jury members off their seats.”

    BEST SHORT NARRATIVE

    Jurors: D’Lo, Dagmawi Woubshet, Lynnee Denise

    Winner: Sunday Morning/Manhã de Domingo, dir. Bruno Ribeiro

    Gabriela is a young pianist who will perform at her first major recital. However, a dream about her dead mother destabilizes Gabriela’s mind and heart, putting her presentation at risk.

    Jury Comment: “Sunday Morning is a gem of a film, imbued with a quiet, interior power that beautifully renders the ghosts of our lives, and whose music propels the narrative, becoming a conduit for nostalgia.”

    Honorable Mention: For Love, dir. Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor

    Nkechi, lives happily in the shadows with her partner Martha, but when immigration officers turn up unexpectedly, they have to make difficult decisions about their future together.

    Jury Comment: “For Love uses minimalism to effectively cultivate emotional intensity. From a technical perspective the film slows down time, each frame so well chosen and sequenced beautifully together.”

    Special Prizes:

    LOVE+GRIT PHILADELPHIA FILMMAKER AWARD (VISIT PHILADELPHIA)

    Winner: Quarantine Kids, dirs. Bilal Motley and Bria Motley

    The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children has been devastating. Quarantine Kids tells the courageous story of nine year old Bria Motley, in her own words. Using previously recorded audio notes, home video and animation, Quarantine Kids is an honest testimony from a child’s point of view.

    Jury Comment: “Quarantine Kids is a rich, real, and emotional short film with relatable content and an important perspective. This jury felt infatuated by the story, and are excited for other kids to see it.”

    LIONSGATE/STARZ SPECULATIVE FICTION AWARD

    Winner: CLONES, dir. Letia Solomon 

    Suburban couple Calvin and Lisa document their experience of a trial cloning experiment in a mockumentary short film. The film starts off productively with three Calvin clones and three Lisa clones. Groceries are placed away, dinner is cooked, and the house is cleaned, however, they quickly realize that the copies aren’t the life hack they thought they would be.

    Jury Comment: “Who has ever thought that having a clone would make life easier? Well in Letia Solomon’s Clones that thought becomes a reality for a young suburban couple who elect to become a part of a trial cloning experiment. Letia’s voice was clever, fresh, and wholeheartedly entertaining as she portrays mockumentary style filmmaking with incredible performances. Letia, a chemical engineer turned filmmaker, is an excellent example of why we at Lionsgate and Starz are so excited about supporting this award, because it means we get to uplift and amplify voices like Letia’s – a voice that will continue to carry through the future.”

    BLACKSTAR PITCH

    Winner: Postcolonial Piñata dir. Daniel Larios

    Postcolonial Piñata delves into the tangled & historically destructive relationship Christianity has with both piñatas and myself.

    Honorable Mention: Occupy dir. Sonali Gulati

    Occupy is a landscape using portraits of people who have encountered gendered spaces in hostile, violent, humorous, and life-changing ways.

    Audience Awards: 

    BEST EXPERIMENTAL 

    Winner: Foreign in a Domestic Sense, dir. Sofía Gallisá Muriente and Natalia Lassalle Morillo

    A constellation of testimonies and imaginaries of Puerto Ricans who have migrated to Central Florida as a result of political and environmental disasters in the Caribbean archipelago. The 4-channel video unsettles space and time through the layering of fictional and non-fictional narrative forms.

    BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

    Winner: Wisdom Gone Wild, dir. Rea Tajiri

    An immersive meditation on elder consciousness and the act of caregiving a parent with dementia, filmmaker Rea Tajiri weaves her mother’s storytelling wisdom into the fabric of this film. Rose’s songs provide a soundtrack for time travel as we witness her evolution across nine decades of living.

    BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE 

    Winner: Lingui, the Sacred Bonds, dir. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

    On the outskirts of the capital of Chad, determined single mother Amina works tirelessly to provide for herself and her 15-year old daughter Maria. When Amina discovers Maria is pregnant and does not want a child, the two women begin to seek out an abortion, condemned by both religion and law.

    BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY

    Winner: Still Waters, dir. Aurora Brachman

    A daughter asks her mother a question about her mother’s childhood. Her answer begs them to wade through its rippling effects throughout their lives.

    BEST SHORT NARRATIVE

    Winner: Glitter Ain’t Gold, dir. Christian Nolan Jones

    A sixth grader takes a trip with his best friend to the flea market in order to buy his first fake chain.

    SHINE AWARD

    Winner: Storming Caesars Palace, dir. Hazel Gurland-Pooler

    This film uplifts the story of Las Vegas activist Ruby Duncan and a band of ordinary mothers who launched one of the most extraordinary, yet forgotten, feminist, anti-poverty movements in U.S. history providing a blueprint today for an equitable future.

    This year’s festival is presented with the support of the following sponsors: AmDoc/POV, Annenberg School For Communication, Black Public Media, Catapult Film Fund, Center For Cultural Power, Drexel Westphal College of Media Arts, Expressway Grip, Eventive, Firelight Media, Gotham Film & Media Institute, Impact Partners, Indego, ITVS, Leeway Foundation, Lionsgate/STARZ, MediaJustice, Meta, NEON, Open Society Foundations, PBS, PECO, Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Red Bull, Scattergood Foundation, The Study Hotels, Temple University Film and Media Arts Department, Unique Photo, Urban Affairs Coalition, Urban Outfitters, Warner Bros./Discovery, Wyncote Foundation and Xfinity.

    BlackStar Projects and its year-round programs are generously supported by Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Critical Minded, Ford Foundation/JustFilms, Gucci Changemakers Fund, Independence Public Media Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Perspective Fund, Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Philadelphia Cultural Treasurers, Philadelphia Foundation, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Surdna Foundation, Wallace Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and Wyncote Foundation, in addition to its board of directors, community partners, and a host of generous individual donors and organizations.

    About BlackStar Projects

    BlackStar Projects is the producer of the BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color — showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In addition to the acclaimed festival, BlackStar presents an array of programming across film and visual culture year-round, including the twice-annual journal Seen, the podcast Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, and the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, among other initiatives. 

    Press Contacts

    Ed Winstead

    Senior Director, Cultural Counsel

    ed@culturalcounsel.com

    Sam Riehl 

    Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    sam@culturalcounsel.com 

    Emma Frohardt

    Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    emma@culturalcounsel.com

    Devon Ma

    Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    devon@culturalcounsel.com

  • 11th BlackStar Film Festival Kicks Off August 3rd

    11th BlackStar Film Festival Kicks Off August 3rd

    BlackStar Projects, the premier organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists, is pleased to announce the opening tomorrow of the 2022 BlackStar Film Festival, which will run August 3rd through 7th, 2022. Taking place both online and in-person in Philadelphia, this year’s festival will include in-person screenings at Penn Live Arts at Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts; panel discussions, workshops, and parties at sites across Philadelphia; and virtual events accessible to a global audience.

    With a lineup spanning narrative features and shorts, documentary features and shorts, and experimental films, the 2022 BlackStar Film Festival will present a total of 76 films representing 27 countries, including 16 world, 8 North America, 12 East Coast, and 8 US premieres. 25 films will be Philadelphia premieres. As an Academy Award-qualifying festival for both short documentary and short narrative films, BlackStar’s Best Narrative Short and Best Documentary Short winners will be eligible for entrance at the Academy Awards.

    Many of this year’s in-person screenings will be accompanied by dialogues between filmmakers and special guests, illuminating the timely and impactful narratives on screen. Audiences will hear from documentary subjects, fellow filmmakers, leading academics, and trailblazing activists as they examine and unravel each film and its context. 

    Select in-person highlights include:

    [dot] The August 3rd world premiere of feature documentary Storming Caesars Palace at Penn Live Arts (8:30pm), which will also be offered virtually following its debut. The film uplifts the story of Las Vegas activist Ruby Duncan and a band of ordinary mothers who launched an extraordinary, yet largely forgotten, feminist anti-poverty movement in the 1960s and ‘70s. Hazel Gurland-Pooler, the film’s director, and Duncan, the film’s protagonist, will be in attendance, along with Duncan’s children Sondra and Kenny, who are also featured in the film

    [dot] The August 5th showing of Moses Sumney’s experimental film Blackalachia at the Barnes Foundation (6:00pm). The film features a live conceptual performance with a 7-piece band atop the Blue Ridge Mountains and its screening will be paired with a conversation between Sumney and independent filmmaker Iyabo Kwayana, known for her innovative use of sensorial and immersive techniques in cinematography, directing and editing.

    [dot] The August 6th world premiere of feature documentary Wisdom Gone Wild at Penn Live Arts (3:00pm). An immersive meditation on elder consciousness and the act of caring for a parent with dementia, filmmaker Rea Tajiri weaves her mother’s storytelling wisdom into the fabric of this film, which will also be offered virtually following its premiere. Tajiri will be in attendance and participate in a Q&A with Jamila Farwell, director of Netflix documentary series, following the in-person screening. 

    [dot] The August 6th showing of Hazing at Penn Live Arts (8:30pm), directed by Byron Hurt. Hurt’s feature documentary lifts the veil on a variety of underground hazing rituals that are abusive, and sometimes deadly, and will be followed by a conversation with academic, author, and activist Marc Lamont Hill. Virtual attendees will also be able to screen the film. 

    [dot] The August 7th showing of Mars One at Penn Live Arts (8:30pm), a film that portrays a working-class Brazilian family pursuing separate dreams of escaping the lives laid out for them by society, and by each other. The screening will include a conversation between Gabriel Martins, the film’s director, and writer and poet Jason Reynolds. Virtual attendees will also be able to screen the film. 

    Each evening at 7pm ET, BlackStar will also present The Daily Jawn—a talk show hosted by BlackStar Founder, Artistic Director, and CEO Maori Karmael Holmes. Filmed live in front of a studio audience, the evening program, also available to stream online, will feature Holmes alongside house DJ Rashid Zakat and a house band directed by Luke Carlos O’Reilly. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from guests such as singer/songwriter Durand Bernarr, musical artist Swarvy, actor/writer/comic D’Lo, and filmmaker Suneil Sanzgiri.

    “Alongside the festival’s screenings, panels, workshops, and parties, we are thrilled to bring The Daily Jawn to a live studio audience for the first time in its history,” said Holmes. “Many of the films in this year’s festival depict the joy and beauty inherent in Black, Brown, and Indigenous lives, and with an evening talk show that features music, artists, filmmakers, comedians, and actors, we hope to create spontaneous moments of joy and beauty beyond those that will appear on screen.” 

    In addition to The Daily Jawn, various events will highlight BlackStar’s year-round initiatives, including a recording of BlackStar’s signature podcast Many Lumens, featuring BlackStar Founder, Artistic Director, and CEO Maori Karmael Holmes in conversation with 2022 Richard Nichols Luminary Award recipient Mira Nair. Another highlight: a conversation between Dessane Lopez Cassell—Editor-In-Chief of Seen, BlackStar’s journal of film and visual culture—and visual artist Dindga McCannon, extending Zoé Samudzi’s profile of the artist in the journal’s recently released fourth issue. This edition of the BlackStar Film Festival will also mark the world premiere of short films created through BlackStar’s Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, presented by Black Experience on Xfinity.

    “We could not be more excited to debut four films created by the inaugural cohort of fellows in BlackStar’s Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab. Following a year of mentorship and feedback, we are proud to support these emerging filmmakers. Their creativity has been impressive to witness, and their bold contributions to the festival will surely expand audiences’ understanding of the Black, Brown and Indigenous experience,” remarked Festival Director Nehad Khader. 

    In addition to film screenings, conversations, and panels—the full list of which is available here—in-person festival-goers will be invited to attend morning group yoga sessions at Drexel Square and opening and closing night parties. The parties and yoga sessions will be free and open to the public, and registration is available for both the opening and closing night parties.

    Passes for the festival are still available for purchase here. Offerings include an all-access pass ($250) and a virtual festival pass ($125). Individual tickets for virtual and in-person screenings are $5 and $15, respectively. 

    Press passes remain available upon request. To inquire about a press pass, please complete the form here or reach out to one of the press representatives listed below.

    All venues will be wheelchair accessible, and most in-person events will have American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. Select films will also feature Audio Description (AD) for blind & low-vision audiences.

    This year’s festival is presented with the support of the following sponsors: AmDoc/POV, Annenberg School For Communication, Black Public Media, Catapult Film Fund, Center For Cultural Power, Drexel Westphal College of Media Arts, Expressway Grip, Eventive, Firelight Media, Gotham Film & Media Institute, Impact Partners, Indego, ITVS, Leeway Foundation, Lionsgate/STARZ, MediaJustice, Meta, NEON, Open Society Foundations, PBS, PECO, Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Red Bull, Scattergood Foundation, The Study Hotels, Temple University Film and Media Arts Department, Unique Photo, Urban Affairs Coalition, Urban Outfitters, Warner Bros./Discovery, Wyncote Foundation and Xfinity.

    BlackStar Projects and its year-round programs are generously supported by Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Critical Minded, Ford Foundation/JustFilms, Gucci Changemakers Fund, Independence Public Media Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Perspective Fund, Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Philadelphia Cultural Treasurers, Philadelphia Foundation, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Surdna Foundation, Wallace Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and Wyncote Foundation, in addition to its board of directors, community partners, and a host of generous individual donors and organizations.

    About BlackStar Projects

    BlackStar Projects is the producer of the BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color — showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In addition to the acclaimed festival, BlackStar presents an array of programming across film and visual culture year-round, including the twice-annual journal Seen, the podcast Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, and the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, among other initiatives. 

    Press Contacts

    Ed Winstead

    Senior Director, Cultural Counsel

    ed@culturalcounsel.com

    Sam Riehl 

    Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    sam@culturalcounsel.com 

    Emma Frohardt

    Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    emma@culturalcounsel.com

    Devon Ma

    Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    devon@culturalcounsel.com

  • BlackStar Projects Releases Full Schedule of Programs for 2022 Film Festival

    BlackStar Projects Releases Full Schedule of Programs for 2022 Film Festival

    BlackStar Projects, the premier organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists, is pleased to announce its full slate of programming for the 2022 BlackStar Film Festival. Taking place both online and in-person in Philadelphia, this year’s festival includes in-person screenings at Penn Live Arts at Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts; panel discussions, workshops, and parties at sites across Philadelphia; and virtual events accessible to a global audience.

    Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from actors, filmmakers, visual artists, and radical thinkers, including Arthur Jafa, Coco Fusco, Dindga McCannon, and dream hampton, among others. Panels and conversations, the full list of which is below, will address topics including youth perspectives on screen, Black spiritual traditions rendered through the moving image, accessibility within filmmaking practices, the affective power of sound in Black and Indigenous storytelling, healing-centered production practices, and more.

    Various events will highlight BlackStar’s year-round initiatives, including a recording of BlackStar’s signature podcast, Many Lumens, featuring BlackStar Founder, Artistic Director, and CEO Maori Karmael Holmes in conversation with 2022 Richard Nichols Luminary Award recipient Mira Nair. Another highlight: a conversation between Dessane Lopez Cassell—Editor-In-Chief of Seen, BlackStar’s journal of film and visual culture—and visual artist Dindga McCannon, extending Zoé Samudzi’s profile of the artist in the journal’s recently released fourth issue. This edition of the BlackStar Film Festival will also mark the world premiere of short films created through BlackStar’s Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, presented by Black Experience on Xfinity.

    “With everything going on in the world, we hope that through the festival we can provide a space of joy, reflection, and healing. We are excited to present another hybrid edition of the festival with both IRL and virtual programming with audiences across the globe,” said BlackStar Founder, Artistic Director, and CEO Maori Karmael Holmes.

    Each evening, at 7pm ET, the festival will present The Daily Jawn, a talk show hosted by Holmes, with sidekick filmmaker-artist Rashid Zakat and house band directed by Luke Carlos O’Reilly, and featuring interviews with filmmakers and panelists, musical guests, games, and much more.

    In addition to the conversations and panels, and daily film screenings at Penn Live Arts, there will be a variety of community events and parties in Philadelphia this August. These include morning group yoga sessions at Drexel Square and opening and closing night parties. The parties and yoga sessions will be free and open to the public — registration is available for both the opening and closing night parties on the festival site.

    The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and of global Indigenous communities, showcasing films by Black, Brown and Indigenous artists from around the world. The 2022 edition is set to feature a total of 76 films representing 27 countries, including 16 world, 8 North America, 12 East Coast, and 8 US premieres. It will include narrative features and shorts, documentary features and shorts, and experimental films. 

    “Our programs are an integral part of each year’s festival, as they introduce our audiences to the visionary creatives bringing these powerful stories to life,” said Festival Director Nehad Khader. “This year’s slate of events promises to further illuminate the many themes and ideas drawn across the screenings.”

    Passes for the festival are available for purchase here. Offerings include an all-access pass ($250) and a virtual festival pass ($125). Individual tickets for virtual and in-person screenings are $5 and $15, respectively.

    An overview of events is below, and the full list of film screenings and program descriptions is available via the festival schedule here. All venues will be wheelchair accessible, and most in-person events will have American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. Select films will also feature Audio Description (AD) for blind & low-vision audiences.

    Panels & Conversations

    [dot] Conversation: The Passion of Remembrance  

    Wednesday August 3, 2-4:30pm, Penn Live Arts – Zellerbach Theater with Coco Fusco and Louis Massiah 

    [dot] Conversation: Seen with Dindga McCannon

    Wednesday August 3, 5-6pm, Penn Museum – Rainey Auditorium

    [dot] Panel: Childhood on Screen

    Thursday August 4, 1-2pm, Penn Live Arts – Montgomery Theater with Alaa Zabara, Bria and Bilal Motley, Iyana Le’Shea, and Jo Rochelle, moderated by Stormy Kelsey

    [dot] Panel: Horror and Sound

    Thursday August 4, 5-6pm, Virtual Event with Lisa Taouma, Mario Gaoa, Nikyatu, Tanerélle, Mario Gaoa and Lisa Taouma moderated by Sultana Isham

    [dot] Workshop: From Reflection to Release: Uplifting a Values-Based Filmmaking Practice

    Friday August 5, 1-2:30pm, Annenberg School – Room 110 with Bhawin Suchak, Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad, Natalie Bullock Brown, Sherry Simpson, and Sonya Childress 

    [dot] Panel: Expressions of Spirit

    Friday August 5, 5-6pm, Virtual Event with Ashon Crawley, Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-Selassie, Koko Selassie, Rashid Shabazz, Rashid Zakat, and Taylor Aldridge

    [dot] Many Lumens: Mira Nair and Maori Karmael Holmes

    Saturday August 6, 1-2pm, Virtual Event, Sponsored by Temple University School of Theater, Film and Media Arts

    [dot] Panel: Closed Door Industry Roundtable

    Saturday August 6, 5-6pm, Event for Filmmakers Only, Presented by STARZ/Lionsgate

    [dot] Panel: Disability Justice and Filmmaking

    Sunday August 7, 1-2pm, Virtual Event, Sponsored by MediaJustice, with Andres “Jay” Molina, Natasha Ofili, Reveca Torres, moderated by Andraéa LaVant

    [dot] Panel: Loss, Grief, Legacy

    Sunday August 7, 5-6 pm, Virtual Event, Sponsored by the Scattergood Foundation, with Arthur Jafa, dream hampton, Lynneé Denise, and Marcia Smith; moderated by alexis pauline gumbs

    In-Person Events & Screenings

    [dot] Feature Screening: Lingui

    Wednesday August 3, 11am, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening and Panel: The Passion of Remembrance 

    Wednesday August 3, 2-4:30pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Shorts Screening: Gather Me

    Wednesday August 3, 5pm, Montgomery Theater 

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Storming Caesar’s Palace

    Wednesday August 3, 8:30pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Opening Night Party

    Wednesday August 3, 9:30pm-12:30am, Bartram’s Garden

    [dot] Yoga Class for Children

    Thursday August 4, 9am, Drexel Square

    [dot] Shorts Screening: Revivify 

    Thursday August 4, 10am, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Shorts Screening: Sillage

    Thursday August 4, 11am, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening: One Take Grace

    Thursday August 4, 3pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening: Jasmine Is A Star

    Thursday August 4, 5pm, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening: Teine Sa

    Thursday August 4, 8:30pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Yoga Class at Drexel Square

    Friday August 5, 9am, Drexel Square 

    [dot] Shorts Screening and Q & A: Savvy 

    Friday August 5, 10am, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Screening and Q & A: The African Desperate 

    Friday August 5, 11am, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Shorts Screening and Q & A: Pulsate

    Friday August 5, 1pm, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Screening and Q & A: Aftershock 

    Friday August 5, 3pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Silent Beauty

    Friday August 5, 5pm, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] First Friday! with BlackStar Film Festival featuring Omar’s Hat and Blackalachia (by Moses Sumney)

    Friday August 5, 6-9pm, The Barnes Foundation

    [dot] Shorts Screening and Q & A: Locomote

    Friday August 5, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Yoga Class at Drexel Square

    Saturday August 6, 9am, Drexel Square  

    [dot] BlackStar Bazaar

    Saturday August 6, 10am-8pm and Sunday August 7, 10am-3pm, Penn Live Arts – Courtyard

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power

    Saturday August 6, 10am, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Shorts Screening and Q & A: Effectuate

    Saturday August 6, 11am, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Shorts Screening and Q & A: Observer Effect

    Saturday August 6, 1pm, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Wisdom Gone Wild

    Saturday August 6, 3pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Kash Kash

    Saturday August 6, 5pm, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Hazing 

    Saturday August 6, 8:30pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Yoga Class at Drexel Square

    Saturday August 6, 9am, Drexel Square  

    [dot] Shorts Screening and Q & A: Rising Tides

    Sunday August 7, 10am, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Tug of War

    Sunday August 7, 11am, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Rewind & Play

    Sunday August 7, 1pm, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Screening and Reception: Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab Films 

    Sunday August 7, 3-5pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Shorts Screening and Q & A: Withstand

    Sunday August 7, 5pm, Montgomery Theater

    [dot] Feature Screening and Q & A: Marte Um/Mars One 

    Sunday August 7, 8:30pm, Zellerbach Theater

    [dot] Closing Night Party

    Sunday August 7, 9:30pm-12:30am, Penn Live Arts – Courtyard

    All times in ET. For more information on festival programming, and to register for these events, please visit https://www.blackstarfest.org/festival/

    This year’s festival is presented with the support of the following sponsors: AmDoc/POV, Annenberg School For Communication, Black Public Media, Catapult Film Fund, Center For Cultural Power, Drexel Westphal College of Media Arts, Expressway Grip, Eventive, Firelight Media, Gotham Film & Media Institute, Impact Partners, Indego, ITVS, Leeway Foundation, Lionsgate/STARZ, MediaJustice, Meta, NEON, Open Society Foundations, PBS, PECO, Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Red Bull, Scattergood Foundation, The Study Hotels, Temple University Film and Media Arts Department, Unique Photo, Urban Affairs Coalition, Urban Outfitters, Warner Bros./Discovery, Wyncote Foundation and Xfinity.

    BlackStar Projects and its year-round programs are generously supported by Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Critical Minded, Ford Foundation/JustFilms, Gucci Changemakers Fund, Independence Public Media Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Perspective Fund, Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Philadelphia Cultural Treasurers, Philadelphia Foundation, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Surdna Foundation, Wallace Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and Wyncote Foundation, in addition to its board of directors, community partners, and a host of generous individual donors and organizations.

    About BlackStar Projects

    BlackStar Projects is the producer of the BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color — showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In addition to the acclaimed festival, BlackStar presents an array of programming across film and visual culture year-round, including the twice-annual journal Seen, the podcast Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, and the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, among other initiatives. 

    Press Contacts

    Ed Winstead

    Senior Director, Cultural Counsel

    ed@culturalcounsel.com

    Sam Riehl 

    Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel

    sam@culturalcounsel.com 

    Emma Frohardt

    Senior Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    emma@culturalcounsel.com

    Devon Ma

    Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    devon@culturalcounsel.com

  • BlackStar Projects Launches Fourth Issue of Seen

    BlackStar Projects Launches Fourth Issue of Seen

    BlackStar Projects—producer of the BlackStar Film Festival—is proud to announce the launch of the fourth issue of Seen, its twice-annual journal of film and visual culture made for and about Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities globally.

    Seen 004 is available for order here, and the print and digital editions will be officially released on June 23. Guest-edited by artist Darol Olu Kae, the issue includes essays, reviews, interviews, original art and photography, and more.

    “With this fourth issue, we seek to extend Seen’s ongoing exploration of what it means to see and bear witness for Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities globally,” writes Kae in his introduction to the issue. “Each piece in this issue explores the complexities of vision and visual culture in an ever-shifting world, from Jasmine Weber’s discerning feature on the groundbreaking architect Amaza Lee Meredith, to Jenzia Burgos’s incisive interrogation of music videos by the emerging Dominican rapper Tokischa, to Yume Murphy’s expansive profile of acclaimed artist Martine Syms, which centers her debut narrative feature film, The African Desperate (2022).”

    Highlights from Seen 004 include Yume Murphy’s profile of acclaimed artist Martine Syms; a tribute to the late critic Greg Tate, from Jeff Chang, Elizabeth Méndez-Berry, and Deborah Thomas; Zeba Blay on Issa Rae’s Insecure; Sky Hopinka on process and memory in Kicking the Clouds; a profile of multimedia artist Dindga McCannon by Zoé Samudzi; dream hampton interviewed by Beandrea July; a behind the scenes look at Apichatpong Weerasethekul’s Memoria, and more.

    To celebrate the launch of the new issue, Seen will present a free screening and conversation on the nuances of color and craft through the lenses of Black creators at 2220 Arts + Archives in Los Angeles on June 23rd. Featuring films by Rikkí Wright, Darol Olu Kae, and Kya Lou, the event will include a post-screening conversation with all three filmmakers discussing their work. Refreshments will be served, and copies of Seen 004 will be available for purchase. More information on the launch event may be accessed here. 

    This issue of Seen also marks the first edition with Dessane Lopez Cassell in the role of Editor-in-Chief. Cassell, who guest-edited issue 002, has been a longtime BlackStar Film Festival program committee member, last serving on the experimental committee in 2022. Most recently, she worked as the reviews editor at Hyperallergic. 

    “With Seen 004, we look forward to expanding the journal’s vision and reach. The LA launch event on the 23rd marks a growing commitment to connecting with new audiences and championing artists and cultural critics of color across the globe and beyond our home in Philadelphia,” Cassell noted. 

    The full list of Seen 004 contributors includes Alia Swastika, Beandrea July, Bedatri D. Choudhury, Camae Ayewa, Darol Olu Kae, Deborah A. Thomas, Elizabeth Méndez-Berry, Jasmine Weber, Jeff Chang, Jenzia Burgos, Mahasen Nasser-Eldin, Poulomi Das, Sky Hopinka, Yume Murphy, Zeba Blay, and Zoé Samudzi. 

    The issue’s cover features a photograph of filmmaker Martine Syms by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. 

    In addition to Kae and Cassell, the editorial staff includes: Caroline Washington⁠⁠, Art Director; Nehad Khader⁠⁠, Managing Editor⁠⁠; Leo Brooks⁠⁠, Design Manager; Imran Siddiquee, Chief Communications Officer; Jasmine Weber⁠⁠, Reviews and Features Editor⁠⁠; Kavita Rajanna⁠⁠, Essays Editor⁠⁠; Yasmine Espert⁠⁠, Interviews & Profiles Editor⁠⁠; Shauna Swartz⁠⁠, Copyeditor⁠⁠⁠⁠; Sydney Alicia Rodriguez, Program Associate; Ashley Ijoema Omoma, Program Coordinator; Chili Shi, Editorial & Design Intern, and Maori Karmael Holmes, Founding Editor.⁠⁠

    Seen’s Editorial Advisory Board consists of Jeff Chang, Akiba Solomon, John L. Jackson, Jr., Louis Massiah, Adam Piron, Roya Rastegar, Sally Singer, Elizabeth Méndez Berry, Tarana Burke, Greg Tate (In Memoriam), Gina Duncan, and Zaheer Ali.

    Seen may be purchased via local, international, and online outlets, including: BYE BYE NEIGHBOR, Forin Cafe, Hammer Museum, Harriett’s Bookshop, magCulture, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, McNally Jackson, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Printworks, Reparations Club, The Sable Collective, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Tomorrow Today, Ulises, Uncle Bobbie’s, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and YOWIE. 

    To purchase a copy, visit http://blackstarfest.org/seen for more information.

    Among BlackStar Projects’ continuing initiatives are the BlackStar Film Festival, celebrating its eleventh edition this summer from August 3 – 7 with a lineup of seventy-six films from across the globe; the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar; and Many Lumens with Maori Karmael Holmes—BlackStar’s signature podcast, which finds BlackStar founder Holmes in dialogue with the most groundbreaking artists, changemakers, and cultural workers of today. The organization also celebrated the beginning of this decade of expansion with the opening of a new headquarters this spring.

    For more information on Seen, the BlackStar Film Festival, and other BlackStar programs, visit blackstarfest.org.

    About BlackStar Projects

    BlackStar Projects is the producer of the BlackStar Film Festival, an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global communities of color — showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world. In addition to the acclaimed festival, BlackStar presents an array of programming across film and visual culture year-round, including the twice-annual journal Seen, the podcast Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar, and the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, among other initiatives. 

    Press Contacts

    Ed Winstead

    Senior Director, Cultural Counsel

    ed@culturalcounsel.com

    Sam Riehl

    Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel 

    sam@culturalcounsel.com

    Emma Frohardt

    Senior Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel

    emma@culturalcounsel.com