10th Anniversary BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL COVERAGE- August 4-8, 2021

By LeAnne Lindsay, Editor

BlackStar Film Festival is celebrating it’s 10th year with both in-person and virtual screenings and events. It’s a major turning point for a festival that has come to be recognized as a significant celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora, as well as of global communities of color. This year’s fest will screen 80 experimental, narrative, and documentary films, both short and feature-length, representing 27 countries. In partnership with HBO, BlackStar will also present the world premiere of feature documentary Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground.

BlackStar Film Festival always turns out to be one of the highlights of my summer. I may not have fully covered all 10, but I’ve always attended at least a screening or opening night party. See below for links to T&T past coverage.

The festival’s early references to Sundance has grown less relevant with time. “Sundance is shorthand for a serious indie film festival that’s going to have the kind of work you wouldn’t see anywhere else, so that was really affirming,” said CEO and artistic director Maori Karmael Holmes. “But I wouldn’t use it at this stage. We want to not just tell Black stories, but also those of our allies, like a political Global South lens, and that’s happened organically throughout the festival. The BlackStar team has looked like that from the beginning and I think because of that, we started getting submissions from artists who were not Black but felt a kinship to what we were doing.” READ MORE Indie Wire

BlackStar got started a day early with PITCH SESSION on Aug 3rd. I got a chance to listen in while 7 talented Documentary Shorts Filmmakers pitched their current projects to a panel of illustrious Producers/Executives/Programmers:

Alex Hannibal CNN Films
Caitlin Mae Burke If/Then Shorts
Chi-Hui Yang Ford Foundation
Chloe Walters-Wallace Firelight Media
Chris Hastings World Channel
Jeff Seelback Topic/First Look Media
Lamonia Brown Warner Media/150
Mervyn Marcano Field House Productions/CBS Studios
Opal Hope Bennett POV/ American Documentary
Moderator D’Lo

Films Pitched:

DIASPORA LETTERS – Filmmakers Beeta Baghoolizadeh & Shane Nassiri – Follows the many letters and packages sent between families in Iran and their loved ones who have migrated to the US and Abroad.

SMILE 5 KIME– Filmmaker Elena Guzman – Follows the friendship between the filmmaker and her best friend who struggles with Mental Health issues and obsession with suicide.

LEAP INTO THE SKY BLACK GIRL (AMPE STUDEY) – Filmmakers Claudia Owusu & Ife Oluwamuyide – There’s a jumping game played between girls in Ghana that followed into the United States in Columbus OH where there’s a large population of Ghanaian people. Doc makes a correlation between the game and other societal positives and negatives of these women here and on the African Continent.

BLACK ABANDONED – Filmmaker Lydia Hicks – Uncovering the historic black town of Idlewild, MI, called the “Black Eden of Michigan“, from 1912 through the mid-1960s.

HOPE SONG – Filmmaker Yasmine Mathurin – Animated doc centered around the filmmaker’s parents who immigrated from Haiti to Canada to raise their children in a safe environment; yet never actually settled in. Their lives forever on hold until they can return to their beloved Haiti.

FREEDOM HILL Filmaker Resita Cox – Uncovering Princeville NC, the first town established in the US. by formerly enslaved blacks in 1885. A town that’s built on Swamp waters and constantly gets flooded. (Environmental Racism).

CITIZEN KHAN Filmmakers Sana Malik & Khaula Malik – about their grandfather Louis Khan a Pakistani who immigrated to Sheridan, Wyoming in the early 1900 and made such an imprint there is a statue of him in the center of town. The doc follows his offspring and the change in racism from then to now.

They were all great pitches! Each project had some footage or visuals to accompany the verbal pitch. But if I were on the panel I’d chose Freedom Hill to win and Diaspora Letters as runner up.

The Pitchfest Winner receives:
Artist Grant from Warner Media 150 and Mentorship
Runner up receives $2500 from If/Then & POV
Both also receive Impact Campaign Planning Support from Working Films and a Vimeo Pro account.
Winners will be announced Monday, August 9, 2021

Post Update 8/10/21 : BlackStar Pitch Winner – Ampe Study: or Leap into the Sky, Black Girl | Runner Up Diaspora Letters: Postmarks Between Iran and the US

DAY 1 SHORTS (NARRATIVE) – SYMBIOSIS

SOUTH IS MY SISTER’S (2 min) Filmmaker: Zenzele Ojore – Told through a series of vignettes, a Black woman recounts her coming-of-age story with the American South as her backdrop.

T&T’s Take Away: I realize it’s a tone poem, but it was a little too quick and blended for me to get a real sense of the piece.

HEARTLAND (10 min) Filmmaker: Jahmil Eady – A woman attempts to immortalize her dying grandfather using virtual reality technology, but her obsession with documenting drives a wedge between them.

T&T’s Take Away: Loved this one! Like that it’s set in a not too distant future. Love the theme of being so obsessed with capturing the moment that you forget to live in the moment. Happens to me all the time. The grandfather is perfectly cantankerous and equally lovable.

NUEVO RICO (16 min) Filmmaker: Kristian Mercado Figueroa – A brother and sister stumble upon a celestial secret that changes their lives forever and propels them into reggaetón stardom, but they soon discover that their newfound fame comes at a deep price.

T&T’s Take Away: Saw this animated short during The Latino Film Festival, it’s fluorescent coloring and sharply drawn angles, both brings you into the story and keeps you off kilter. The story is told like a fable, and like most fables, ends on an unfortunate note, but the ride to get there is interesting and trippy!

PINK & BLUE (13 min) Filmmaker: Carmen LoBue – After a surprise first-time pregnancy, a trans couple of color wrestles with how the new baby will affect their relationship and how to raise their child in a binary world.

T&T’s Take Away: Although there’s considerable tension centered around not subjecting the expected baby to gender expectations; which I don’t believe many cisgender couples argue about until they may need to. The majority of the film deals with what every young couple deals with when expecting their first child – money, fear of impending parenthood and nesting. It’s good to see nontraditional people in traditional roles.

NO ENTRY (12 min) Filmmaker: Kaleb D’Aguilar – Against the backdrop of the Windrush scandal, a Jamaican mother, Valerie Powell, struggles to keep her relationship with her son Eli intact. She suffers in silence as she battles with the government’s hostile environment tactics. As she keeps the threat of deportation a secret, her psychological state begins to deteriorate while she grapples with the fear of losing her son and the country she calls home.

T&T’s Take Away: The actress (Susan Aderin) who plays Valerie has mastered the art of suppressing one’s panic while still feeling it every moment underneath. This movie is a perfect example of Bureaucracy at its worst. Once upon a time you thought of immigration in a light-hearted way in movies like Green Card with Andi Macdowell and Gérard Depardieu. Now we know the actual horrors of sending people back to countries they haven’t known since they were a child. And separating them from their child/children. How can governments be so cavalier? I always wonder how anyone can work for Deportation Departments or Parking Authority’s, they’ve got to be two of the worst feeling jobs, kicking people out of their adopted countries and highly annoying people for not getting back to their cars in time.

TALLAHASSEE (22 min) Filmmaker: Darine Hotait – On the day of her release from a psychiatric facility, Mira, an Arab American woman, returns to her mother’s home in Brooklyn to attend her grandmother’s 90th birthday — only to discover that her sister Lara has lied to the family that she was on a trip to Florida.

T&T’s Take Away: Really liked this one. The fact that Mira’s close knit Palestinian American family would not be receptive to the real reason she’s been away, is a great layering for the film. However, just following Mira’s moods and struggle to get through the day and finding unexpected company in her little 5 year-old cousin, is what connects you to the story.

BLACKSTAR OPENING NIGHT PARTY – BARTRAM’S GARDEN

Decided to brave the Delta Variant and attend the Opening Night Party at Bertram’s Garden. I probably should have worn my mask the whole night. I started out wearing it, but trying to talk above music with a mask on is just too difficult. Plus of course, eating and drinking. I also tried to stay out of the tent as much as possible and enjoy the party in the courtyard. It’s awful we still have to be so vigilant. Still, it was a good night. Spirits were high and I got to see my friend Darryl, whom I’ve talked to, but haven’t physically seen since 2019.

Check out below recap of the evening mix of photography and dance video:

OUTDOOR SCREENING – NARRATIVE FEATURE: EYIMOFE This is My Desire

Director Arie Esiri | Screenwriter/Director & Chuko Esiri (Run time: 116 min)

Synopsis: Set in Lagos, Nigeria, and told in two chapters, Eyimofe (This is My Desire) follows the stories of Mofe, a factory technician, and Rosa, a hairdresser, on their quest for what they believe will be a better life on foreign shores.

T&T #MiniMovieReview – We are introduced to Lagos, Nigeria through Mofe (Jude Akuwudike) a man in his early 40’s seeking a passport to travel. He works as an Engineer (Electrician) at a printing press, basically keeping the machines running with spit and glue and trying to only get electrocuted once or twice a day. His sister and her 2 children live with him and they seems close knit. As the film unfolds, we follow his day to day after experiencing an accident which ends in tragedy. Eventually, the film switches over to another citizen of Lagos seeking a travel passport. Rosa (Temiloluwa Ami-Williams) is a young woman in her early 20’s who has taken on the responsibility of raising her teenage pregnant sister Grace (Cynthia Ebijie). They have a mother who lives elsewhere and calls on occasion, but for the most part these two young ladies are on their own. Rosa has a couple jobs, Grace is still in school despite her condition. Rosa has two suitors one American and one old man who owns the building where she and Grace reside. As you can imagine, she has a very different relationship with both men; yet her main goal is getting she and her sister out of Lagos to Italy, the reason for this chosen destination is never clear.

The film has an intentional measured pace and almost documentary style. I think anyone who reads my reviews knows that’s not really my cuppa tea in a narrative feature. I want story and plot to click and an overall quicker pace and cuts. This is one of those slow burns, so most true film buffs will revere this film. It introduces the viewer to the everyday survival methods of these characters, which you understand is indicative in many ways for the majority of Nigeria’s inhabitants struggling financially. It’s an obvious love-letter to the brother’s home base; but Lagos is one of the most depressing, unsightly places I’ve seen on film in a long time. To me, it’s a place that only one from the motherland could love.

Watch Video Excerpt of Q&A with Arie Esiri post screening at Eakins Oval

#BSFF21 Be sure to catch BITCHIN: The Sound and Fury of Rick James tonight (8pm outdoor screening) Dir Sasha Jenkins – It’s both the Rick James ya know and a surprising genius you may not have realized! – https://t.co/aSTurDtZFm https://t.co/DgZDzW7aD8
— Tinsel & Tine (@tinseltine) August 7, 2021

**Sacha Jenkins BITCHIN Director in Conversation with Dyana Williams**

AGENT’S ROUNDTABLE

How do you get an agent? When should you get an agent? What do you send to get an agent interested? This particular panel was not about actors looking for representation, but rather for TV/Film writers. And basically all 4 agents on the panel: Adesuwa McCalla, Noel Tedla Mesfin, Talitha Watkins and Rukayat Giwa said what most all industry peeps say – it’s about cultivating relationships, building community. They’re not interested in unsolicited material, but if a friend or trusted acquaintance says, you need to read this, 9 x outta 10, they will. But they also stressed there’s no one way in, no straight guaranteed path. Although, they all agreed, do the work. Don’t try to shop around a half baked script or germ of an idea.

Shorts: Phototropism

FRIENDZONE LA (Dir Angel Kristi Williams) Best friends explore a day in LA — but he’s quietly in love with her.

THE PRICE OF CHEAP RENT (Dirs Amina Sutton, Maya Tanaka) An aspiring artist discusses the challenges of finding affordable housing in a new city and the compromises she has to make with her spooky new roommates.

I LIKE IT HERE (Dir Amartei Armar) A third-culture Ghanaian-American youth takes the taxi ride of his life in an attempt to catch a flight out of Accra, leaving his country, ailing grandfather, and deep-rooted feelings of cultural displacement behind.

MERCURY AFROGRADE (Dir Blanche Akonchong ) On a crazy day during Mercury retrograde, a family’s deepest secrets are revealed, forcing them to realize that they are not the model African family.

GALES (Dirs Ingred Prince & Tshay ) Nurse Indigo needs shift coverage to attend a steamy weekend. How far will she go to achieve the much-needed work-life balance?

ABUNDANCE (Dir Kym Allen) a three-part short film exploring the limitations and radical possibilities of identity from the perspective of a jaded politico, Black storyteller, and pop culture enthusiast Amber J Phillips.

Very strong block of shorts for sure. All entertaining and socially redeeming. But ABUNDANCE definitively earned audience award best short narrative. Amber is an incredible storyteller, you could just listen to her talk about anything for hours. But her recounting her encounter with a “Karen” on a plane ride will truly make you laugh and cry.

Synopsis: WAIKIKI (Dir. Christopher Kahunahana) In this cinematic allegory of love and loss, a hula dancer fights for survival and her sanity in the shadows of Waikiki for an unflinching glimpse into paradise, where there remains hope through human connection and reconnection to ʻaina (nature).

Tinsel & Tine #MiniMovieReview it starts out strong with a real kitschy 50’s-like Hawaiian scene. Kea (Danielle Zalopany) is a lounge-ish singer at a local bar. All seems well. She joke/flirts with her pianist, and you can tell she feels at home in this setting. When suddenly a man comes in looking for her, makes a scene, and drags her out. This is Kea’s husband and he’s furious that she hasn’t been home for days, has seemingly abandoned him and their child. He becomes even angrier when he finds out she’s been sleeping in a van. Now you get a whole new glimpse of who this woman is, your first impression was, she’s a single 20’s something living a carefree life; then you come to realize, she’s a woman in her 30’s trying to avoid an abusive relationship. And finally you find out, she’s still reliving a childhood trauma that’s creating a PTSD situation, keeping her from balancing all the aspects of her life.

The cinematography features shots of the beautiful wild landscape at times, but for the most part, the scenes are certainly not the paradise I picture Waikiki to be. The film goes from a traditional movie pace to a languid film pace shortly after she loses the van. Then it becomes more moody, making the viewer unsure of what’s really happening, versus what she thinks is taking place or things remembered. The execution of some of this is well-done. But other things you really would like spelled out.

And the WINNERS Are…

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Letter From Your Far-Off Country (Best Experimental Film), Dear Philadelphia (Best Short Documentary), Elena (Best Short Documentary), Lizard (Best Short Narrative), Writing With Fire (Best Feature Documentary), and Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) (Best Feature Narrative).

Inheritance (Lionsgate/STARZ Award for Best Speculative Fiction), Testimony: 52nd St. and the Invisible Violence of UPenn (Shine Award Winner), Dear Philadelphia (Vimeo Staff Pick Award).

The Audience Awards this year were awarded to: Writing With Fire (Best Feature Documentary), Beans (Best Feature Narrative), Abundance (Best Short Narrative), Process (Best Experimental Film), and BABYBANGZ (Best Short Documentary).

This year’s Richard Nichols Luminary Award was awarded to the late Menelik Shabazz, and presented to Nadia Denton.