11th Annual BlackStar Film Festival Coverage August 3-7, 2022

Two things I’ve really loved about this year’s BlackStar Film Festival (Annenberg Center/Penn Live Arts) that I didn’t need to keep up with a Press Pass on a lanyard. I saw some with badges, but press received a QR Code to show on your phone at the door. One code as press in general for some events and a code for each registered screening – a much better system. Plus this way if you want to wear a necklace there’s no issues of badge interference.

The other thing was attending the live airings of the DAILY JAWN! So much fun to be in the studio audience, truly feels like your on Fallon or Kimmel, only Philly style. The warmup comedian “The Fluffer” D’Lo is a joyful character. Festival Founder Marori Karmel Holmes hosted beautifully each evening. And the house band led by Luke Carlos O’Reilly gave us a kinda The Roots vibe.

Day 1 (8/3)

**Click Image to Watch Q&A Excerpts on Youtube**

STORMING CAESARS PALACE | Director/Producer Hazel Gurland-Pooler | Documentary | Based on book by Annelise Orleck

When you think sit-ins, protests, social movements in this country you think of the South, D.C., Philly, perhaps New York, but never Las Vegas! I don’t think many of us think about Nevada residents, we just think about going to Vegas to win money, stroll the strip holding big cocktails, luxury hotels, shows and R&R. But in the late 60’s and early 70’s their was much poverty in Nevada and mothers were being persecuted for wanting to feed and clothe their children; primarily by a racist despot, worse than Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz combined, running the Welfare Office at the time. Not only were these mothers who were at the end of their rope, demeaned by the system, they could be denied funds at any time with no warning. And their homes were randomly searched to see if a man’s presence could be detected in the house – a shoe, hair in the sink could all be damning evidence that they should be provided for by that supposed male person and should not receive welfare assistance.

Ruby Duncan was just an injured mother of 6, trying to keep some food on the table. She recounts feeding her children cornmeal mixed with water and occasionally onions, fried in Vaseline to keep from starving. She didn’t know anything about how to mobilize and start a movement, but that’s exactly what she did and did it big – Shutting down the Las Vegas Strip!

“Storming Caesars Palace is an inspiring documentary which tells the story of Ruby and her band of mothers (Mary Wesley and Alversa Beals), with the help of an activist and a volunteer lawyer, created a National Welfare Rights Organization and so much more to help low income families. They worked with Martin Luther King, Jr on the Poor People’s Movement, got Sammy Davis, Jr and Jane Fonda involved, are arrested several times. Through it all at the forefront is Ruby Duncan, who currently, at the age of 90, is involved in voter’s rights.

I know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but thankfully Hazel Gurland-Pooler, with a 15 year determination, managed to get this history making story out to the public.

POST UPDATE 4/7/2023 Doc can now be found streaming on PBS

#BSFF22 also marks the world premiere of short films created through BlackStar’s Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, presented by Black Experience on Xfinity, following the announcement of the Lab’s inaugural cohort last fall. I interviewed the filmmakers, please click image above or button below to check out their responses.

The Lab’s 2021–2022 fellows are:

Bettina Escauriza (a member of SIFTMedia 215) – Tonight, We Eat Flowers, centers on a person who sells hold music to companies, employing magical realism and the absurd to disrupt
expectations.

Jasmine Lynea – The Love Machine, (hybrid film) is set in 2036 North Philadelphia in a dominantly Black neighborhood and focuses on cultivating a new perspective on love.

Julian Turner – The Big Three, engages a conversation surrounding Black representation and artistic ownership through a musical setting.

Xenia Matthews – Ourika! utilizes surrealism, animation, and multimedia elements to further the ongoing conversation on the colonization of Black women’s bodies in art and material culture.

5 QUESTIONS FOR BLACKSTAR LAB FELLOWS

Day 2 (8/4)

In addition to my full-time job at LearnQuest, and running Tinsel & Tine, I wear another hat as part-time Social Media Manager for SIFTMedia215 (Sisters in Film and Television) A Black and Latinx Female Film Collective. We had a couple members with films screening during BlackStar and decided to hold a little Happy Hour at City Tap in University City, down the street from where the fest was taking place.

TEINE SĀ – THE ANCIENT ONES | Directors: Matasila Freshwater, Mario Gaoa, Miki Magasiva, Anapela Polataivao, Mario Faumui | Narrative Feature | New Zealand

Ancient Indigenous Pacific deities, and their role in the lives of Pacific people, are the subject of Teine Sā: The Ancient Ones, a collection of stories all by filmmakers of the Pacific Islands.

One story of a woman who is a performance artists who wants to borrow a sacred items from her grandmother to use for her work. Her grandmother politely refuses saying it shouldn’t be used in this way; granddaughter takes it anyway when her grandmother falls asleep. The consequences reflect her work in a most unfortunate manner.

A transgendered teen is spending time with their father, their relationship is distant, made more so by the fact the teen is concern about their father’s company building a resort on sacred lands. They pick up a hitchhiker with a special message for the teen and an unmistakable message for the father.

The other three stories deal with, bullying, sexual betrayal, but not cheating, and a reluctant user of an online dating app, who should not have let her sister persuade her otherwise.

All the stories are compelling in that they are Pseudo–horror, and are well shaped by the locations. Unfortunately, without any foundational information or background on these ancient spirits or deities, you feel like you’re missing a major element of the films.

Day 3 (8/5)

THE AFRICAN DESPERATE | Director: Martine Syms | Narrative Feature | USA

Martine Syms’ directorial debut “The African Desperate” centers on a Black artist, Palace Bryant (Diamond Stingily) on the last day of earning her MFA from an upstate New York, needless to say, predominantly white, art school.

It opens with Palace preparing for her final critique from an all-white panel of professors. There’s one of every kind this setting would breed – The ‘nice guy’ who’s gonna find power words to go above and beyond in giving approval; Male lead professor who tries to show he’s not intimidated by Palace’s, I don’t really give AF, black girl stare and barely concealed, I’m over this attitude; Female crunchy granola extra philosophical professor; And last, but not least, a thinly veil racist “Karen” type professor.

After the critique, having earned her MFA, Palace just wants to celebrate in her own fashion, pack and head home to Chicago, but everyone she encounters expects her to attend the last night party and to DJ, as supposedly she said she would, but now she adamantly responds to everyone that she’s not going to the party. Only to of course, end up at the party.

Syms, an artist who has previously exhibited at the MoMA and elsewhere, previously directed a feature-length installation film, “Incense, Sweaters & Ice;” “The African Desperate” is her first narrative work, which draws on her own experiences across three summer semesters at Bard’s low-residency MFA program.

It reminds me in tone and rhythm of Leslie Harris’ 1992 film “Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.” It is very much a personal account, day in the life of a woman with much bravado, and more secret insecurities. Personal, but never self-indulgent. I enjoyed her antics with mostly white, distinctly artistic, friends and her crush on cute white boy Ezra, who’s flirted with Palace, but has never made a move all summer.

Syms will present the film internationally as part of an in-person event tour throughout September and October in the U.S. and Europe. Following the theatrical release and events, the film will be available to stream globally on Mubi.

The film being shown BLACKALACHIA was over capacity in the Barnes Museum‘s small theater, so many of us in attendance didn’t get to see it; but it was okay, cause we just went back upstairs for more cocktails and music…

Day 4 (8/6)

CONVERSATION WITH MIRA NAIR

The 2022 Luminary Award recipient

Interviewed by BlackStar Chief Executive and Artistic Officer
Maori Karmael Holmes

Click Image to view video

BlackStar Mental Check-in

Love that before and/or after certain films that could be triggering, BlackStar had someone lead a mindfulness moment of meditation and deep breathing to help attendees who may have experienced stress while taking in the information of the film. This video was taken after Byron Hurt’s documentary HAZING about the history of Hazing rituals in Fraternities and Sororities, focusing in on the hazing tragedies which ended in deaths or permanent disabilities.
SEE #MiniMovieReview & Q&A below…

HAZING | Filmmaker Byron Hurt | Feature Documentary

I am curious as to what the ratio of fraternity or sorority alumni/alumnae actually use the connections in the outside world for incredible job opportunities and the other perks you’re supposed to receive throughout the rest of your life? Although, most who pledge aren’t even thinking that far ahead, they simply want to belong. Personally, I can’t imagine needing to fit in that badly, but then I wouldn’t have had the stamina for even the less arduous tasks assigned when pledging.

“Hazing,” which premiered earlier this summer at the Tribeca Film Festival, takes a closer look at the hazing culture across US colleges and universities. Including Philly’s Timothy Piazza, a 19-year-old Pennsylvania State University student, who died as a result of injuries suffered in an initiation ceremony of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity in February 2017.

The film from director Byron Hurt, (Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes and Soul Food Junkies). Takes a two-fold approach to this subject 1) from the standpoint of someone who not only pledged in his youth but was one who doled out the punishment to the Rushees who came in after him. Byron is not shy about sharing his guilt over having participated in these often barbaric customs; and at the same time, now betraying his fellow frat brothers by digging into this rather taboo subject for his documentary. 2) He approaches it from the standpoint of the families who have senselessly lost loved ones because of this tradition. The interviews with parents, siblings, and others are heartbreaking in that many knew the person was pledging, was even behind them in their efforts, yet never imagined the results would be death or in some cases permanent disability. He also briefly touches on how systemic racism may play a part in some hazing death cases.

I’d recommend anyone with college bound offspring to sit down and watch this doc with them, discuss the realities involved in becoming a Greek. Ultimately, it doesn’t seem this painful, humiliating, and life-threatening rite of passage is worth it in the end.

Click Above for Q&A

with Byron Hurt, Producer Natalie Bullock Brown, Moderated by Marc Lamont Hill

Day 5 (8/7)

Closing Night Film: MARS ONE (Marte Um)

Directed by Gabriel Martins

An emotionally-layered ensemble drama, Mars One tells a classic story of a family in crisis. While a far-right politician takes power in Brazil, a young woman realizes she’s queer and falls in love for the first time. Her little brother has a new love as well: science. But as he looks to the stars his father tries to bring him back to Earth, pushing him into a soccer career he’s not sure he actually wants. Meanwhile, the matriarch of the family is going through her own private struggle, triggered by new trauma.

But a family often needs to fall apart to find their way back together, and Mars One brings poetry to their pain. Much like the flow of life, their troubles are punctuated by moments of blissful play, music, dancing and making love. With its gorgeous cinematography and heartfelt performances, Mars One is an emotional journey through changing times.–Jourdain Searles

Gabriel Martins is a Brazilian filmmaker and co-founder of Filmes de Plástico. His first feature, In the Heart of the World, which he co-directed with Maurilio Martins, premiered at Rotterdam International Film Festival. His shorts screened at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and Clermont-Ferrand. Gabriel wrote box-office hit Alemão, and is currently developing a series for Amazon.

Cast: Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Damiao, Cicero Lucas

Click image for Q&A video

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY

#BSFF22 Now that the fun of the fest has ended I’ve still got a lot of reviews and coverage to post!
Kudos to @BlackStarFest
For a wonderfully executed 11th year 👏🏾👊🏾🤘🏾👐🏿https://t.co/CVzuKLaTvH #FilmFestival #PhillySpotlight pic.twitter.com/qGLIZ7GUHy
— Tinsel & Tine – Marvelous Movie Maven (@tinseltine) August 8, 2022

Last month this time, many SIFTERS were gearing up to check out the 11th Annual BlackStar Film Festival. And some had films screening! Check out our page celebrating SIFT @ #BSFF22 https://t.co/d3P9pyeLW9 pic.twitter.com/86iWWGnmrr
— SIFTMedia 215 Collective (@siftmedia215) August 31, 2022

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS

ORIGINAL POST – Published July 15, 2022

See what’s in store this summer for BlackStar Film Festival 2022 being held Wednesday, Aug 3rd thru Sunday, Aug 7th. In addition to virtual programming accessible to BlackStar’s global audience (the 2021 festival reached nearly 1 million viewers around the world), BlackStar is hosting a series of in-person screenings and events in Philadelphia, including opening and closing parties, and a panel on disability justice and filmmaking with visionary cultural workers.

Passes & tickets for the festival are now available for purchase HERE.

There is 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.

“We are excited to continue connecting with and welcoming our community in-person and virtually. This festival is a storytelling celebration with programming that has lots of people in mind—from yoga for families to parties to issue-based documentaries and horror films,” – Festival Director Nehad Khader

Special episode of BlackStar’s signature podcast, Many Lumens, will celebrate 2022 Luminary Award recipient: Academy-Award nominated director, filmmaker, and activist, MIRA NAIR

Best known for her visually dense films, Nair’s debut feature, Salaam Bombay! (1988) won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes, followed by the groundbreaking Mississippi Masala (1991), and the Golden Globe & Emmy-winning Hysterical Blindness (2001). Among many other accolades, she was the first woman to win Venice Film Festival’s coveted Golden Lion, and was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor in 2012.

In addition to her filmmaking work, she is also the founder of the Salaam Baalak Trust which provides full care and protection to street children through health and nutrition, mental health, quality education & vocational training, support for performing arts such as photography, theatre, dance and puppetry etc. and the Maisha Film Lab a non-profit training initiative for emerging East African filmmakers.

Lab Fellows 5 Question Interviews

HIGHLIGHTS

THE PASSION OF REMEMBRANCE – 2pm August 3, 2022

Directors: Isaac Julien, Maureen Blackwood, the first full-length feature film by Sankofa Film and Video offers a radical and necessary interrogation into what constitutes ‘post-colonial’ identity at a time of political and social restlessness in Britain. Set within an isolated desert landscape contrasted with recognizable scenes of the intensity of family life, this vanguard work demonstrates the richness and variety of the black experience; it is a poetic and hard-hitting commentary on the complexities of race, gender and sexuality.

Runtime: 83 minutes
Language: English
Cast: Anni Domingo, Joseph Charles, Antonia Thomas
Cinematographer: Steven Bernstein, Nina Kellgren
Screenwriter: Isaac Julien, Maureen Blackwood

HAZING – 8:30pm August 6, 2022 Director Byron Hurt lifts the veil on a variety of underground hazing rituals that are abusive, and sometimes deadly.

Runtime: 104 minutes
Country: United States
Director: Byron Hurt
Premiere: Philadelphia

Click >> to Enlarge PDF

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.

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