BlackStar Film Festival Coverage August 6-9, 2026

The 15th Annual BlackStar Film Festival was held in Center City Philadelphia (Aug 6-9, 2026). What a milestone for founder Maori Karmael Holmes and her dedicated staff. It’s hard to believe I was there for the first one in 2012, not the entire festival, but I attended the conversation moderated by Scribe Video’s Louis Massiah (no gray hair in sight) interviewing Ava DuVernay, she had only done “Middle of Nowhere” at this point.  (click title for my interview with Ava).

Subsequently, I have attended each year even if it is only for a day or a film, but mostly, I’ve covered the weekend – See past posts

#BSFF26 #CinemaforLiberation

Click Image to see photos on Tinsel & Tine Facebook

DAY 1

THE DAILY JAWN – Talk Show (11am) – hosts discuss the days upcoming highlights and conduct mini-interviews with the filmmakers, along with trivia and fun bits.

I was only able to make it to two Daily Jawns this year.  Here’s some excerpts:

With rotating co-hosts Noura Erakat, Maori Karmael Holmes, Denise Beek, Tre Johnson and Rashid Zakat.

Thursday’s show featured filmmakers Julie Dash (HomeGoing), Amandla Baraka (For Piece of Mind), and Yvonne Michelle Shirley (Watch Out for the Ghosts).

Saturday’s show featured filmmakers Tshay Meade (Tell Me When You Get Home), Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes (The Keeper), and Arlieta Hall (Finding Your Laughter).

LAMENTATIONS SHORTS

Navigating grief into comfort

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HOMEGOING is a collaborative musical tribute by filmmaker Julie Dash and operatic bass-baritone Davóne Tines, created in remembrance of the Emanuel Nine. Through voice, image and ritual, the film honors the lives taken during Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. Tines’ performance becomes an offering of grief and resilience, while Dash’s restrained visual language creates a space for reflection, remembrance and dignity.

VOICEMAIL dir. Lade Tinubu – a conversation happens between voicemail audio from the artist’s late mother and a transcription of his silent responses in the subtitles.

SOLACE dir. Rodney Evans – Framed by a speech given by the filmmaker’s brother at their uncle’s memorial service, this doc/fiction hybrid comedy blends archival family photos with animated scripted scenes from his childhood.

WHITE MUSK dir Fatima Wardy – Loosely based on the filmmaker’s own experiences, White Musk explores the tension that arises when a child is forced to parent their own parent. When her mother, Suraya, falls gravely ill, 19-year-old Hiba becomes her primary caregiver, while her older brother Hisham moves through the household largely unburdened.

TO RUN IS TO RETURN dir. Precious Wura Alabi – a Pharmacist in the UK tries to maintain his high level of work ethic and responsibilities while grieving the death of his mother. He practices different coping mechanisms, until the demands of his day grow and his ability to maintain mental fortitude dissipates.

WHEN THEY’RE GONE Co-dir. Ragan Henderson & Luryn Darden (starring Glynn Turman and Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs) After an abrupt encounter at a graveyard, two elderly men form an unexpected bond over the grief and love of their late wives.

INTRADEPENDENCE SHORTS
Collective Action

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Interdependence Shorts Slide Show

I’m a member of a Philly-based Black & Latine Film Collective – SIFTMedia Collective. This block of shorts featured films by two  members “SIFTers” – PHILLY RUMBA by Melissa Beatriz (co-directed by Andres D. Cisneros Birnbaum). The rhythms of rumba originate from West Africa and accompanied enslaved Africans to Cuba when they were forcibly abducted from their homeland. Rumba is not just a musical style; it’s a means of gathering. Afterall, rumba means “party” in Spanish. Several percussionists can play rumba at a time, and audience members also participate by singing the chorus and dancing. Rumba is meant to bring people together, to express joy, anger and everything in between. The documentary features Philly grown Rumba musicians Little Afrika, the Rumba Brothers and others.

And

THE SEEDS WE CARRY by Gabrielle Patterson (Produced by SIFTer Tatiana Baachus). A short documentary weaving intimate portraits of community farm stewards in Southwest Philadelphia. Through the rhythms of planting, cooking and sharing food, the protagonists reveal how everyday acts of care and resistance nurture belonging, foster cross-cultural kinship and preserve a sense of home amid the pressures of gentrification and displacement. 🏆 🏆 Winner of BlackStar Film Festival’s Philadelphia Filmmaker Award (juried award) and Favorite Short Documentary (audience award)🍾

The gentlemen featured in Intradependence Shorts Block is filmmaker Abdou Cissé, a Bafta-nominated and award-winning writer-director from South London. His film THE AUTHORS OF THE ESTATE is a platform created by the people, for the people — a reclamation of authorship and authority. What began as a grassroots publishing project has evolved into a documentary that amplifies those same voices, bringing their words to life and inspiring the next generation of writers from estates across the United Kingdom.

In celebration of BlackStar 15 and the Intradependence Shorts – People’s Media Fund and SIFTMedia hosted a Happy Hour at Vintage Wine Bar & Bistro after the screening for current SIFT Members and PMF Grantees! The end of the Q&A features pictures and video from the event. Learn more: siftmediacollective.org

Opening Night Documentary: WEST SIDE FAMILIA

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“West Side Familia” is a feature documentary about an overlooked Puerto Rican community on Manhattan’s Upper West Side whose cultural and political influence helped shape New York City while remaining largely erased from its official history.

The film begins when director Taylor Hosking witnesses neighborhood elders scaling a traffic light pole to hang a Puerto Rican flag ahead of the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade, a decades-long tradition they continue to fight to preserve amid rapid gentrification. That moment launches a deeply personal investigation into the hidden history of the neighborhood and the generations of activists, artists, musicians, and community leaders who transformed it into a cultural force.

Centered around a legendary neighborhood biker crew and advocacy group founded (by Chino) in the 1970s, West Side Familia explores how communities protect memory, public space, and identity in the face of displacement. Through archival footage, intimate present-day vérité, and conversations with elders who lived the history firsthand, the film uncovers stories of resistance, celebration, and survival that connect the Upper West Side to broader movements across New York and the Puerto Rican diaspora. At once cinematic, joyful, and politically urgent, West Side Familia is both a love letter to a disappearing New York and a living archive of the people determined to keep its spirit alive.

Last few shots are from BlackStar Opening Night Party!

DAY 2

I HAD TICKETS IN AC FOR DJ CASSIDY’S PASS THE MIC

So I missed Day 2 (Friday, Aug 7th) of BSFF26
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DAY 3

Spotlight Conversation: SCENE NOT HEARD

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Panelists: Dyana Williams, Maori Karmael Holmes, Mercedes “Merce” Martinez and Tina Morton; moderated by Deesha Dyer. “Seven years before founding BlackStar, Maori Karmael Holmes directed the documentary Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip Hop, which examines the place of women in the city’s hip hop scene in the early aughts and documents the artists, promoters and journalists who made their voices known. The film journeyed to more than 40 festivals in 2006 and 2007, which inspired Holmes to create Black Lily Film & Music Festival (2007-08) and set her on the path to becoming a film programmer and curator. By 2012, she launched BlackStar, for which several of the relationships forged during the production and distribution of Scene Not Heard proved instrumental. This conversation examines the production of Scene Not Heard and celebrates the places (and some of the faces) of a beloved era.”

Regrettably, I didn’t get to see the film.

A Life in Art: Through the Eye of Dr. Leslie King Hammond

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Dirs Ben Baker-Lee & Rassaan Hammmond. “The life and work of Dr. Leslie King Hammond, a renowned art historian, teacher, curator and artist, exposes a side of the art world rarely seen. Through studio visits and museum exhibitions, Dr. Hammond untiringly dedicates her life to assisting artists of color find their way to success through humor, ingenuity and the incredible creativity she and her extended artist family embody. Her insistence on excellence and vision to rise above and transform the struggles she faces becomes contagious.”

T&T #MiniMovieReview: This woman is a true trailblazer and is still, at age 82, entirely herself and fully present. Like all black pioneers she had to carve a path through racism and academic gatekeepers and then open the door for others. A good portion of the film is Dr. King Hammond visiting former students whose lives she changed by sharing her wisdom, getting them acknowledge in the art world and most importantly, funded. She’s really a fun person and there’s so much genuine joy shown in all her relationships.

WE ARE NOT DREAMING

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Director Ulisses Arthur‘s debut feature “We Are Not Dreaming” – Ciro, an overworked medical student and pole dance instructor, loses stability as Brazil’s university system collapses. Forced out of his home, he finds refuge with Antônio (Luciano Pedro Jr.), a reclusive DJ, a meeting that reshapes both their survival and intimacy.

Tinsel & Tine #MiniMovieReview: The romance takes a backseat to Ciro’s friend group – Uni classmates who all share a love of Pole Dancing. It’s something they do for themselves until they are asked to perform for money, creating a rift in the tight-knit group. There’s several other issues at hand, but the film shines most when we get to enjoy those sensual pole dancing routines.

Side Note: Sometimes the fun part about writing for your own site is that you can get petty grievances off your chest, cause who’s to edit me, but me 😂  This is most-likely me being over sensitive about niceties. Perhaps it’s a Gen X vs Gen Z generation gap difference or even a cultural/language barrier miscommunication. Okay, so the director Ulisses asked one of BlackStar’s coordinators, who was the person filming in the front row?  She gave him my contact information and he DM’d me on IG to see if I would send him the Q&A video, but more importantly, he wanted video of the pre-screening moment when he came out to introduce the film.  I couldn’t remember if I’d captured the moment or not, but told him I’d check and either way I would upload the Q&A and pictures to his drive. I got home late that night and had “real job” work the next day, so I hadn’t had a chance to download and upload and so he DM’d me a reminder, which was fine. I understood he was anxious to post about his premiere, the opening in particular.

Unfortunately, I only had a still image from the film intro moment.  I DM’d him back to express my regret and communicated good feedback on “We Are Not Dreaming” along with warm wishes on continued success.  Now, here’s where I’m probably being petty, but I expected him to reply something to the effect of: That’s disappointing that you don’t have that video, but thank you for the upload and for your good wishes on my film. We were excited to premiere in Philly and glad you were there at our premiere.  Not word for word, but some pleasantry or thank you or a simple thumbs up on the DM.  What I received was nothing. No further response.  I can’t help but feel if I’d had his intro, I would have been thanked profusely, but not having it, I kinda felt dismissed hmmm… 🤔

DAY 4

A DIFFERENT IMAGE (1982)
Retrospective Conversation with Director & Cast

Retrospective Screening: Directed by Alile Sharon Larkin “A Different Image” (1982) is a highly acclaimed film – an extraordinary poetic portrait of a beautiful young African American woman attempting to escape becoming a sex object and discover her true heritage. Through a sensitive and humorous story about her relationship with a man, the film makes provocative connections between racism and sexual stereotyping. Cast members: Adisa Anderson and Margot Muhammad

I found it fascinating that Alile reads the Letterboxd reviews of her 45-year-old film and gets to see how a new generation of viewers interprets it—particularly the film’s sexual assault scene. Alile created a redemption path for Vincent, but many contemporary viewers see him very differently: not as a flawed character capable of redemption, but simply as a rapist. What’s especially interesting is that, while the scene is clearly meant to depict an attempted assault, no rape actually occurs. It raises an intriguing question about how our understanding of consent, sexual violence, and accountability has evolved—and how that evolution can completely change the way an audience reads a character and his arc. – LeAnne Lindsay, Editor

By Indie Means Necessary: 15 Years of BlackStar Film Festival

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Closing day of BSFF26 (Aug 9, 2026) featured a panel of BlackStar Staff and Board reminiscing about the start of the festival in 2012 till today! Panel: Denise Beek, Kim Brundidge, Maori Karmael Holmes, Nehad Khader and Sekou Campbell; moderated by Imran Siddiquee.

“For 15 years, BlackStar Film Festival has been a site of imagination, risk taking and relentless creativity — a space where independent artists and audiences come together to expand what cinema can be. This panel reflects on the festival’s trajectory: how it has grown, adapted and sustained itself through vision, experimentation and collaboration to become a lasting cultural institution. From its earliest days to its current role as a cultural staple, BlackStar has always operated “by indie means necessary,” finding innovative ways to center Black, Brown and Indigenous storytellers; cultivate emerging talent; and challenge mainstream ideas about production. Through conversation with those who have shaped its journey, from leadership to staff to program committee members to board members, the discussion will trace the festival’s evolving impact and commitment to the art and power of independent cinema.”

I asked the last question of the conversation [53:52] – regarding the “Radical Care” video narrated by different voices from the Philly Arts Community, which precedes each film during the fest, for the last 5 years.

BECOMING HUMAN (Cambodia)

Screened Virtually 

An abandoned cinema’s former spirit guardian wanders through rapidly transformed landscapes to reach her rebirth. Shocked by the world’s brutality, she must decide whether to become human again or remain a homeless ghost.
Screening partners: Asian Arts Initiative and Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation.

Tinsel & Tine #MiniMovieReview: dir. Polen Ly. I love the concept of a young woman wanting to remain a ghost guarding an abandoned movie theater rather than roll the dice on reincarnation. Being a ghost looks really relaxing. Since she died young, she still looks good. She’s able to eat offerings. And after a while she’s able to roam away from the theater and explore the countryside (beautiful locations) in safety.She can’t be seen unless she wants to reveal herself; which she does to a young man and they become companions. Okay, there’s no sex, but there’s no work either.  I didn’t really see the conflict, but of course there’s the whole better to be alive and experience life outlook.   The film is only 90 min, but they are long, interminable minutes. The pacing for me is way TOO SLOW💤

AWARD WINNING FILMS

LAST YEAR’S COVERAGE – BSFF25