BlackStar Film Festival

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BlackStar Film Festival
BlackStar Projects Logo.png
Location Philadelphia, United States
Founded2012
Founded byMaori Karmael Holmes
Website www.blackstarfest.org

The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by BlackStar Projects. The festival focuses on films about and by Black, brown and indigenous people from around the world. [1] It takes place each August in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has been described as the "Black Sundance." [2] [3]

The festival is named after Marcus Garvey's shipping line, the Black Star Line. [3] It was founded in 2012 by Maori Karmael Holmes, with the first BlackStar Film Festival initially conceived as a one-day "microfestival" that, due to the large number of submissions, ultimately turned into a four-day international event. [4] Backers of the festival include the MacArthur Foundation, the Knight Foundation, HBO, CAA, Comcast, and Lionsgate. [3]

The first festival included a master class and screening of part of Middle of Nowhere by Ava DuVernay. [5] [6] Later festivals have included films by Arthur Jafa, [7] Ja'Tovia Gary, [8] Terence Nance, Jenn Nkiru, [9] Gabourey Sidibe, [10] Janine Sherman Barrois, [11] Darius Clark Monroe, Shatara Michelle Ford, [12] Garrett Bradley, [13] and Naima Ramos-Chapman. Panels have included Bradford Young, Rashid Shabazz, [4] Spike Lee, and Tarana Burke. [14]

Yaba Blay, Akiba Solomon, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter have all previously served on the advisory board of the festival. [15]

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References

  1. ↑ Blichert, Frederick (July 4, 2019). "Questlove, Alex Gibney-produced hip hop docuseries to screen at BlackStar Film Fest". RealScreen . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  2. ↑ Hatmaker, Julia (August 4, 2017). "'The Black Sundance' is under way in Philadelphia". PennLive . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Obenson, Tambay (August 1, 2019). "BlackStar: How a Film Festival for People of Color Became 'the Black Sundance'". Indiewire . Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Allen, Taylor (February 28, 2019). "How one woman expanded a Philadelphia-based black film festival to the international stage". WHYY . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  5. ↑ Zeglen, Julie (February 20, 2018). "Maori Karmael Holmes moved to LA to work for Ava DuVernay. What about BlackStar?". Generocity . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  6. ↑ Rickey, Carrie (October 5, 2012). "She's a Graduate of an Unusual Film School: Ava DuVernay and Middle of Nowhere". The New York Times . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  7. ↑ Tomkins, Calvin. "Arthur Jafa's Radical Alienation". The New Yorker. Conde Nast. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  8. ↑ Marine, Brooke. "Ja'Tovia Gary Grew Up on the Internet". The Cut. New York Magazine. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  9. ↑ Tillet, Salamishah. "At the BlackStar Film Festival, a Revelatory Understanding of Cinema". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Hornaday, Ann (August 17, 2017). "Festivals celebrating black films provide cinematic safe space when it's sorely needed". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  11. ↑ Brara, Noor (August 2, 2018). "8 Standout Films to See at This Year's Blackstar Film Festival in Philadelphia". Vogue . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  12. ↑ Elfadl, Murtada. "'Dreams in Nightmares' Review: A Subversive Take on the Road Movie". Variety. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Choudhury, Bedatri. "A Celebration of Black, Brown, and Indigenous Stories". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  14. ↑ Sims, Megan (July 15, 2019). "Spike Lee and Tarana Burke to participate in 2019 BlackStar Film Festival". The Grio . Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Board". BlackStar Film Festival. Retrieved July 23, 2019.


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