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Mission

BlackStar creates the spaces and resources needed to uplift the work of Black, Brown and Indigenous artists working outside of the confines of genre. We do this by producing year-round programs including film screenings, exhibitions, an annual film festival, a filmmaker seminar, a film production lab, and a journal of visual culture. These programs provide artists opportunities for viable strategies for collaborations with other artists, audiences, funders, and distributors.

We prioritize visionary work that is experimental in its aesthetics, content, and form and builds on the work of elders and ancestors to imagine a new world. We elevate artists who are overlooked, invisibilized or misunderstood and celebrate the wide spectrum of aesthetics, storytelling and experiences that they bring. We bring that work to new audiences as well as place it in dialog with other past and contemporary work. And, we curate every aspect of our events to be intentional community building efforts, connecting diverse audiences in a Black-led space centered on joy and thriving.

2023 Annual Report


Board of Directors

  • Amanda Branson Gill Co-Founder, Kilo Films
    Treasurer
  • Denise C. Beek VP of Original Storytelling
    Represent Justice
    Co-Chair
  • Eric Bai Strategic Partnerships Manager, Airwallex
  • Jamila Farwell Former Network Executive
  • Judilee Reed Chief Executive Officer,
    United States Artists
  • Maori Karmael Holmes Chief Executive & Artistic Officer, BlackStar
  • Sekou Campbell Partner, Pierson Ferdinand LLP
    Co-Chair
  • Sunanda Ghosh Associate Executive Director,
    Forman Arts Initiative
  • Tayyib Smith Principal, Little Giant, Smith&Roller, Pipeline Philly
    Secretary
  • Ted Passon President, All Ages Productions
BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff BlackStar Projects Staff

Opportunities

Screening Internship (Winter-Spring 2025)

Intern

Screening interns will assist programmers who are overseeing our five submission categories (Experimental, Short Documentary, Feature Documentary, Short Narrative, and Feature Narrative) by screening submissions and preparing detailed film evaluations.


Address

BlackStar
1901 South 9th Street
Bok 414
Philadelphia, PA 19148