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BlackStar
1901 South 9th Street
Bok 314
Philadelphia, PA 19148
267-603-2755 Phone
267-573-3084 Fax
star@blackstarfest.org

For a list of staff contacts visit this page.

By Indie Means Necessary

BlackStar Projects, home of the annual BlackStar Film Festival, celebrates and provides platforms for visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists.

Twitter

@BlackStarFest - 1 day

Applications for our Marketing Associate position close this Friday! Join BlackStar's communications team as we bui… https://t.co/Sv4XPApBEs

@BlackStarFest - 1 day

Check out this film series from guest curator @Heidi_Saman and @PennLiveArts — where our own @maorikarmael is the C… https://t.co/SaiWUNcJV5

Instagram

@filmmakermag has announced their picks for the 25

@filmmakermag has announced their picks for the 25 new faces in independent film that you should know, and the list includes several members of our BlackStar community! ⁠⁠
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Fox Maxy (@laurab1tch)⁠, who participated in a panel at this year's festival with Nuotoma Bodomo and Tina Campt. #BSFF21⁠⁠
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Annalise Lockhart (@anniejlo)⁠, whose film "Inheritance" won the Lionsgate/STARZ Award for Best Speculative Fiction award at #BSFF21.⁠⁠
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Jude Chehab (@judechehab)who was the DP on "I’m Free Now, You Are Free," which premiered at #BSFF20. ⁠⁠
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Jazmin Jones (@jazminrjones)⁠, who participated in panels and other programming at #BSFF20 and #BSFF21.⁠⁠
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Suneil Sanzgiri (@suneil_sanzgiri)⁠ who won Best Experimental film at #BSFF21 for "Letter From Your Far-Off Country," and also participated in this year's William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar.⁠⁠
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Head to the link in our bio to read about all the filmmakers spotlighted.⁠ ⁠⁠
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#byindiemeansnecessary ⁠⁠
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[Image Descriptions: The first photo is a graphic announcing Filmmaker Magazine's list of "25 New Faces of Independent Film 2021". Photos two through six are headshots of five filmmakers. In order of appearance: Fox Maxy, Annalise Lockhart, Jude Chehab, Jazmin Jones, and Suneil Sanzgiri]⁠⁠

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Emp

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (@iatse) has announced that the union will launch a nationwide strike this Monday, unless an agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (which represents the major studios) before then. ⁠
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"The union is seeking improved pay, especially for streaming productions; more rest periods to reduce long hours of filming; and higher contributions to the union’s health and pension plans." - @latimes. At the link in bio you can read the LA Times story which includes firsthand accounts from film and TV industry workers, or you can learn more via @ia_stories, #iastories, and #iasolidarity⁠ on IG.⁠
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[Image Descriptions available in Alt Text] ⁠

In the mood for a good doc? Here are all the films

In the mood for a good doc? Here are all the films that have won the Best Feature Documentary jury prize during the first decade of the BlackStar Film Festival. How many have you seen already?

BlackStar Best Feature Doc Winners:⁠
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HOMEGOINGS (2013) dir. by Christine Turner ⁠
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DREAMS ARE COLDER THAN DEATH (2014) dir. by Arthur Jafa⁠
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TREASURE: FROM TRAGEDY TO TRANS JUSTICE, MAPPING A DETROIT STORY (2015) dir. by dream hampton⁠
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SPIRITS OF REBELLION: BLACK FILM FROM UCLA (2016) dir. by Zeinabu irene Davis⁠
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WHOSE STREETS? (2017) dir. by Sabaah Folayan & Damon Davis⁠
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DOUVAN JOU KA LEVE (2018) dir. by Gessica Généus⁠
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THE INFILTRATORS (2019) dir. by Cristina Ibarra & Alex Rivera⁠
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STATELESS (2020) dir. by Michèle Stephenson⁠
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WRITING WITH FIRE (2021) dir. by Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh⁠
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[No specific winner named at inaugural festival in 2012]⁠

#BlackStar10⁠

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[Image Descriptions can be found in this post's Alt-text.]⁠

We're hiring! BlackStar is looking for more amazin

We're hiring! BlackStar is looking for more amazing people to join us as we build the foundation for another decade of celebrating and uplifting Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists. ⁠⁠
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We’re currently hiring for a full-time Marketing Associate and Business Manager, with both positions starting in January 2022. Visit our opportunities page (link in bio) to learn more and apply today!⁠⁠
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📸 @embassy730⁠⁠
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#BlackStar10⁠⁠
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[Image Descriptions: The first image is a graphic advertising BlackStar's open positions, described above. The second image is a BlackStar staff photo from the 2020 BlackStar Film Festival. A group of colorfully dressed people poses for a photo on a lighted outdoor patio.]

2021 BlackStar Film Festival Recap. Here's another

2021 BlackStar Film Festival Recap. Here's another look back at the 10th annual BlackStar Film Festival! Thank you again to everyone who came through for our hybrid in-person/virtual experience in August, whether you joined us in Philadelphia or watched from somewhere else around the world. ⁠⁠
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And make sure you’re subscribed to BlackStar on YouTube! Find our channel at the link in bio and catch all our latest videos — including recordings of all the panels and conversations from this year's festival. ⁠⁠
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Happy Friday!⁠⁠

#BlackStar10 #byindiemeansnecessary #BSFF21
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Video produced by @passerinela
Music by Dave "DJ lil'dave" Adams @lildave215 ⁠⁠
Includes footage by Aidan Un, @robotvillage.tv, @expresswaycine
Cover photo by @embassy730

"As one of the first exhibits shot entirely with i

More photos from the 10th annual BlackStar Film Fe

More photos from the 10th annual BlackStar Film Festival! Check out the full album on our Facebook page, at the link in bio.⁠⁠
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And for even more 10th festival content, subscribe to our YouTube channel — youtube.com/blackstarprojects — where we're posting all panels and conversations from@the August event (plus a special festival video next week).⁠⁠
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Sending you all good vibes for the weekend!⁠⁠
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#BlackStar10 #byindiemeansnecessary #BSFF21 ⁠⁠
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All photos taken by Daniel Jackson (@embassy730) and Terrell Halsey (@terrellhalseyart). Image descriptions available in the alt text.

We collaborated with @watch.argo to curate a playl

We collaborated with @watch.argo to curate a playlist of short films which have previously screened at BlackStar Film Festival! You can watch all these shorts today by signing up for a free trial of Argo (link in bio), a social streaming platform that focuses on shorts and seeks to support filmmakers. ⁠⁠
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The BlackStar Film Festival playlist includes:⁠⁠
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We Can't Cop Cars Without ⁠⁠Seeing Cop Cars ⁠⁠
dir. by Fahamu Pecou ⁠⁠
@fahamupecou⁠⁠
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Braiding and Singing (a point) ⁠⁠
dir. by Rashida Bumbray⁠⁠
@sunrara⁠⁠
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DVD & Chill ⁠⁠
dir. by Johnny Ray Gill⁠⁠
@johnnyraygill⁠⁠
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Midnight Oil ⁠⁠
dir. by Bilal Motley⁠⁠
@bilalmotley⁠⁠
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A Song About Love ⁠⁠
dir. by Rikkí Wright⁠⁠
@rikkwright⁠⁠
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By Way of Canarsie⁠⁠
dir. by Emily Packer & Lesley Steele⁠⁠
@marginalgapgirl @quiet.conqueror⁠⁠
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In Hot Time ⁠⁠
dir. by Leah Solomon & Jesus Hilario-Reyes⁠⁠
@kahsai_ @morenxx_x⁠⁠
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Learn more at watchargo.com.

#BlackStar10 #byindiemeansnecessary

"For [Felicia D.] Henderson, working on Family Mat

"For [Felicia D.] Henderson, working on Family Matters offered an introduction to a defining feature of her long career in Hollywood. Negotiated authenticity is the phrase she uses to describe what many Black screenwriters are tasked with producing—Blackness, sure, but only of a kind that is acceptable to white showrunners, studio executives, and viewers." Hannah Giorgis (@hannahgiorgis) in a recent article for @theatlantic on the history of Blackness in television production.⁠⁠
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You can read/listen to the full article at the link in our bio.⁠⁠
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[Image Description: The first image is an illustration from Danielle Del Plato which features a towering stack of vintage televisions. On the screens, stills from popular Black television shows can be seen, creating a collage. The second image is a graphic displaying the title of Giorgis' article "Most Hollywood Writer's Rooms Look Nothing Like America: Could that finally be changing?" The last graphic shows a quote from Hannah Giorgis, as written above.]

2021 Festival Recap

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