Schedule
Slow Down & Stretch: All Levels Yoga
Before the films and discussions begin, we invite you to turn your breath and attention inward to reflect on the impact of the stories we are telling and sharing in the BlackStar festival space. Join Tatiana of Monarch Yoga for a yoga and mindfulness experience.
The Daily Jawn – Morning Show
Hosted by Maori Karmael Holmes, Rashid Zakat and Anne Ishii
- American Sign Language interpretation in-person
White House (Kasa Branca)
dir. by Luciano Vidigal
Dé is a Black teenager from Chatuba, a Rio de Janeiro favela. He receives the news that his grandmother, Almerinda, is in the terminal stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Open captions in-person
- Trigger warning: Sexuality, may not be appropriate for children
Viet and Nam (Trong lòng dat)
dir. by Minh Quy Truong
In the underground coal mines, Nam and Viet, young miners, face danger and darkness.
- Open captions in-person
L’Arbre de l’Authenticité
dir. by Sammy Baloji
In the heart of the Congo rainforest, the remains of a research center dedicated to tropical agriculture reveal the burden of the colonial past and its inextricable links to contemporary climate change.
- Open captions in-person
The Debutantes
dir. by Contessa Gayles
A coming-of-age portrait, The Debutantes follows an intergenerational group of Black women and girls in post-industrial Canton, Ohio, as they revitalize the debutante ball.
- Open captions in-person
Remaining Native
dir. by Paige Bethmann
Remaining Native is a coming-of-age documentary told from the perspective of Kutoven (Ku) Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner struggling to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete...
- Audio description in-person & online
- Open captions in-person
- Trigger warning: Colonial violence and child abuse
Sun Ra: Do the Impossible
dir. by Christine Turner
A kaleidoscopic portrait of the visionary jazz musician, composer and poet known as Sun Ra and the musical, historical and philosophical currents that shaped him.
- Open captions in-person
Spotlight Conversation: BLKNWS
With Kahlil Joseph, Nora Mendis, and Onye Anyanwu; moderated by Yaba Blay
- American Sign Language interpretation in-person
Gazan Tales (غزة التي تطل على البحر)
dir. by Mahmoud Nabil Ahmed
In the heart of the Gaza Strip, four men navigate through divergent paths in pursuit of their definitions of existence, intertwining their fates amidst the complexities of life, love and survival.
- Open captions in-person
Guided Wellness Space with Kim Hunter-Bryant
Join Kim Hunter-Bryant, LCSW, PMH-C, a licensed clinical social worker, wellness facilitator, and community healer, for a 4-day immersive wellness experience at BlackStar. These guided sessions invite festival-goers into a collective space to reflect, reset, and reconnect.
16 ½
dir. by Harlan Banks
Supreme Court plaintiff Kuntrell Jackson reflects on his adolescence before and after being sentenced to life without parole for a murder he didn’t commit when he was just 14 years old.
- Audio description in-person & online
- Open captions in-person
- Trigger warning: Discussion of murder, physical violence; Flashing lights - 49:31-50:09
Carissa
dir. by Jason Jacobs & Devon Delmar
A young woman who dreams of leaving small village life to live in the city breaks away from her grandmother’s home only to be drawn into the care of her grandfather’s mountain rooibos plantation.
- Open captions in-person
Black Music as Resistance Panel
With Elegance Bratton, Christine Turner, Joseph Patel and Stanley Nelson; moderated by DJ Lynnée Denise
- American Sign Language interpretation in-person
The Sixth Borough
dir. by Jason Pollard
Some of the most legendary names in hip-hop came from places you’ve probably never heard of.
- Open captions in-person
The Volcano Manifesto
dir. by Cauleen Smith
“A densely woven meditation on geological and cinematic time, on the wild abyss of volcanoes and the womb of mines and caves.” — MoMA Doc Fortnight
- Open captions in-person
Sabbatical
dir. by Karabo Lediga
A banker returns unannounced to her childhood home and her overbearing mother, whom she hardly visits. Unbeknownst to her mother, a life-changing secret brought her back, threatening to upend their relationship forever.
- Open captions in-person
Move Ya Body: The Birth of House
dir. by Elegance Bratton
Out of the underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago, a group of friends turn a new sound into a global movement.
- Open captions in-person
Orison Shorts
A series of experiments and prayer offerings by Black women filmmakers.
- Open captions in-person
- Trigger warning: Flashing lights - 0:43-0:46, 1:57-1:59
