Many Lumens — A Podcast by BlackStar | BlackStar Film Festival

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BlackStar founder Maori Karmael Holmes chats with the most groundbreaking artists, change makers, and cultural workers in the game — finding meaning in the intersections of art, social change, and popular culture.

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INTRODUCTION

Maori Karmael Holmes

Learn more about Maori, the host of Many Lumens, and the inspiration behind the podcast, in this short conversation with journalist Dyana Williams.

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EPISODE 1

dream hampton

Writer and filmmaker dream hampton, on the intimate dimensions, costs and rewards of being committed to a Black radical politics.

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EPISODE 2

Janicza Bravo

Zola director Janicza Bravo, on friendship, her creative process, and the importance of choosing your battles.

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Episode 3

Jason Reynolds

Writer and poet Jason Reynolds posits literature as a form of radical worldmaking.

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EPISODE 4

Arthur Jafa

Filmmaker and artist Arthur Jafa orients us towards the notion of “trouble consciousness.”

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EPISODE 5

Blitz Bazawule

Blitz Bazawule, the musician, filmmaker, writer and painter, on the multi-dimensional power of film as a tool for Afro diasporic storytelling.

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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

Every month this year, we're unveiling a new print from a BlackStar alumn to celebrate our 10th Anniversary. This m… https://t.co/4Zx7barwIR

@BlackStarFest - 1 day

We're celebrating 10 years of BlackStar Film Fest and want to hear about your favorite memories from the past decad… https://t.co/azXVS0iq04

Instagram

Join us in celebrating ten years of BlackStar! We

Join us in celebrating ten years of BlackStar! We want to hear all of your favorite memories from the first decade of the festival — whether from a screening, a panel conversation, or an epic party.⁠⁠
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Visit the link in bio or DM us to submit your photos and stories and we might feature them during this year's festival, happening August 4-8! ⁠⁠
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#BlackStar10
#BSFF21 #byindiemeansnecessary
#tbt
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[Image description: A group of Black people at the 2015 BlackStar Film Festival pose for the camera, smiling and looking generally happy. In order from left to right: Nefertite Nguvu, Neishea Lemle, Adjani Salmon, Nuotama Bodomo, Ja'Tovia Gary. Second slide is a graphic titled "Share Your Memories" with the information about submitting written out above.]

TODAY at 1 pm ET, join us for an IG Live conversat

"How was Black erasure so normalized that not one

"How was Black erasure so normalized that not one person or network saw fit to give it a blurb or even a mention?" - Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson on 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival, the subject of his new film, SUMMER OF SOUL. @questlove chatted with @blamblamkaraslamb for Issue 002 of @seen_journal, and you can now read their full conversation online at the link in bio.⁠⁠
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Pre-order your copy of Seen Issue 002, which ships out after June 18.⁠⁠
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#SeenJournal⁠⁠
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[Image descriptions: First slide is a photo of The 5th Dimension performing at the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969, featured in the documentary SUMMER OF SOUL. Four people are pictured standing and singing on a stage into mounted microphones. They are all dressed similarly, in fringe jackets, neckties, long-sleeved shirts, and checkered pants. A drummer can be seen playing in the background. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. Second slide is a graphic with the quote types out above.]⁠⁠

Join us for this special event at @cherrystreetpie

Join us for this special event at @cherrystreetpier on June 13 at 4 ET, with BlackStar alum Angela Tucker (BSFF14, BSFF18)! We'll be outside watching @tuckergurl's new short film series, THE TREES REMEMBER, which features Black women of different ages growing and thriving in the outdoors and exploring connection through movement, stewardship, and grace. ⁠⁠
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More info at the link in bio.⁠⁠
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[Image Descriptions: First image features a still from the film series showing an older Black person looking through binoculars while wearing a face mask outside. The second graphic says "Watch the latest release from @REI Co-op Studios, 'The Trees Remember,' a short film series directed by BlackStar alum Angela Tucker, that explores the ways the outdoors connects us through generations."]

The deadline for applying to this year's BlackStar

TODAY at 4 pm ET join us on IG Live for a conversa

TODAY at 4 pm ET join us on IG Live for a conversation between Issue 002 contributor @astriasuparak and managing editor @phillynee!⁠⁠
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"Lazily applied by white filmmakers, the traditional headpieces are ubiquitously used to depict an alarmingly Asian future." - Astria Suparak in “Seedy Space Ports and Colony Planets: Asian Conical Hats in Cinematic Dystopias," from Issue 002 of @seen_journal. This essay is now also available to read on the Seen website, at the link in bio. ⁠⁠
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You can also now pre-order and subscribe to #SeenJournal on the site!⁠⁠
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[Image description: A graphic advertises Seen's Issue 002 Contributor Conversations, with the information written above, plus headshots for both Astria and Nehad. Two quote cards display the quote written above while the final slide shows a still image from 1982's Blade Runner, in which a person — likely an Asian person — wearing a conical hat is obscured in shadow as the focus remains on Harrison Ford's character.]

2020 Blackstar Film Festival selection @twogodsfil

2020 Blackstar Film Festival selection @twogodsfilm — a feature doc about a Muslim casket maker and ritual body washer in Newark who takes two young men under his wing — is now in select theaters! (Including at BAM, Maysles Center, Music Box Chicago, Laemmle theaters in LA and more). ⁠⁠
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The film, directed by @zeshawnali, will be playing in theaters virtually and in-person across the US. Visit twogodsfilm.com (link in bio) for more info and tickets to see the film.⁠⁠
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#BSFF20⁠⁠
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[Image Descriptions: The first slide is a still from Two Gods, showing an older Black man guiding a young boy in what appears to be casket making. The second slide shows the same older bespectacled man looking intensely downward under the title of the film and heading "Now in Theaters." It also features laurels of a variety of festivals, including BlackStar, and a stamp that points out the film was named a @nytimes critics’ pick.]⁠⁠

TOMORROW at 7 pm ET, tune into a special hour of R

TOMORROW at 7 pm ET, tune into a special hour of Revival! w/ @rashidzakat as we take part in @colorofchange's Racial Justice Week of Action — marking a year since the uprisings of 2020. Every day this week has a specific theme and Thursday's is "Celebrating Black Joy." ⁠⁠
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Revival!, co-presented with @fabricworkshop, is an audio-visual mix that attempts to reimagine and practice what collective joy and resilience look like in times of crisis. It's currently on view in the front window of FWM in Philadelphia through June 6.⁠⁠
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Tune in tomorrow at 7 pm ET via the link in bio, where you can also learn more about the project!⁠⁠
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[Image Description: A flyer advertises Revival! w/ Rashid Zakat, and features four TV-like screens displaying the same blurry black and white image of Black people at church, at different sizes. Below that is the information listed above about the event, happening Thursday May 27 at 7 pm ET.]⁠⁠

If your film previously screened at BlackStar it c

If your film previously screened at BlackStar it could be eligible to be part of the “BlackStar Film Festival Collection” on Xfinity platforms and up to $50k. Submit at the link in bio! ⁠
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Preference is for shorts or features that are "family friendly, comedy and 'slice of life' stories."⁠
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Homestead Entertainment will provide licensing support and payments based on the length of the film. There will be a bonus payment for films which won awards at BlackStar.⁠
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[Image Description: Graphic advertises the text above with a photo from an outdoor screening at the 2019 BlackStar Film Festival].

2020 Festival Re-cap

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