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August 27, 2020

News Press Release

BlackStar Film Festival Wraps Up 9th Year, Announces Winners for 2020 Competition

August 13, 2020

News Press Release

BlackStar Film Festival Programs Include Panels, Conversations, Screenings, and Parties

August 10, 2020

News Press Release

Maori Karmael Holmes Appointed at Annenberg Center and Annenberg School

July 16, 2020

News Press Release

BlackStar Film Festival Announces Full Lineup, Ticketing, and More for 2020 Festival

June 25, 2020

News Press Release

BlackStar Film Festival Goes Digital

June 8, 2020

News Press Release

BlackStar Presents Revival!, a Series of Virtual Celebrations for Collective Joy and Resilience

June 2, 2020

In Defense of Black Life: Ways to Get Involved and Take Care of Yourself

April 29, 2020

News Press Release

BlackStar Hosts Exclusive Screenings of A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA on Anniversary of L.A. Uprisings

April 16, 2020

Relief Funds and Resources for Artists Amidst COVID-19

April 7, 2020

News Press Release

Major New Grants and Full-Time Staff Announced

April 6, 2020

Watch: 9 Short Films to Watch With Kids

August 6, 2019

2019 Festival Award Winners Announced

July 12, 2019

2019 Closing Night Film Announced

March 29, 2019

Join us for Common Field 2019

August 7, 2018

BlackStar Film Festival Announces 2018 Award Winners

July 16, 2018

Announcing the 2018 BlackStar Film Festival Lineup

June 25, 2018

2018 BlackStar Film Festival to be Held in Philadelphia, August 2-5

February 11, 2018

BlackStar Film Festival Adds New Executive Staff

August 14, 2017

Sixth Annual BlackStar Film Festival Announces 2017 Award Winners

June 18, 2017

BlackStar to present special screening of L.A. Burning July 2 at the Barnes

By Indie Means Necessary

The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and of global communities of color, showcasing films by Black, Brown and Indigenous people from around the world.

Twitter

@BlackStarFest - 6 hours

RT @DrexelWestphal: .@broadstreview shares an exciting lineup of events taking place this weekend, including "Revival!" presented by @LPGal…

@BlackStarFest - 1 day

"This year, the BlackStar Film Festival reminded me of that duality. The process of healing is ongoing. And yet, we… https://t.co/2Q8bPHsWng

Instagram

TONIGHT at 7 p.m ET, in partnership with @aampmuse

TONIGHT at 7 p.m ET, in partnership with @aampmuseum, BlackStar invites you to a special free screening of @antebellumfilm, followed by a Q+A with the directors — hosted by our own @maorikarmael! ⁠
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Register to watch at gofobo.com/AntebellumBlackStar
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The Q+A link will be made available to registered guests after the screening.⁠
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SYNOPSIS: "Successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe) finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. ANTEBELLUM is a terrifying new thriller from directors Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz (BUSH/RENZ) and the producers of GET OUT and US."

"The separate-and-unequal attention Hollywood pays

"The separate-and-unequal attention Hollywood pays to Black cinema has left moviegoers mostly unaware of its rich tradition." - @dr.artelgreat for @newrepublic's #CriticalMass⁠⠀
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Read the whole essay at the link in bio.

#Revival is back this Sunday, hosted by @pearlstei

#Revival is back this Sunday, hosted by @pearlsteingallery with @rashidzakat! Tune in at 3 PM ET on September 20th via Pearlstein's Twitch channel (and RSVP at the link in bio)!⁠
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💃🏿 Part dance party, part live video art performance, Revival! is a celebration of the visual and sonic frequencies that are contained within and spill out of Black ecstatic experiences. Using two turntables and a mixer, Philadelphia based artist Rashid Zakat live-edits an archive of personal and public films, found footage and animation to produce a spontaneous and thoughtful audio-visual narrative. These images and sounds marry and multiply to tell textured stories of African cultural retention, the relationship between survival and faith, and the collective creative strategies of adaptation, joy, and mutual aid embedded in Black life and history in the Americas.⁠
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🗓 September 20th @ 3 PM EST⁠
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📺 twitch.tv/pearlsteingallery⁠
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Huge congrats to @shataramichelleford and the whol

Huge congrats to @shataramichelleford and the whole team behind @testpatternmovie! 👏🏿 👏🏾 👏🏽 We were honored to premiere this amazing film at BlackStar last year and are so thrilled that many more people will be able to watch it soon!⁠
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"Kino Lorber has taken North American rights to Shatara Michelle Ford’s Test Pattern. The debut feature had its premiere at BlackStar Film Festival last year, where it won the Lionsgate/STARZ Producer Award, following which it also won the Narrative Features Jury Award at New Orleans Film Festival." - @Deadline⁠
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Full article at link in bio.

And we made it! The 9th annual BlackStar Film Fest

And we made it! The 9th annual BlackStar Film Festival is in the books — and we're ready for some sleep 😌. Pictured here are only a few of the people that made this year's event(s) happen, but shout out to the entire BlackStar team for pulling together under some very challenging circumstances.⁠
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We'll be taking a social media hiatus as we reflect, rest, and recuperate from the amazingness of this past week (and the many months of planning before that!). In the meantime, you can catch up on any panels you missed on our Facebook page or still grab some #BSFF20 merch at the link in bio!⁠
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See you in a couple weeks ✌🏿✌🏾✌🏽⁠
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📸 @embassy730

So many #BSFF20 winners we couldn't fit them all i

So many #BSFF20 winners we couldn't fit them all in one post! Link in bio to full press release describing each award, the films, and our many partners. Thank you all!⁠⠀⠀
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Lionsgate/STARZ Short Film Award Winners⁠⠀⠀
Black Boy Joy⁠⠀⠀
Dir: Martina Lee @martina.m.lee⁠⠀⠀
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Echoes of a Winter Sunshine⁠⠀⠀
Dir: Oniffe White @blackspacemagic⁠⠀⠀
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HONEYMOON⁠⠀⠀
Dir: Amy Aniobi @janiobi⁠⠀⠀
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Rosa⁠⠀⠀
Dir: Suha Araj @suhamaria⁠⠀⠀
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tender⁠⠀⠀
Dir: Felicia Pride @feliciapride⁠⠀⠀
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Shine Award Winners⁠⠀⠀
Daughters Of⁠⠀⠀
Dir. Shantrelle Patrice Lewis @apshantology⁠⠀⠀
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Legendary: 30 Years of Philly Ballroom⁠⠀⠀
Dirs. Raishad Hardnett, Lauren M. Schneiderman & Cassie Owens ⁠⠀⠀
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Vimeo Staff Pick⁠⠀⠀
ALLUMUAH⁠⠀⠀
Dir: Curtis Essel ⁠@33bound

Good afternoon #BSFF20! Thank you to all the filmm

Good afternoon #BSFF20! Thank you to all the filmmakers, panelists, and audience members that helped make this an extraordinary 9th year for the BlackStar Film Festival. We're now thrilled to be able to announce this year's award winners! ⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
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Scroll through to watch the acceptance speeches from our juried award winners. We'll be sharing additional winners in a follow-up post! (Link in bio to our full press release).⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
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Best Feature Documentary ⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Stateless (Apátrida) ⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Michèle Stephenson @michele_0608 ⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
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Best Feature Narrative ⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Miss Juneteenth⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Channing Godfrey Peoples⁠ @cgpeoples⁠⠀⠀⠀
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Best Experimental⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
The Giverny Document (Single Channel)⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Ja'Tovia Gary⁠ @j_______g_______⁠⠀⠀⠀
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Best Short Documentary⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
The Heart Still Hums⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Savanah Leaf & Taylor Russell⁠ @savanahleaf⁠⠀⠀⠀
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Best Short Narrative⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Rosa⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Suha Araj⁠ @suhamaria⁠⠀⠀⠀
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Feature Documentary — Special Mention⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
ROCÍO⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Dario Guerrero⁠⠀⠀⠀
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Short Documentary — Special Mention⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Man of the People⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Amir George⁠ @geoauteur⁠⠀⠀⠀
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BlackStar Pitch Winner⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
By Water⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Iyabo Kwayana⁠ @yahyahtree⁠⠀⠀⠀
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BlackStar Pitch Runner-Up⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Fighting for the Light⁠⠀⁠⠀⠀⠀
Dir: Yeelen Cohen @yeelen.mov

We're saying farewell to #BSFF20 tonight! Thank yo

We're saying farewell to #BSFF20 tonight! Thank you for engaging with and celebrating so many Black, Brown, and Indigenous filmmakers, visual artists, and other thought leaders with us all week.⁠ It’s been both inspiring and cathartic, to say the least.⠀
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Our programming ends with a screening of @ekwapics' FAREWELL AMOR at 7:30 PM ET, accompanied by a live Twitter chat (#FarewellAmor) with the crew and cast. Follow @blackstarfest on Twitter to take part! ⁠⠀
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Then we dance the night away with @richmedina, in a live Twitch party at 11 PM ET (twitch.tv/blackstarfest). Also streaming on our site, at the link in bio.⠀
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Finally, we'll be back tomorrow to announce the winners from this year's festival! ⁠
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#BlackStar20SoLit

Coming up at 4 PM ET, our final conversation of th

Coming up at 4 PM ET, our final conversation of the festival — and it's a really special one! @thumbelulu, director of THE FAREWELL (2019), will be in conversation with @heidi_saman, director of NAMOUR (2016), on the topic of "Millennial ennui, kinship, migration, societal expectations, and making genre-bending art as first-generation women filmmakers."⁠⠀
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Don't miss it - join us live on Facebook or on our website, at the link in bio! ⁠⠀
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#BSFF20 #byindiemeansnecessary #BlackStar20SoLit

In partnership with @leewayfound

2019 Festival Re-cap

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