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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 indigenous communities, showcasing films by black people from around the world.

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@BlackStarFest - 3 hours

RT @BlacKkKlansman: Spike Lee’s reaction to this morning’s #OscarNoms. #BlacKkKlansman 📹: @sirjacksonlewislee on Instagram https://t.co/0O…

@BlackStarFest - 4 hours

RT @Lupita_Nyongo: Seven #OscarNoms for #BlackPanther, including best picture!! This is our reaction the first time we saw footage from the…

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  • Before the official commemoration of #MLKDay, “Coretta Scott King built up a groundswell of support in different cities and states across the nation, sending out letters to different municipalities and encouraging them to celebrate the King Holiday every year. So by the time the holiday actually passed as a federal holiday, many cities were already commemorating his birthday every year because of the efforts she made encouraging people to do that and even traveling to some places and then the traveling she did around the world. Most people don’t know that more than a 100 nations celebrate a holiday of a leader that is not a citizen of their nation…” — Bernice King. . . Source: @thegrio 📷: @thekingcenter . . #mlk #mlk90 #corettascottking
  • “Atlanta’s” Bryan Tyree Henry has been in not one, not two but THREE of the best movies released in 2018! He played a Chicago-born politician in Steve McQueen’s “#Widows,” he delivered a scene stealing performance in Barry Jenkin’s “If Beale Street Could Talk,” and voiced animated character Jefferson Davis in “Spider-Man: Into the #Spiderverse.” Regarding picking these characters he shared, “It's about picking who these men are to me and what they mean. Do I care about their stories? I want to do what really speaks to my heart. Navigating these men —these black men — I want there to be a way for people who don't have access to men like this to realize that they're still human beings, to realize that their stories are still important, to realize that if you are this man, there's a representation of you somewhere.” . . On his memorable scene in #BealeStreet [Catching up over beers and cigarettes with Fonny, Daniel reveals he is still recovering from his two years in prison, from which he was released only three months ago] he said, “Daniel was a role that has kind of been by my side. The only thing that I really wanted to keep in mind when I was doing that scene was that these words could be me. I could end up saying this exact same thing to somebody. I think the statistic is that one in every three black men will end up being in jail. One in three, you know? That kind of awareness that that could be me, sat with me. It scared the shit out of me to know that this conversation could be a conversation I could end up having with somebody one day.” . . . Source: @hollywoodreporter @indiewire @gq
  • #BSFF19 will take place in Philly from August 1-4, 2019! As we approach our eight year we’re taking stock of some of the highlights from last year and thinking about all that we want to accomplish moving forward. We need your help to get it done! Consider making a donation at the link in our bio @blackstarfest We want to do year-round programming, mount exhibits, and produce collaborative content and events with partners around the globe. We live in a time where independent voices are more important than ever. Individual donations are crucial to our future as an institution. Your gift will ensure that we can pursue our larger objectives and continue supporting the annual festival. ________________________________________________ BlackStar Film Festival’s impact through the years has been inspiring and transformative. No matter what we serve up, you all make the festival come alive. Where else can you: * See acclaimed cinematographer #BradfordYoung in conversation with his best friend Rashid Shabazz * Get up close and personal with award-winning writer/directors Janine Sherman Barrois and long-time BlackStar family member Radha Blank * Attend the premiere of Terence Nance's HBO tour de force #RandomActsofFlyness (including a never-before-seen bonus episode!) * Read a first person essay from Nijla Mu'min on the process of bring #JinnMovie to life in our festival catalogue ________________________________________________ Please join us as we embark upon an infrastructure campaign to ensure the festival has a long life, one which requires that we direct resources toward full-time paid staff, office space, community gatherings, and wellness initiatives. 💛🌟
  • Mark your calendars! The 2019 BlackStar Film Festival Submissions Open January 28. This year's festival will take place August 1-4, in Philadelphia. ________________________________________ Submissions open on January 28. Submit your work online by March 29 via FilmFreeway.com; late entries will be accepted until April 26. ________________________________________ Fees apply as follows: Early deadline February 22—$25 Preferred deadline March 29—$40 Late deadline April 26—$60 Films must be directed by a person of African descent or who identifies as Black, as indigenous, or as a person of color (POC). Work must feature persons of color or tell a story of Black, POC, or indigenous experience. ________________________________________ #byindiemeansnecessary #filmfestival #indiefilm #indiefilmfestival #blackstarfilmfestival
  • When the comedy #LittleMovie hits theaters this spring, the film will make history as 14-year-old Marsai Martin will hold the title as the youngest executive producer of a major Hollywood motion picture in history. Martin will co-star with #ReginaHall in the singular role of Jordan Sanders, a take-no-prisoners tech entrepreneur who wakes up to discover that a random act of black girl magic has transformed her into the 13-year-old version of herself. #IssaRae plays her assistant, who steps into Jordan's shoes as CEO and hopes that nobody notices the boss is both absent and a tween. The #Blackish star had the idea for the film when she was 10 years old after falling in love with the Tom Hanks film, “Big.” She ended up pitching the idea to Black-ish Executive Producer Kenya Barris when she was only 10 years old. Tina Gordon, who wrote the classic black films “Drumline” and “ATL,” directed @littlethemovie. Gordon also co-wrote the screenplay with Tracy Oliver (Girl’s Trip). Little will premiere April 12, 2019. . . Source: @the.root
  • What’s next for Terence Nance? He’ll be working with Ryan Coogler and LeBron James, on “Space Jam 2”! Nance will be directing the reportedly $100 million feature, while James will star and Coogler will produce. Of his vision for the film he told @vice, “Pretty sure [it's] going to disrupt everything. I’m excited about what [...] that movie can be.” It appears that James is also looking to make a larger statement with the project. He told Hollywood Reporter last year that the empowering messages in #BlackPanther inspired him to get more serious about pursuing the sequel. According to Nance, he’d been spreading the word that he wanted to direct the movie long before Ryan Coogler officially contacted him about it. “Space Jam is a very unique opportunity because LeBron James is the best basketball player on Earth and a once in a generation performer,” Nance explained. “Whoever the greatest basketball player of the next generation is going to be, they are probably not going to also be a great actor.” Plus, he added, “Growing up being an animator, someone who loves to draw, I’m just super enthused to work in the cannon, learning in a more deep way about it, bringing what I bring from a media innovation standpoint.” . . Source: @vice 📷: @micaiahcarter ———————————————————— #terencenance #lebronjames #ryancoogler #spacejam
  • Mahershala Ali, Kiki Layne and Michael B. Jordan featured in @wmag. Photographed by Tim Walker. . . . . #mahershalaali #truedetective #kikilayne #ifbealestreetcouldtalk #michaelbjordan #blackpanther
  • #IfBealeStreetCouldTalk expands into more theaters today! On the inspiration for the film’s look, “Though @BealeStreet is set in the era of New Hollywood, the film’s cinematography looks instead to the intensely saturated Douglas Sirk melodramas of the 1950s and the Technicolor romances of the 1940s. But when it came to the depiction of everyday life in ’70s Harlem, #BarryJenkins and James Laxton drew from the work of two photographers who were active at the time: Chilean academic Camilo José Vergara, famous for tracking changes to urban environments over the decades, and Jack Garofolo, street photographer for Paris Match, who chronicled the neighborhood in the summer of 1970.” . . Swipe to see photographs by Jack Garofolo (images 3-5) . . Source @vulture