| Jury Award Winners |
Best Feature Documentary Zenón and the Rebel Boats, dir. Juan C. Dávila Santiago Special Mention: Finding Your Laughter, dirs. Arlieta Hall and Brittany Alsot Best Short Documentary Authors of the Estate, dir. Abdou Cissé Special Mention: Another Day Shall Come, dir. Aida Kaadan Best Experimental An Impossible Address, dir. Suneil Sanzgiri Best Feature Narrative Variations on a Theme, dirs. Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar Best Short Narrative Treasure Island, dir. Miryam Charles Special Mention: Tell Me When You Get Home, dir. Tshay Meade Philadelphia Filmmaker Award The Seeds We Carry dir. Gabrielle Patterson |
| Audience Award Winners |
Favorite Short Documentary: The Seeds We Carry, dir. Gabrielle Patterson Favorite Experimental: Tenants of Lenapehocking in the Age of Magnets, dir. Louis Massiah Favorite Feature Narrative: Call of My Life, dir. Dammy Twitch Favorite Short Narrative: When They’re Gone, dirs. Ragan Henderson and Lauryn Darden Shine Award: One More Show, dirs. Mai Saad and Ahmed Al Danaf |
The 15th BlackStar Film Festival was a wonderful celebration of Black, Brown & Indigenous Voices. There was a huge slate of international films representing 31 countries, and many international guests made the trip to Philadelphia. There were media panels and conversations, wellness & health events, and fun parties. My favorite event was First Friday at the Barnes Foundation. Featuring live music provided by Justin Hicks and his band, the exhibit Freedom Dreams, and a DJ out on the patio, it combined a great environment with well-dressed guests ready to explore and appreciate what was on offer.
The Barnes Foundation is a beautiful museum and my favorite time to visit is in the evening. A chance to see art while enjoying live music and a cocktail is always a treat. In collaboration with BlackStar founder & filmmaker, Maoiri Karmel Holmes and Barnes curatorial staff, the museum hosted the film installations, Freedom Dreams. Five separate small rooms screened films by artists responding to the themes of representations and dreams. I was mesmerized by “America”. Four small hanging scrims held projections of images of a baptism, cowboys, and children mugging for the cameras. Often, a single sheet would feature an alternative view of the scenes playing out on the other three panels. This juxtaposition gave the projections an added depth. I enjoyed watching people move about the exhibit, some sitting on the floor or lounging on the benches. There were two opportunities to view the exhibit: First Friday and the Closing Night Party.
My favorite films from this year’s BlackStar Film Festival, beyond the “America” film installation, were also, audience favorites. The Nigerian film, Call of My Life, was a delight. A Rom-Com featuring a star with style, panache and heart; Uzoamake Power wrote the script and stars opposite Andrew Yaw Bunting. The crowd ate this film up. Winning the Audience Award for Feature Narrative, the film did receive a small US theatrical run and hopefully will get a streaming release. Call of My Life had huge success in Nigeria where it broke box office records this year.
There were a few things that set BlackStar apart from other festivals. First and foremost, the effort that goes into accessibility. There are sign language interpreters at question & answer sessions and conversations. Films are screening with close captioning. And masks are required for all indoor activities at the festival. This last one is tough when you’re seeing multiple films but is to afford those with less robust immune systems (the elderly or ill) to get to experience the festival.
There was an interesting feature for the festival app: the Schedule tab revealed any gaps in your screenings and provided the amount of time you’d have to catch other options. It was also easier for those with badges to simply show up with the app and provide the bar code to scan in for your film or event. The festival program was a thing of wonder; a large glossy program that listed all the short films and features. It must’ve cost a pretty penny to print!
Overall, a well-run festival that I enjoyed attending. I made it to both the Opening and Closing Night Parties and enjoyed both. Managed to see six feature films and two shorts programs plus another online. Next year, I hope to get to more of the conversations and Daily Jawn talks. We’re lucky to have the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia.
Drinks with films 