BlackStar Film Festival

Maori Karmael Holmes, Founder, Filmmaker, and Artistic Director is giving us the 8th annual BlackStar Film Festival kicking off:

DATE: Thursday, August 1st, 2019 to Sunday, August 4, 2019

LOCATION: Various venues in Philadelphia, PA

TICKETS: All-access passes are on sale through July 31st, 2019 and tickets for individual programs are available HERE.

Maori extends her curatorial excellence to program works at MOCA, for the 2019 Whitney Biennial. and Assemblage -an exhibition at the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery of Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, that highlights work by collectives or collaborative projects made by several artists.

Under Maori’s vision, BlackStar has emerged as the place to discover new talent.  

“Founded in 2012, 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”.

 

SOME PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• A morning stretch with Jean-Jacques Gabriel of Studio 34 and a yoga class focused on centering, self-care, and embodied celebration. All levels welcome, supported, and encouraged to grow more sensitive, strong, and mindful. This is free and completely open to everyone. Classes will be held at the Institute of Contemporary Art University of Pennsylvania118 S. 36th St. Philadelphia, PA at 9:00 am.

• The festival kicks off with Jezebel. The narrative feature, written and directed by Numa Perrier. Exploring the complex life of a young 19-year-old who introduces the world of internet fetish cam girls. Jezebel is written and directed by Numa Perrier. The screening will mark its Philadelphia premiere.

• BlackStar will present the Luminary Award to Marcia Smith, President of Firelight Media

• The Philadelphia Premiere of The Apollo, a documentary feature from Academy Award-winning director, Roger Ross Williams (Music By Prudence, God Loves Uganda). 

• Sneak Preview of Hip-Hop “The Songs That Shook America” is a New Documentary Series from Executive Producers Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter (from the band, The Roots), Shawn Gee, and Alex Gibney.

• Solange Knowles to screen “When I Get Home” on August 4th, as part of BlackStar’s Closing Night Film Presentation of films that examine cultural history through music, and/or collaborations with musicians who are also directors.  

• BlackStar Film Festival will host the inaugural BlackStar Pitch. Filmmakers will pitch their projects in front of a live audience and a panel of judges to receive feedback and have an opportunity to win a cash prize of $1,000. (This first BlackStar Pitch will be focused on feature documentary projects and is open to any filmmaker who identifies as a person of color).

• Spike Lee and Tarana Burke in Conversation on August 3rd: Presented by Color of Change and Open Society Foundations.

Spike Lee and Tarana Burke