We are excited to share that the BlackStar Film Festival is back August 3rd – 7th in person and virtually online.
Be a part of history! The screening of visionary masterpieces from Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists worldwide. Experience independent films, colorful collective panels, yoga, parties, a talk show, and more.
The festival kicks off in-person with music, drinks, and outdoor dancing, with an opening party at Bartram’s Garden on August 3rd at 9:30 pm.
The Daily Jawn, a talk show hosted by Maori Karmael Holmes and Rashid Zakat, is scheduled every evening throughout the festival at 7 pm EST at the Prince Theatre. Enjoy the house band directed by Luke Carlos O’Reilly and interviews with filmmakers, panelists, musical guests, games, and more.
FILM SCREENINGS
Let the films begin in person at Penn Live Arts with a screening of Lingui, The Sacred Bonds (dir. by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun), about a single mother, her 15-year-old daughter, and their search for abortion care in Chad. Other highlights include Martine Syms’ The African Desperate, Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee’s Aftershock, and the world premiere of four short films developed in our lab.
See the COMPLETE FILM GUIDE for a list of films from Experimental, Feature Documentaries, Feature Narratives, Short Documentaries, and Short Narratives, including the above, in-person and virtually.
Panels & Conversations
- Conversation: The Passion of Remembrance
Wednesday August 3, 2-4:30pm, Penn Live Arts – Zellerbach Theater with Coco Fusco and Louis Massiah
- Conversation: Seen with Dindga McCannon
Wednesday August 3, 5-6pm, Penn Museum – Rainey Auditorium
- Panel: Childhood on Screen
Thursday August 4, 1-2pm, Penn Live Arts – Montgomery Theater with Alaa Zabara, Bria and Bilal Motley, Iyana Le’Shea, and Jo Rochelle, moderated by Stormy Kelsey
- Panel: Horror and Sound
Thursday August 4, 5-6pm, Virtual Event with Lisa Taouma, Mario Gaoa, Nikyatu, Tanerélle, Mario Gaoa, and Lisa Taouma moderated by Sultana Isham
- Workshop: From Reflection to Release: Uplifting a Values-Based Filmmaking Practice
Friday August 5, 1-2:30pm, Annenberg School – Room 110 with Bhawin Suchak, Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad, Natalie Bullock Brown, Sherry Simpson, and Sonya Childress
- Panel: Expressions of Spirit
Friday August 5, 5-6pm, Virtual Event with Ashon Crawley, Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-Selassie, Koko Selassie, Rashid Shabazz, Rashid Zakat, and Taylor Aldridge
- Many Lumens: Mira Nair and Maori Karmael Holmes
Saturday August 6, 1-2pm, Virtual Event, Sponsored by Temple University School of Theater, Film and Media Arts
- Panel: Closed Door Industry Roundtable
Saturday August 6, 5-6pm, Event for Filmmakers Only, Presented by STARZ/Lionsgate
- Panel: Disability Justice and Filmmaking
Sunday August 7, 1-2pm, Virtual Event, Sponsored by MediaJustice, with Andres “Jay” Molina, Natasha Ofili, Reveca Torres, moderated by Andraéa LaVant
- Panel: Loss, Grief, Legacy
Sunday August 7, 5-6 pm, Virtual Event, Sponsored by the Scattergood Foundation, with Arthur Jafa, Dream Hampton, Lynneé Denise, and Marcia Smith; moderated by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
FIRST FRIDAY at the BARNES featuring Blackalachia
Presented in partnership with Barnes Foundation, this event features performances by Omar’s Hat. This collective of Philly musicians started on the corner of 45th and Locust when they gathered to spark a jam that’s never stopped since. Members of Omar’s Hat have worked with an impressive range of artists, including Mary J. Blige, Solange, the Stylistics, and Force MDs.
Plus, catch a screening of Blackalachia, an immersive film by Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker.
BlackStar friends and supporters can register for $10 tickets to this event using the code
BLACKSTAR22. All Access Passholders receive free admission.
- Live music by Omar’s Hat: 6:15 and 8pm
- Blackalachia screening in Comcast Auditorium: 7pm
- Conversation with Moses Sumney: 8:15pm
First Friday! At the Barnes includes access to the collection galleries and the special exhibition Isaac Julien: Once Again . . .(Statues Never Die). Cocktails and light fare are available for purchase. Seating is limited.
YOGA
- Feel renewed with Yoga Daily starting August 4-7th at 9:00 Am EST at Drexel Square
BLACKSTAR BAZAAR
- Saturday August 6, 10am-8pm and Sunday August 7, 10am-3pm, at Penn Live Arts – Courtyard
Passes for the festival are available for purchase now here. Offerings include an all-access pass ($250) and a virtual festival pass ($125). Individual tickets for virtual and in-person screenings are $5 and $15, respectively.
CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
- Sunday August 7, 9:30pm-12:30am, at Penn Live Arts – Courtyard
The following sponsors support this year’s festival: AmDoc/POV, Annenberg School For Communication, Black Public Media, Catapult Film Fund, Center For Cultural Power, Drexel Westphal College of Media Arts, Expressway Grip, Eventive, Firelight Media, Gotham Film & Media Institute, Impact Partners, Indego, ITVS, Leeway Foundation, Lionsgate/STARZ, MediaJustice, Meta, NEON, Open Society Foundations, PBS, PECO, Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Red Bull, Scattergood Foundation, The Study Hotels, Temple University Film and Media Arts Department, Unique Photo, Urban Affairs Coalition, Urban Outfitters, Warner Bros./Discovery, Wyncote Foundation, and Xfinity.
We are excited to attend this year’s BlackStar Film festival and hope to see you there. Don’t forget to grab your issue of SEEN. Focused on BIPOC films, art, and visual culture with Dessane Lopez Cassell as Editor-in-Chief.
SOURCE: BlackStar Film Festival
