THE WOMEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT FILM FESTIVAL HAPPENS TODAY (BK, NY) FREE
New York – May 5, 2012 (cinematiqmag.com)When I think of the Women of African Descent Film Festival, two poem comes to mind, “And Still I Rise” and “Phenomenal Women” both by Maya Angelou. Both poems distinctly describes the past, present and future of women of African Descent. It is inspiring and enlightening of what great power we have within. Take a moment out your day to watch and celebrate women in film. The one day festival takes place today, Saturday, May 5, 2012 (10 AM – 7 PM) at the Long Island University- Brooklyn Campus in the Spike Lee Screening Room. The festival is free of charge and open to the public of all colors, nationalities and gender. For details go to: http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/documents/1954
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SCHEDULE
10am
Reel Works Teen Filmmaking Showcase
The Girl Behind the Screen
Director: Kai Whyte, Collaborative HS, 8 min.
Confessions of a 15 year-old girl who has stolen online identities for over four years and has finally decided to come clean.
Mentor: Leonard Yakir
Warriors
Director: Orlando Taylor, Benjamin Banneker Academy, 7 min.
A JV basketball coach witnesses the repetition of his dream through his players: to see his team playing at Madison Square Garden and winning the championship.
Mentor: Eric Lin
Demolished by Poetry
Director: Lesrine Whint, Arts & Media Prep, 4 min.
This is a story based on the emotions of fear and love, what people are afraid of and what they value. It questions everything, the good and the bad. It is created for those who relate to the mysteries of love but are not sure how to express themselves.
Mentor: Ann Husaini
Root of Friendship
Director: Iyuhna Callands, Fort Hamilton HS, 6 min.
This film is an ongoing personal journey about how one young woman handles the challenges of friendship. During this journey, she realizes that her friendships reflect the ups and downs of her complex family history.
Mentor: Alicia Stewart
Heart of a Business
Director: Jeffrey Joseph, Brooklyn Community Arts & Media HS, 10 min.
Small business owner Earlie Butler’s work means everything to him. His story is an insightful look into the ups and downs of the business of life.
Mentor: Rachel Clift
Minds in the Closet
Director: Justice Allen, Benjamin Banneker Academy, 9 min.
Justice Allen grew up in the predominantly Caribbean neighborhood of East Flatbush. He noticed an overwhelming sense of homophobia in his community and journeyed to find out why.
Mentor: Yoruba Richen
Under The Pants
Director, Jaden Baird, Benjamin Banneker Academy, 9 min
A young conservative Brooklyn teenager ventures out to the streets of NYC to ask why his generation wears their pants so low.
Mentor: Yoni Brook
Simply Untitled
Director: Isaiah Reed, Brooklyn Prep, 8 min.
A young man recounts his battle with depression and self-cutting.
Mentor: Greg Poole
…What’s due me?
Director: Adrienne Williams, Benjamin Banneker Academy, 9 min.
A young woman interviews her family on their views regarding reparations.
Mentor: Ann Bennett
11:15
Q&A with Jackie Home
1pm
First Shorts Program
Love Me Through It
Writer, Sundi Lofty, Director. Robert Holly, Prod., Emmanuel Baptist Church, 2008, 41 mins.
Love Me Through It follows one woman’s journey toward overcoming the limitations of living with HIV/AIDS and the limitless love of God that helps her do it. The film has been used in partnership with the Balm in Gilead, a national HIV/AIDS advocacy organization, to promote dialogue about HIV and AIDS in churches and communities across the nation.
One People
Director, Al Santana, Producers, Laura L. Fowler/Al Santana, 30 mins.
Against the backdrop of a gentrified Harlem community, the story centers on two sisters who have opposite views about social responsibility and the role of artists. Aliyah, a self-styled revolutionary filmmaker, is producing a documentary about the 1960′s black power movement. Her sister, Valerie, is a poet whose work centers on themes of sensuality and love. They challenge each other on the purity of art and the need for art to inspire social change. Together, they discover a politicized Lorraine Hansberry.
2:25pm
Q&A: First Shorts Program
3pm
Second Shorts Program
Little Brother: Things Fall Apart
Directors/Producers, Nicole Franklin/Jasmin Tiggett, 18 mins.
Set in Camden, New Jersey, well-known as one of the nation’s most dangerous cities, the film takes a look at boys growing up amongst extreme violence, poverty and crime, and explores their feelings on love and relationships set against impossible odds. This is the filmmakers’ first installment in the groundbreaking Little Brother documentary series.
Taharuki (Suspense)
Director, Ekwa Msangi-Omari, 14 mins.
Set against the backdrop of the start of the devastating post-election violence that took place in Kenya in 2007/2008 and has left tens of thousands of Kenyans homeless, traumatized or dead, Taharuki(Suspense)is the fictional account of a man and woman from opposing ethnic tribes who’re working for an underground liberation movement to expose a child-trafficking cartel when something goes wrong, and they’re forced to make tough choices in order to stay alive and complete their mission. Time is running out, lives are at stake, and every second counts. What they choose could change the course of history.
White Sugar in a Black Pot
Director, Rachel I. Johnson, Producers, Rachel L. Johnson/Amanda Ross,18 mins.
White Sugar in a Black Pot is a family drama that showcases a diligent mother who is forced to make a tough decision that will affect not only her future but also her family. The film expresses her struggle to come to terms with her reality and emphasizes the love and strength that holds her family together.
Brooklyn Shakara
Director, Femi Agbayew, 21 mins.
Brooklyn Shakara takes a lighthearted look at what it means to marry well. Emeka Nwandu (played by HBO The Wire’s Gbenga Akinnagbe) thinks he has his “American Dream” all figured out. He is in line for a promotion and his girlfriend, Jumoke, has agreed to marry him. Everything is going perfectly until Jumoke’s father refuses to let her marry outside their tribe and Emeka’s boss puts a zany condition on the new promotion, a condition that will jeopardize the whole wedding if it does ever happen. As if these pressures weren’t enough, Emeka also has a big secret he’s been keeping from his bride to be.
4:15pm
Q&A: Second Shorts Program
Deconstructing Your Mother, Director, Ja’tovia Gary
4:45pm
Short & Feature Film Program
Deconstructing Your Mother
Director, Ja’tovia Gary, 15 mins.
Your mother is the first person you meet. For the majority of your life she is the primary nurturer. As a child we hold our mothers in high regard, often elevating them to icon status, as they are generally the most important person in our lives. My mother was always a central figure in my life. I saw her as a strong, almost superhuman figure that raised my brother and I after her marriage to my father ended when I was still a toddler. This film is about unraveling these childlike perceptions of our parents and seeing them as actualized human beings in order to better see ourselves.
In Our Heads About Our Hair
Director, Hemamset Angaza, 80 mins.
In Our Heads About Our Hair is a documentary that looks at “Black women’s issues” regarding hair and self-esteem, and advocates for the acceptance of all hairstyle choices.
6:20pm
Q&A: Short Program & Feature Film
ABOUT THE 11th ANNUAL WOMEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT FILM FESTIVAL
his day-long festival features short and feature-length films by independent filmmakers, college students, and youth filmmakers selected by a jury of peers and members of the Brooklyn Chapter of the Links. Criteria for selection include the filmmaker’s ability to depict the links that women of African descent have to their families and communities. The selected films tell stories of empowerment, sisterhood, leadership, and positive relationships. The Festival will also highlight films that reveal our shared past and celebrate that legacy.
ABOUT CINEMATIQ Magazine
CINEMATIQ is a quarterly magazine with a distinct perspective on Black images in films. It is dedicated to empowering Black filmmakers and bringing forth visibility in our own words. We aim to create a platform for all minds to be stimulated, helping to balance the world’s cinematic view.
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