BlackStar Film Festival 15th Anniversary Showcases Six Films on Art and Resistance
The BlackStar Film Festival celebrated its 15th anniversary in Philadelphia from August 6-9, showcasing a diverse selection of 91 films centered around the theme "a cinema for liberation." Among the featured works are Haile Gerima's "Black Lions, Roman Wolves," exploring Ethiopia's resistance to Italy in 1935, and Suneil Sanzgiri's "An Impossible Address," which addresses colonial struggles in India and Africa. Other notable films include Harlan Banks' "I Wonder Shall I Fly," Ben Baker-Lee and Rassaan Hammond's portrait of Dr. Leslie King Hammond, and Annemarie Jacir's "Palestine 36," depicting the Arab Revolt. The festival also hosted panels for independent filmmakers.
Key facts
- BlackStar Film Festival held August 6-9 in Philadelphia, marking its 15th anniversary with 91 films.
- Festival theme: 'a cinema for liberation.'
- Featured films include 'Black Lions, Roman Wolves' by Haile Gerima on Ethiopia's resistance to Italian invasion of 1935.
- 'An Impossible Address' by Suneil Sanzgiri on Indian and African freedom struggles against Portuguese colonialism.
- 'I Wonder Shall I Fly' by Harlan Banks uses 1940s recordings of interviews with formerly enslaved people.
- 'A Life in Art' directed by Ben Baker-Lee and Rassaan Hammond, about Dr. Leslie King Hammond, who mentored Amy Sherald.
- 'Aanikoobijigan' directed by Adam and Zack Khalil, about repatriation of Anishinaabe ancestors from MSU Museum.
- 'One More Show' directed by Ahmed Al Danaf and Mai Saad, about Free Gaza Circus, proceeds go to the circus.
- 'Bouchra' directed by Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani, debut feature about a Moroccan filmmaker and her mother.
- 'La West Side Familia' directed by Taylor Hosking, about Puerto Rican community organization in NYC.
- 'Palestine 36' directed by Annemarie Jacir, about the Arab Revolt of 1936-39.
- The festival included panels and gatherings for independent and experimental film workers.
Entities
Artists
- Haile Gerima
- Suneil Sanzgiri
- Harlan Banks
- Ben Baker-Lee
- Rassaan Hammond
- Leslie King Hammond
- Amy Sherald
- Ernest Shaw
- Jeffrey Kent
- Joyce J. Scott
- Lowery Stokes Sims
- Adam Khalil
- Zack Khalil
- Sydney Martin
- Sonya Atalay
- Ahmed Al Danaf
- Mai Saad
- Youssef Khedr
- Adam Anwar
- Orian Barki
- Meriem Bennani
- Taylor Hosking
- Chino Familia
- George 'SEN-One' Morillo
- Annemarie Jacir
- Karim Daoud Anaya
- Dhafer L'Abidine
- Yasmine al Massri
- Saleh Bakri
- Hiam Abbass
- Kamel El Basha
- Yafa Bakri
- Wardi Eilabouni
Institutions
- BlackStar Film Festival
- Free Gaza Circus
- Michigan State University (MSU) Museum
- Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance (MACPRA)
- National Gallery
- La West Side Familia
- TrueView Film
- Hyperallergic
Locations
- Philadelphia
- United States
- Ethiopia
- Italy
- India
- Africa
- Portugal
- Gaza
- Egypt
- New York
- Morocco
- Upper West Side
- Manhattan
- Jerusalem
- Palestine
- Michigan