{"id":64825,"date":"2013-02-14T02:49:42","date_gmt":"2013-02-14T02:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2013\/02\/14\/new-voices-in-black-cinema-2013-preview\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T09:38:18","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T09:38:18","slug":"new-voices-in-black-cinema-2013-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/new-voices-in-black-cinema-2013-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"New Voices in Black Cinema 2013 Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Voices in Black Cinema 2013 Preview<\/strong>Posted by Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

February 14, 2013<\/p>\n

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From Friday, February 15 through Monday, February 18<\/strong>, BAMcin\u00e9matek presents New Voices in Black Cinema<\/strong>, the third annual festival presented by the Fort Greene-based ActNow Foundation. Reflecting the wide spectrum of views and themes within the African diasporan communities in Brooklyn and beyond, the series features 10 New York premieres and special guests at nearly every screening. Home to ActNow programs since 2009, BAMcin\u00e9matek continues this partnership by providing a showcase for new and established voices in black independent cinema.<\/p>\n

Since its inception, ActNow Foundation has presented stories about race, love, family, cultural differences, self-empowerment, the corporate world, and the toils and aspirations of the working, middle, and upper classes, with a declared mission statement to \u201cpromote and preserve independent films and theater that reflect the infinite range of African diaspora images across the globe.\u201d In addition to New Voices in Black Cinema<\/em> at BAMcin\u00e9matek, ActNow Foundation curates the Short Film Collective<\/em> and is currently working on theater productions for 2013.<\/p>\n

Film Descriptions<\/strong><\/p>\n

18 Ius Soli<\/strong> (2011) 50min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Fred Kuwornu<\/strong>
\nItalian law denies citizenship to young people born in Italy to immigrant parents. This documentary examines the injustice faced by 18 girls and boys born in Italy to parents from Africa, Asia, and South America.
\nwith Beale St. Blues<\/strong> (2012) 25min – Directed by Kecia Benson<\/strong>.
\nA controversial documentary about struggling blues musicians on Beale Street in Memphis\u2014the home of classic blues clubs and players.
\nFri, Feb 15 at 1:30pm Q&A with Fred Kuwornu and Kecia Benson<\/strong><\/p>\n

alaskaLand<\/strong> (2012) 76min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Chinonye Chukwu<\/strong>, starring Alex Ubokudom, Chioma Dunkle<\/strong>y.
\nAn Alaska-raised Nigerian named Chukwuma struggles to balance his cultural heritage with the pressures of the world around him. After a family tragedy leads to a two-year estrangement from his younger sister, the siblings reconnect in their hometown, finding new friction yet inching closer to reconciliation.
\nwith 4-1-9<\/strong> (2012) 15min – Directed by Alexander Etseyatse<\/strong>.
\nTwo British-Nigerian brothers are involved in an illegal family business. One brother wants to end it while the other wants to continue on.
\nSun, Feb 17 at 4pm Q&A with Chinonye Chukwu and Alexander Etseyatse<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Aujourd\u2019hui <\/strong>(Tey) (2012) 86min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Alain Gomis<\/strong>, starring Saul Williams, Djolof Mbengue<\/strong>.
\nToday is the last day of Satch\u00e9\u2019s life. Though he is strong and in good health, he accepts his imminent death as he walks through the streets of Senegal, taking in the sites of his past as if he were looking at them for the last time: his parents\u2019 house, his first love, the friends of his youth, and his wife and children. Acclaimed actor, musician, and poet Saul Williams stars in this stirring, reflective drama.
\nSat, Feb 16 at 6pm Q&A with Saul Williams followed by a performance in BAMcaf\u00e9<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Big Words (<\/strong>2012) 97min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Neil Drumming<\/strong>, starring Dorian Missick, Gbenga Akinnagbe<\/strong>.
\nOn the eve of President Obama\u2019s history-making election, three Brooklyn friends, once members of a promising hip-hop trio, cross paths once again and discover that some things never change. Former frontman John, once known as Big Words, is now a struggling IT guy who raps only to himself. James is a publicist living with his boyfriend, far removed from the days when he rhymed about getting girls. DJ Malik still spins records, but he wants the old days back. Together again, the guys reckon with the past and dreams deferred.
\nFri, Feb 15 at 7pm Q&A with Neil Drumming and producer Matt Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Central Park Five<\/strong> (2012) 119min<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon<\/strong>.
\nThis devastating new documentary explores the grave miscarriage of justice in the aftermath of what Mayor Ed Koch named \u201cthe crime of the century.\u201d Following the rape and assault of a white jogger in Central Park in 1989, five young black and Latino men were arrested amid a wave of media sensationalism that all but cemented the public\u2019s perception of their guilt. Legendary documentarian Ken Burns, along with his daughter Sarah Burns and her husband David McMahon, revisits the long road to their exoneration, taking a careful and timely look of a city seething with racial tensions.
\nSun, Feb 17 at 1pm Q&A<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Fade<\/strong> (2012) 75min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Andy Mundy-Castle<\/strong>.
\nThis intimate documentary captures the lives of four Afro-descendent barbers in Ghana, Jamaica, the US, and the UK over the course of seven days. Interweaving their colorful stories, the film examines the cultural disparities among their locations.
\nFri, Feb 15 at 4pm<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Four <\/strong>(2012) 74min<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Joshua Sanchez, starring Wendell Pierce, Aja Naomi King, Emory Cohen<\/strong>.
\nA steamy July 4th evening brings four people together in twin tales of seduction and conflicted desire. Joe, a black middle-aged married man, is out on an Internet date with June, a white teenage boy, while Abigayle, Joe’s precocious daughter, is out with a hot, wisecracking Latino basketball player named Dexter. As they get to know each other intimately, their realities are tested and the outcome is bracing.
\nwith Breaking Night<\/strong> (2012) 10min – Directed by Yolonda Ross<\/strong>.
\nA girl flees a dire situation with her boyfriend at home and has an experience that transforms her life forever.
\nSun, Feb 17 at 7pm Q&A with Joshua Sanchez and Emory Cohen<\/strong><\/p>\n

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FunkJazz Kaf\u00e9: Diary of a Decade<\/strong> (2012) 134min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Jason Orr<\/strong>.
\nAtlanta\u2019s underground music scene comes alive in this vibrant documentary narrated by the innovators of an important\u2014and in some cases overlooked\u2014era in black culture. Spanning the late 1980s to the early 2000s, the film chronicles the evolution of the FunkJazz Kaf\u00e9 Arts & Music Festival, in the process examining the roots of soul music and the challenges it faces in the mainstream music industry. The film includes special appearances by Erykah Badu, Cee Lo Green, Chuck D, Cornel West, Kevin Powell, Roy Ayers, Doug E. Fresh, and more.
\nSat, Feb 16 at 9:15pm Q&A with Jason Orr<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Gimme the Loot<\/strong> (2012) 81min<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Adam Leon<\/strong>, starring Ty Hickson, Tashiana Washington<\/strong>.
\nMalcolm and Sofia, two determined teens from the Bronx, are the ultimate graffiti writers. When a rival gang buffs their latest masterpiece, they hatch a spectacular plan to get revenge by tagging an iconic New York City landmark\u2014but need $500 to pull it off.
\nMon, Feb 18 at 7pm Q&A with Adam Leon and cast<\/strong><\/p>\n

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High Chicago <\/strong>(2011) 98min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Alfons Adetuyi<\/strong>, starring Colin Salmon, Karen LeBlanc<\/strong>.
\nA windswept mining town serves as the backdrop for this dramatic tale of one man\u2019s risky leap into the big time. Forty-two-year-old Sam (the charismatic Salmon, in a commanding performance), a hard-drinking father of three, an ex-Navy man, an ex-miner, and a soon-to-be ex-husband, starts gambling full-time to bankroll his crazy plan to open a drive-in theater in Africa.
\nSat, Feb 16 at 3pm Q&A with Alfons Adetuyi<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Kill Hole <\/strong>(2011) 92min<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Mischa Webley<\/strong>, starring Chadwick Boseman, Billy Zane, Tory Kittles<\/strong>.
\nA troubled Iraq War veteran is forced to pursue one of his own in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, the two must confront a war crime that has long haunted them both.
\nFri, Feb 15 at 9:45pm<\/strong><\/p>\n

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No Homo<\/strong> (2012) 78min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Goddey Asemota<\/strong>.
\nLance and Dame are aspiring fashion designers who sell custom shirts on the streets of SoHo. Because of their love of fashion the two are constantly questioned about their sexuality. As a gag they make a shirt with the logo \u201cNO HOMO\u201d on the front and sell them at their stand, which leads to their unlikely meteoric rise in the fashion world.
\nwith Harriet Returns<\/strong> (2012) 9min – Directed by Marquis Smalls<\/strong>.
\nHarriet Tubman comes back to life to free young black men from the \u201cmental slavery\u201d of their sagging pants and carefree use of the N-word. But she meets her match in two young New York City rappers.
\nMon, Feb 18 at 9:45pm Q&A with Goddey Asemota and Marquis Smalls<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Stones in the Sun<\/strong> (2012) 93min<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Patricia Benoit<\/strong>, starring Edwidge Danticat, Thierry Saintine, Patricia Rhinvil<\/strong>.
\nAmid political violence in Haiti, a young couple, two sisters, and a father and son are transported to New York, where they must confront the truths of their interlocked pasts. Widely acclaimed author Edwidge Danticat (Krik? Krak!) gives a moving performance as a teacher drawn into the social upheaval that surrounds her.
\nMon, Feb 18 at 1pm<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Undershepherd<\/strong> (2012) 100min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Russ Parr<\/strong>, starring Isaiah Washington, Lamman Rucker, Malinda Williams<\/strong> and Vanessa Bell Calloway<\/strong>.
\nWhen the head preacher of his church plans his retirement, mild-mannered LC (Washington) is overcome by his access to power and money earned through his ministry, and slowly transforms into a ruthless business man.
\nSun, Feb 17 at 9:45pm<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The United States of Hoodoo<\/strong> (2012) 100min New York premiere!<\/p>\n

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\nDirected by Oliver Hardt<\/strong>.
\nShaking up traditional ways of thinking about race, religion, and rationality, this documentary explores the influence of African religion on American popular culture. Darius James, Ishmael Reed, Danny Simmons, and Nick Cave are among the musicians, artists, miracle healers, gumbo cooks, and Mississippi blues men depicted in this examination of American culture, whose cultural diversity, allure, and vitality has depended on a host of ethnic influences.
\nSat, Feb 16 at 12pm<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Short Film Showcase: Unbreakable<\/strong>
\nFrom awkward encounters to mystical ones and from back-alley life and death negotiations to family dynamics that put one\u2019s morality to the test, these short films capture the reality of families bonded by blood but not much else, those that consist of friends who have each other\u2019s backs, and those we pass on the streets in our own neighborhoods every day. Featuring award-winning shorts Barbasol by Ralph Scott, Record\/Play by Jesse Atlas, Carlos Seaton\u2019s Karim<\/p>\n

Featuring award-winning shorts and new far from up-and-coming filmmaker, including:<\/p>\n

BARBASOL by Ralph Scott
\nRECORD\/PLAY by Jesse Atlas
\nSAUDADE by Evita Castine
\nFORT GREENE by Jordan Thomas
\nKARIM by Carl Seaton
\nEVERYTHING ABSOLUTELY by Natale Paul & Terence Nance
\nNIGGA\u2026NIGGA\u2026NIGGA! by Michael Blevins
\nMAKE ME A DOORWAY by Jesse Russell Brooks<\/p>\n

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