Monthly Archives: October 2010

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Women of African Descent Film Festival (Brooklyn, NY)

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(*This is not the International Black Women’s Film Festival, nor is it a program of the IBWFF. This is a another film festival which may be of interest to our readers and filmmakers.)

2011 WOMEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT FILM FESTIVAL

CALL FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS

MORE INFO: http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/documents/1630

The Women of African Descent Film Festival, presented by the Brooklyn Chapter of the Links Inc., seeks feature length and short films directed, written or produced by female filmmakers of African descent. The festival is now accepting submissions of narrative feature and short films, documentaries and animations for the festival, which will take place in May 2011 in Brooklyn, NY.

Submissions can be registered through the festival’s Withoutabox site, which also includes additional information about the event.

To access the application form through Withoutabox please visit – https://www.withoutabox.com/login/6442

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Women of African Descent Film Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2011. The Festival is presented each May in Brooklyn, NY by The Brooklyn Chapter of the Links. In 2002, to mark the milestone of its 50th Anniversary, and to continue its legacy of showcasing the talent and accomplishments of African American artists, the Brooklyn Chapter began sponsoring this film festival for women filmmakers. This tradition has continued annually since then and takes place at the Spike Lee Screening Room at the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University in May of each year.

Formed in 1952, The Brooklyn Chapter of The Links, Inc., an organization of African American professional women, is dedicated to the support of educational, civic, and cultural activities in Brooklyn. A chapter of The Links, Inc., an international organization comprised of 276 chapters and over 11,000 members in 42 states, the District of Columbia, South Africa, the Bahamas and Germany, the Brooklyn Chapter works under the guidelines of the national body in providing services to its Brooklyn community in four mission areas: services to youth, health and wellness, the arts, and civic involvement.

The foundation for all of the chapter’s programs and services is rooted in the African American tradition of giving and volunteerism. Members share a deep sense of communal responsibility, and for the past 50 plus years have been committed to actively initiating and supporting educational, cultural, and civic programs, that positively impact the lives of people from Brooklyn’s African American/Caribbean communities.

GENERAL RULES
Only films directed by, written by or produced by female filmmakers of African descent will be considered. Please do not submit if you do not fit this criterion.

Submission must be made online. At the end of your submission process you will be asked to complete the online Terms of Submission Agreement form which you must sign in order to complete your submission.

Any number of titles may be submitted by an entrant. A separate entry form must be submitted for each title. Separate DVDs must be submitted for each entry.

Entries must be complete works no longer than 120 minutes in length. They must have been completed on or after January 1, 2008. Industrial or instructional works and those previously submitted to the Film Festival are not eligible. All films and videos in a language other than English must be subtitled in English for Festival presentation. All entrants must complete the online application form and mail or hand-deliver a DVD for jury screening.

LABELING
All tapes must be labeled with the following information:
* Film Title, total running time, and category (narrative; experimental; documentary; animation.)

* Shipper’s name and email address.

* Withoutbox tracking number.

Entries may be disqualified if they are not properly labeled.

PACKAGING
Films and videotapes must be shipped in a padded envelope.

RETURN OF ENTRIES
Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like us to return your DVD. Be sure to indicate that you would like your preview screener returned; we will not do so unless you indicate for us to do so on your application form.

JUDGING AND NOTIFICATION
Judging will take place January –February 2011 by a jury of Links members and film industry professionals in the New York metropolitan area.

“I Will Follow” to Screen at 2010 AFI Film Fest Nov. 5 – FREE

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The Organization of Black Screenwriters has partnered with the 2010 AFI Film Festival to present “I Will Follow,” directed by Ava DuVernay. Starring Salli Richardson-Whitfield (star of the SyFy serie’s “Eureka” and cult movie, “Black Dynamite”), Traci Thoms, Blair Underwood and Omari Hardwick, “I Will Follow” is:

is a delicately observed study of small, unpredictable moments and long unvoiced emotions that suddenly erupt in flurries of grief and recrimination. (2010 AFI Film Fest)

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You may have seen Ava DuVernay’s work as a director for “My Mic Sounds Nice: The Truth About Women in Hip Hop,” which premiered on BET in 2010. She’s also known in Hollywood as a Cinematographer and Writer, but maybe mostly as a publicist for Hollywood’s top grossing films.

Click Here to Catch “I Will Follow” on November 5, 2010 at the AFI Film Fest!

Fri, Nov 5th 9:00pm
American Cinematique Egyptian Theater
FREE

Jazz Age Actress Remembered

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Black America Web has a wonderful article about Jazz Age actress Evelyn Preer who was able to seamlessly transition from silent film to the talking movie era. She is one of the few actresses of any race who was able to do this. She was discovered by film legend Oscar Micheaux, who was a pioneer in his own right as the first African American to own and film his own movies featuring Black actors.

She starred in a number of films, her most memorable being “The Homesteader” by Oscar Micheaux.  She was also know for refusing stereotypical or demeaning roles that were usually relegated to Blacks. She soon transitioned to “crossover” films, and the remainder of her career blossomed on the stage on Broadway.

Jazz Age actress Evelyn Preer

Read more about this amazing lady on Black America Web…

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Flashing Lights!

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Flashing Lights

Celebs! Celebutantes! Reality Blips!

Just In! 2010 MOBO Awards Red Carpet from the U.K.

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One of the hottest urban music awards shows in Europe (if not the only one!) will be showcasing a bevy of talent from both sides of the pond tonight in the United Kingdom!

If you’re not familiar with the MOBO’s, according to their site it was:

“Launched in 1996, by founder and CEO Kanya King, the MOBO Awards were the first Awards show in Europe to celebrate urban music. In our 14 year history, the MOBO Awards have, undoubtedly, played an instrumental role in elevating black music and culture to mainstream popular status in the UK.

The Awards continue to attract the largest prime time multicultural audience and boast broadcast access to over 250 million people, due in no small part to the fact that MOBO has played host to the music industry’s finest, witnessing jaw-dropping performances from the cream of both UK and international talent. Over the years A-list artists have included: Janet Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Justin Timberlake, Tina Turner, Jay- Z, LL Cool J, Amy Winehouse, Dizzee Rascal, Estelle, Usher and John Legend to name but a few.”

So check out their just-in Red Carpet pics and see if the stars are just as bright across the pond!

[slideshow]

Brava to Sesame Street!

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Most Generation-Xers (those born between 1961 and 1981) have fond memories of “Sesame Street.” It was decidedly urban, inner-city and positive, and showed a diverse community filled with African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and everything in between.

I highpoint of “Sesame Street” is their educational videos that teach children basic skills and positive behaviors while using fun lyrics and music.

This time “Sesame Street” has introduced a video teaching young girls of color (or anyone with coarse or non-straight hair) to love their bushy ‘fros and natural hair! This message is impact-filled in that it’s the opposite of what young girls and women see everyday online, on television, in films, and in media. We can even look to magazines that supposedly cater to the Black community and rarely will you see a Black woman without straightened hair –chemically or flat-ironed.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enpFde5rgmw[/youtube]

Granted, straightened hair is a styling choice, but the proliferation of it as a representative of Black women around the world is shattering. The message is seemingly that the natural appearance of Black women is unacceptable, ugly and not the standard of European beauty, therefore, companies spend billions of dollars selling us products (that have no long term health studies associated with them) to tell us to change what we can to appeal to a “wider audience.”

Some actors have seen their value rise by straightening out the kinks and desperately following a European standard of beauty –some to the point where you have to question their mental health. However, when women-of-color are bombarded by the constant images of European standards of beauty, and more men of color (not just Black men) are choosing those standards as a “trophy” or as a template of women of color should look like, you can’t blame some women of color for drinking the Kool-Aid.

Personally, I’ve worn my hair “natural” for over 15 years (it was chemically-relaxed until from age 16 to 24 years old). Though I understand why African American women do it (family pressure, peer pressure, media reinforcement, playground taunts, etc.), I’ve never commented to any woman about “needing to go natural.” However, I cannot count the number of times women with chemically-straightened or flat-ironed hair have made negative comments or (literally) glared at me with a snarl in an elevator, on the subway, in the workplace, etc., etc., etc. With the “Sesame Street” video it is teaching our young girls early that a rite-of-passage doesn’t necessarily have to coincide with your first chemical burn or rantings about “not scratching your head” the night before a caustic agent is placed on their hair to straighten it.

With a younger generation of Black girls, hopefully, the adults will make a better effort at instilling pride in their hair in it’s natural state and the endless styles they can create from them. Willow Smith, daughter of Jada and Will Smith, is adding to the new acceptance of a natural hair aesthetic with the seemingly contradictory song, “I Whip My Hair (Back and Forth)”.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKLymvwD2U[/youtube]

Seeing the irony of the song, Fraggle Rock Nation has even produced a remix of the video, which shows that people are at least thinking deeper about the implications of a natural hair aesthetic for Black women in popular culture.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4AVd8El-QY[/youtube]

With more acceptance of different hair textures, colors, looks, and self-defined styles, hopefully, we will need fewer videos like this one. But for now, “Sesame Street” deserves one big BRAVA!