Why We Support BlackStar
by Leslie Fields-Cruz
The BlackStar Film Festival is celebrating its 13th season this week. Running Aug. 1–4 in downtown Philadelphia, the slate includes dozens of indie film screenings — both narrative and documentary — panel discussions, virtual screenings, and several social gatherings. BPM’s director of programs, Denise Greene, will represent our organization at the festival. Together with American Documentary/POV, ITVS and WORLD, BPM is co-presenting the festival’s indie mixer, which is scheduled for Sat., Aug. 3, 7 p.m., at The Wayward.
If you’ve never been to a film festival that is hyper-focused on content created by people of color, you really must add that to your bucket list. It wasn’t long ago that the release of a feature-length film focused on a Black story and featuring Black talent was cause for community-wide celebration. Fortunately, that’s not really a thing anymore because the cinematic marketplace is full of Black content from throughout the African diaspora. Still, the opportunity to walk into a theater or film festival today and watch nothing but films featuring people of color is magical to me.
Here’s Why We Go
We support this BlackStar because it is a vital marketplace and networking opportunity for filmmakers of color who are creating stories that matter to our communities. Originally conceived as a one-day micro-festival by founder Maori Holmes, the program quickly blossomed into a four-day event that attracts an international crowd.
Holmes named the festival after Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Shipping line, which he created in 1919 to facilitate the transport of goods and Black people across the Atlantic and throughout the global economy. Though his venture ultimately failed, Holmes’ vision is successfully cutting through headwinds, carrying our stories of love, loss and success.
If you haven’t already made plans to attend this year’s BlackStar Film Festival, there’s still time. Regrettably, I’m not going to make it this year, due to a schedule conflict. But I’ll be there in spirit. Not only is it important for us to see these films, it is vital that we come together as a community to applaud our makers and celebrate their telling of stories that demonstrate the breadth, beauty and complexity of the human experience.
— Fields-Cruz is the executive director of Black Public Media
