{"id":25732,"date":"2023-05-10T15:48:22","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T19:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/?p=25732"},"modified":"2023-05-10T15:59:45","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T19:59:45","slug":"2023-harlem-international-film-festival-may-18-28-by-greggwmorris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/2023-harlem-international-film-festival-may-18-28-by-greggwmorris\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 Harlem International Film Festival – May 18-28"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celebrating the art of cinema in the home of the Harlem Renaissance, The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) inspires and entertains by honoring dynamic films by anyone about anything under the sun. Conceived from the belief that we all have unique experiences and perspectives to share, the Festival actively seeks and exhibits fresh work.\u00a0Hi\u00a0is committed to exemplifying the eminence that Harlem represents and is dedicated to bringing attention to the finest filmmakers from\u00a0Harlem and across the globe<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"BLOW\u00a0\"PARIS<\/strong>
\nBlow Up My Life, Paris Is In Harlem<\/em><\/div>\n

The 2023 Harlem International Film Festival (Hi<\/em><\/strong>), teaming up with STARZ (2023 Luminary Partner), has unveiled films and events for its 18th<\/sup>\u00a0edition \u2013 a hybrid event taking place in-person May 18-28. <\/strong>It will open with a double feature presentation of Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton\u2019s Blow Up My Life<\/em><\/strong>, and Christina Kallas\u2019\u00a0Paris Is In Harlem<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Friday Spotlight Presentations include the world premiere of the first two episodes from the next season of STARZ\u2019 Run the World<\/strong>\u00a0series, and the world premiere of Clayton P Allis and Doug E. Doug\u2019s\u00a0In The Weeds<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The in-person screenings will take place at AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 Theaters (2309 Frederick Douglass Blvd), with the\u00a0Harlem International Film Festival and Columbia University Zuckerman Institute\u2019s free-to-the-public screenings<\/strong>\u00a0at The Forum (601 West 125th<\/sup> Street), and the Maysles Documentary Center (343 Malcolm X Blvd.). With a music theme running throughout the festival, this year\u2019s film lineup will\u00a0once again celebrate and showcase relatively undiscovered international cinematic gems and local New York filmmaking talent with a special focus on Harlem artists.<\/p>\n

Hi<\/strong>\u2019s lineup features 64 films, including 35 features (14 narrative, 21 documentary), 29 shorts (20 narrative, 9 documentary), 2 television episodes, and 2 VR projects. Other feature films making their world premieres are\u00a0David Bell and Mecca Medina\u2019s\u00a0$ Broke Boi<\/em><\/strong>, Taylor Krauss\u2019\u00a0BronX BandA: Arturo O\u2019Farrill & The Bronx<\/em><\/strong>, and Patrick Heaphy\u2019s\u00a0The Sacred Place between Earth and Space<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"RUN\u00a0\"RUN
\nRun the World<\/em><\/div>\n

Says Harlem International Film Festival\u2019s Program Director, Nasri Zacharia: \u201cThis year we are celebrating over a century of Harlem Renaissance and Resilience with an amazing slate of films from the area. We are also glad to be back at the AMC Magic Johnson Theaters and Columbia University as well as Maysles Documentary Center, and this year we are thrilled to present the world premiere of the first two episodes of STARZ Run the World season 2, set in Harlem, to our lineup featuring several other world premieres, and wonderful work by our filmmakers here in Harlem, Upper Manhattan, and the Bronx.”<\/p>\n

“This year, music runs throughout our schedule with amazing documentaries, very special honorees, culminating in a big day of music films and a special live performance on Sunday, the 21st<\/sup>. This film festival has always emphasized the idea of being a festival with exciting and entertaining events inspired by the films we screen, and this year really underlines that idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

OPENING NIGHT DOUBLE FEATURE<\/u><\/strong>
\nOpening on Thursday, May 18 at\u00a0AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 Theaters (2309 Frederick Douglass Blvd),\u00a0the Harlem International Film Festival will present the New York premiere of\u00a0Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton\u2019s\u00a0Blow Up My Life<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The homage to noir comedy thrillers follows a disillusioned pharmaceutical employee who becomes a reluctant whistleblower forced to go on the run when he accidentally discovers a deadly opioid conspiracy hidden by his former boss and the CEO of the company. The film will be preceded by Eunice Levis\u2019 short film, InVade<\/em><\/strong>, which follows an undocumented scientist and his son trying to stop an environmental disaster.<\/p>\n

The second screening of the Opening Night double feature will be Christina Kallas\u2019 drama Paris Is In\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Harlem, which involves the lives of several strangers intertwining during a shooting a jazz club in Harlem on the eve of New York City’s controversial “No Dancing” Law getting repealed. Preceding that screening will be Fany de la Chica\u2019s short film\u00a0Last Night in Paris Blues\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>about a Latino flamenco-jazz immigrant singer who needs to decide between love and her career as an artist on the last day she performs at Paris Blues. Both screening presentations will include appearances and post-screening Q&As with filmmakers, cast and crew.<\/p>\n

\"IN
\nIn The Weeds<\/em><\/div>\n

FRIDAY SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS<\/u><\/strong>
\nThe Friday Spotlight Presentations on May 19 will be highlighted by the World Premiere of the first two episodes of STARZ\u2019\u00a0Run the World<\/strong> series second season. Chronicling the euphoric highs and heartbreaking lows that three black women must endure in their pursuit of world domination, the dramatic comedy returns as they continue to not simply survive but thrive.<\/p>\n

Directed by Rachael Holder, the episodes will include \u201cA Dream Deferred,\u201d where Whitney anxiously awaits the fate of her relationship, while Sondi and Renee are reminded by Ella that it\u2019s never a bad time to choose yourself, and \u201cHoneymoon\u2019s Over,\u201d in which Renee hustles to get her agency some business, as Sondi and Whitney are forced to face the reality of their new living situations. Attending and participating in a special panel discussion following the screenings will be series stars Amber Stevens West, Bresha Webb, and Corbin Reid, with showrunner Rachelle Williams-BenAry.<\/p>\n

Also featured on Friday\u2019s Spotlight Presentations will be the World Premiere of\u00a0Clayton P Allis and Doug E. Doug\u2019s magical realism drama\u00a0In The Weeds<\/em><\/strong>. In the film, a free-spirited girl from Harlem falls for a handsome transplant from London, whose mental scars have been awoken by the pandemic.<\/p>\n

The remedy, she believes, is outside, everywhere, from medicinal weeds sprouting out of sidewalks in the Bronx, to magic mushrooms in Queens. Meanwhile, her chronically suspicious father, with the help of two healing witches runs all over NYC looking for her, desperate to make amends. The screening will be preceded by Hans Augustave\u2019s short film I Held Him<\/em><\/strong>, about a man\u2019s decision to choose an uncomfortable solution to help his friend out of his pain and depression. Doug E. Doug will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A with additional filmmakers moderated by Malik Yoba.<\/p>\n

\"BLIND\u00a0\"RIGHT
\nBlind Eye Artist, Right to Read<\/em><\/div>\n

HARLEM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY<\/u><\/strong>
\nOn Saturday, May 20, the Harlem International Film festival continues its association with Columbia University with three free-to-the-public screenings at The Forum.\u00a0Ashwin Chaudhary\u2019s documentary\u00a0Blind Eye Artist\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>tells the origin story of renowned painter Justin Wadlington. Blind in his left eye. Wadlington\u2019s unique and dynamic art has become a sensation with clients and benefactors including Shaquille O\u2019Neal, Kevin Hart, and Broke Shields.<\/p>\n

As part of the special screening, Wadlington will also be displaying some of his work during the in-person run of the film festival. Jenny Mackenzie\u2019s documentary The Right To Read\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>will make its New York Premiere as part of the special screening series. The film shares the stories of an NAACP activist, a teacher, and two American families who fight to provide our youngest generation with the most foundational indicator of life-long success: the ability to read.<\/p>\n

The third free-to-the-public presentation at The Forum will be a special package of Harlem Shorts<\/strong>, celebrating the best in local filmmaking this year.<\/p>\n

\"BROKE\u00a0\"The
\n$ Broke Boi, BronX BandA: Arturo O\u2019Farrill & The Bronx<\/em><\/div>\n

MORE WORLD PREMIERES<\/u><\/strong>
\nAdditional world premiere includes David Bell and Mecca Medina\u2019s\u00a0$ Broke Boi\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>about a weed delivery boy, with dreams of being an NYC Hustler, who finds himself up against it after he gets robbed of his stash and profits and now has twelve hours to make the money back or he could lose more than his dreams.<\/p>\n

Taylor Krauss\u2019 music documentary\u00a0BronX BandA: Arturo O\u2019Farrill & The Bronx\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>watches 6-time Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Arturo O’Farrill bring to life a 9-piece hip-hop-jazz ensemble converting stories of South Bronx life to music resounding in the streets. Patrick Heaphy\u2019s\u00a0documentary\u00a0The Sacred Place between Earth and Space\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>captures the mid-pandemic culmination of Harlem Stage\u2019s Afrofuturism series featuring Craig Harris\u2019 Nocturnal Nubian Ball for Conscientious Ballers and Cultural Shot Callers.<\/p>\n

\"Bonnie\u00a0\"LIFE\u00a0\"Ron
\nBonnie Blue:\u00a0James Cotton\u2019s Life in the Blues,<\/strong>\u00a0Life & Life, Ron Carter: Finding The Right Notes<\/em><\/div>\n

MUSIC ICONS ONSCREEN<\/u><\/strong>
\nOn Sunday, May 21, the Harlem International Film Festival will give music its due by featuring films putting music front and center. In addition to the aforementioned\u00a0BronX BandA: Arturo O\u2019Farrill & The Bronx<\/em><\/strong>, and\u00a0The Sacred Place between Earth and Space<\/em><\/strong>, the film festival will feature the New York City premiere of Bestor Cram\u2019s documentary\u00a0Bonnie Blue:\u00a0James Cotton\u2019s Life in the Blues\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>about James \u2018Super Harp\u2019 Cotton, who became a mentor to harp players around the globe as he brought the delta blues into mainstream rock \u2018n roll.<\/p>\n

NC Heikin\u2019s award-winning documentary Life & Life\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>tracks the journey that musician Reggie Austin took to redeem his life following a murder conviction 40 years ago. With surprising honesty and depth, the film looks at Austin\u2019s effect on his fellow inmates and his efforts to reconnect with his family. Peter Schnall\u2019s\u00a0Ron Carter: Finding The Right Notes\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is a captivating and informative story of the legendary jazz bassist.<\/p>\n

The film festival will honor Ron Carter with its Renaissance Award and will also present a special live performance by Reggie Austin and his band out of San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Following the opening in-person weekend, the film festival will continue virtually with TBA in-person screenings and events throughout the second week. For updates, film festival passes, tickets, and more information on the Harlem International Film Festival go to\u00a0http:\/\/HarlemFilmFestival.org<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2023 Harlem International Film Festival official selections<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Opening Night Selections<\/u><\/strong>
\nBlow Up My Life \u2013<\/em><\/strong> New York Premiere<\/strong>
\nDirector: Ryan Dickie, Abigail Horton
\nCountry: US, Running Time:\u00a0 81 min
\nJason, a disillusioned pharmaceutical employee (Jason Selvig), is fired after a drug fueled social media post goes viral, but when he accidentally discovers a deadly opioid conspiracy hidden by his former boss (Davram Steifler) he sets out to redeem himself.<\/p>\n

In this homage to noir comedy thrillers set in the age of tech, Jason goes on the run as a reluctant whistleblower trying to expose the crime with the help of his computer whiz cousin Charlie (Kara Young), but the CEO (Ben Horner) at the heart of the scandal has other plans.
\nPreceded by<\/em>
\nInVade\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Eunice Levis
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 15 min
\nAn undocumented scientist and his son try to stop an environmental disaster.<\/p>\n

Paris Is In Harlem \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>Manhattan Premiere\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nDirector: Christina Kallas
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 101 min
\nOn the eve of New York City’s controversial “No Dancing” Law getting repealed, the lives of several strangers are forever changed by a shooting at a historic jazz bar in Harlem.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Friday Spotlight Presentations<\/u><\/strong>
\nSTARZ\u2019 Run the World – Season 2 \u2013 World Premiere\u00a0<\/strong>
\nEpisode 1: \u201cA Dream Deferred\u201d
\nDirector: Rachael Holder
\nWhitney anxiously awaits the fate of her relationship, while Sondi and Renee are reminded by Ella that it\u2019s never a bad time to choose yourself.<\/p>\n

Episode 2: \u201cHoneymoon\u2019s Over\u201d
\nDirector: Rachael Holder
\nRenee hustles to get her agency some business, as Sondi and Whitney are forced to face the reality of their new living situations.<\/p>\n

In The Weeds \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>World Premiere<\/strong>
\nDirectors: Clayton P Allis, Doug E. Doug
\nCountry: US, Running Time:\u00a0 82 min
\nShaunte, a free-spirited girl from Harlem, has fallen for K, a handsome transplant from London, whose mental scars have been awoken by the pandemic. The remedy, Shaunte believes, is outside, everywhere, from medicinal weeds sprouting out of sidewalks in the Bronx, to magic mushrooms in Queens. K is falling in love too, but afraid to leave his apartment.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Larry, Shaunte\u2019s chronically suspicious father, has been running all over NYC looking for her. Larry\u2019s floral business has gone under, and he\u2019s desperate to make amends, but why will no one tell him where she is?
\nPreceded by<\/em>
\nI Held Him\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Hans Augustave
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 8 min
\nWhile a man falls deeper into the depths of pain and depression, his friend reluctantly chooses an uncomfortable solution to help him heal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Harlem International Film Festival at Columbia University\u2019s Zuckerman Institute<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Blind Eye Artist\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Ashwin Chaudhary
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 76 min
\nThe origin story of painter Justin Wadlington, blind in his left eye.<\/p>\n

The Right To Read \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0New York Premiere<\/strong>
\nDirector: Jenny Mackenzie
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 79 min
\nThe Right to Read<\/em>\u00a0shares the stories of an NAACP activist, a teacher, and two American families who fight to provide our youngest generation with the most foundational indicator of life-long success: the ability to read.<\/p>\n

ADDITIONAL IN-PERSON NARRATIVE FEATURES<\/u><\/strong>
\n$ Broke Boi \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>World Premiere<\/strong>
\nDirectors: David Bell, Mecca Medina
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 82 min
\nA weed delivery boy, with dreams of being an NYC Hustler, gets robbed of his stash and profits at the worst time. He was late with the payment last week, racked up some poor performance reviews, and the company\u2019s Henchmen “Don’t play no games”. Now, this #Brokeboi and friends have twelve hours to make as much money as they can to pay back the supplier, while also trying to make it to the \u201cParty of The Summer\u201d.<\/p>\n

Honor Student \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>New York Premiere<\/strong>
\nDirector: Tamika Miller
\nCountry: US, Running Time:\u00a0 82 min
\nJeremy Chue is a picture-perfect teenager. He is talented, has the perfect grades, a well-off family, and attends a prestigious Washington, D.C. private school. At least that is how he appears. After losing his twin brother in a mass shooting, Jeremy takes matters into his own hands, holds a teacher hostage, and proves America a lesson it\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n

ADDITIONAL IN-PERSON DOCUMENTARY FEATURES<\/u><\/strong>
\n80 Years Later\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Celine Parre\u00f1as Shimizu
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 50 min
\nThe feature documentary\u00a080 Years Later<\/em>\u00a0explores the racial inheritance of Japanese American family incarceration during World War II through multigenerational conversations with survivors and their descendants. In the 80th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 that imprisoned 120,000 Japanese Americans in World War II, families still grapple with the legacy of their experience. How does one inherit traumatic history across generations?<\/p>\n

AJASS: Pioneers of the Black is Beautiful Movement<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Louise Dente
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 120 min
\nThe documentary chronicles the journey of AJASS (African Jazz-Art Society and Studios) from the Bronx where they hosted jazz concerts to Harlem where their work was later Influenced by the teachings of the Honorable Marcus Garvey and his prot\u00e9g\u00e9, Carlos Cook of the African Nationalist Pioneer Movement (ANPM), which had a tremendous impact on their vision and mission and led to the development of “NATURALLY” shows which featured the Grandassa Models, the first African superhero known as Lil Zeng: The African Boy King, and a wealth of visual arts creations and books to celebrate the rich history and aesthetic beauty of Africa and its descendants.<\/p>\n

Bonnie Blue:\u00a0 James Cotton\u2019s Life in the Blues \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>New York City Premiere<\/strong>
\nDirector: Bestor Cram
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 86 min
\nBorn in 1935 on Bonnie Blue plantation in Tunica, Mississippi, apprenticing with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Howlin\u2019 Wolf, and schooled by Muddy Waters, James \u2018Super Harp\u2019 Cotton became a mentor to harp players around the globe as he brought the delta blues into mainstream rock \u2018n roll.<\/p>\n

Orphaned at nine, Cotton\u2019s journey tracks America\u2019s history and his story is one of empowerment during a time when the weight of racial inequity made the journey seem impossible. Bonnie Blue \u2013 James Cotton\u2019s Life in the Blues is a unique portrait of an era and its impact today. Cotton\u2019s music made history; his musical voice was unique, and the blues were never the same.<\/p>\n

BronX BandA: Arturo O\u2019Farrill & The Bronx \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>World Premiere<\/strong>
\nDirector: Taylor Krauss
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 79 min
\nAs the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Bronx, our nation’s most economically poor congressional district, 6-time Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Arturo O’Farrill (2023, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2016, 2016) brings to life a 9-piece hip-hop-jazz ensemble converting stories of South Bronx life to music resounding in the streets. This music documentary pays homage to the history of the Afro-Latinx music that was born in the Bronx.<\/p>\n

Case For Kindness\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Steven Sawalich
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 98 min
\nCase For Kindness<\/em> is a journey to understand the true nature of Kindness, making a case for why it is our best way forward as a society. The film will examine different themes of kindness while exploring various stories, cultures, and conversations. We carefully thread the themes of bullying, hate, mental health, racial injustice, food insecurity and climate change across the entire Documentary Feature.<\/p>\n

We go to different parts of the United States to interviews experts, leading authorities and find real life moments to build the case that inspires humanity to understand the need and benefits of adopting Kindness.<\/p>\n

Hargrove\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Elaine Henri
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 108 min
\nFilmed throughout his last tour across Mediterranean Europe, this film shines a bright spotlight on Roy Hargrove\u2019s enormous contribution to both the art of jazz and the nurturing of upcoming young musicians. Told in v\u00e9rit\u00e9 style the film exposes both dark and challenging sides of an artist pure in form, yet vulnerable to everyday realities.<\/p>\n

In Search of Bengali Harlem \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirectors: Vivek Bald, Alaudin Ullah
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 85 min
\nAs a teenager in 1980s Harlem, Alaudin Ullah was swept up in the revolutionary energy of early hip-hop. He rejected his working-class Bangladeshi parents and turned his back on everything South Asian and Muslim. Now, as an actor and playwright in post-9\/11 America, Alaudin wants to tell his parents’ stories, but has no idea of the lives they led as Muslim immigrants of an earlier era.\u00a0In Search of Bengali Harlem<\/em>\u00a0follows Ullah from the streets of New York City to the villages of Bangladesh to uncover the pasts of his father, Habib, and mother, Mohima.<\/p>\n

Life & Life \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: NC Heikin
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 79 min
\nLife & Life<\/em> tracks the journey that musician Reggie Austin takes to redeem his life following a murder conviction 40 years ago. With surprising honesty and depth, the film looks at Austin\u2019s effect on his fellow inmates and his efforts to reconnect with his family, as well as questioning parole and sentencing practices through his story.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the film reveals the steep and dangerous hill ex-prisoners must climb upon release to free themselves and create a positive future.\u00a0Life & Life<\/em>\u00a0is a story of the struggle for redemption and hope against near impossible odds, accompanied by a soundtrack that comes straight from Austin\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n

Ron Carter: Finding The Right Notes\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Peter Schnall
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 102 min
\nFrom seven-time Emmy Award-winning director Peter Schnall,\u00a0Ron Carter: Finding The Right Notes<\/em><\/strong> is the captivating and informative story of a man whose love for making music had to overcome the racial discrimination in America he faced at a very early age.<\/p>\n

From the way he walks lines, to his thick, full, and prominent notes and tones, Mr. Carter has spent his entire career finding the right note and perfecting his craft, shaping him into the consummate jazz musician we know and respect, today.<\/p>\n

The Sacred Place between Earth and Space \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>World Premiere<\/strong>
\nDirector: Patrick Heaphy
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 92 min
\nA documentary that captures the mid-pandemic culmination of Harlem Stage\u2019s Afrofuturism series featuring Craig Harris\u2019 Nocturnal Nubian Ball for Conscientious Ballers and Cultural Shot Callers.<\/p>\n

\\The film is a mix of behind the scenes, concert and historical footage that highlights Craig Harris\u2019 reunion and performances with legendary free jazz instrumentalist and fellow Sun Ra Arkestra Member, Marshall Allen. For that brief week in the summer of 2021, Craig Harris and his Nation of Imagination were able to provide much needed entertainment for a pandemic fatigued New York City.<\/p>\n

ADDITIONAL IN-PERSON SHORT FILMS<\/u><\/strong>
\nGiants 1957 Polo Grounds Baseball Game \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Janko Radosavljevic
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 19 min
\nShort documentary primarily focused on Moe’s original 16mm film footage of the last NY Giants baseball game played at the Polo Grounds stadium in 1957.<\/p>\n

Harlem Is Nowhere\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Akil Gibbons
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 16 min
\nIn Harlem, on Juneteenth 2020, amidst lockdown and BLM protests, a wandering photographer<\/p>\n

Marjorie Eliot\u2019 Parlor Entertainment Harlem\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: John Decker
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 8 min
\nFor three decades, pianist, playwright, actress, poet and composer, Marjorie Eliot, turns her sadness and tragic loss into joyful weekly performances of love and camaraderie in her Harlem apartment.<\/p>\n

Uptown Oasis\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Ian Phillips
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 7 min
\nIn 2004, Abdi Abajabal came to the United States from Ethiopia. In 2012, he decided to start a healthy juice shop in Harlem with only five hundred dollars to his name. Ten years later, he is still going.<\/p>\n

HYBRID PROGRAM – NARRATIVE FEATURES<\/u><\/strong>
\nHideout\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Yen Kuang Chen
\nCountry: Taiwan, Running Time:\u00a0 118 min
\nDrug dealer Guo-hao hopes to make enough money so that he and his girlfriend can leave their life of crime behind. One day, he is contacted by Michael, a drug broker with an offer to buy a batch of rare cocaine.<\/p>\n

Guo-hao teams up with long-time buddy Da-wei to borrow money from local crime boss Uncle Ma to complete this deal. On the day of the exchange, however, Michael is found dead, and the drugs are already gone. In the middle of the night, Guo-hao receives a phone call from a mysterious man claiming to be in possession of the lost cocaine, telling Guo-hao he has a new deal for him\u2026<\/p>\n

Illyricvm<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Simon Bogojevic Narath
\nCountry: Croatia, Running Time:\u00a0 95 min
\nIn 37 BC a young Illyrian Volsus joins a Roman unit and sets off on a perilous journey into one of the darkest regions of the Empire.<\/p>\n

Juwaa\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Nganji Mutiri
\nCountry: Belgium, Running Time:\u00a0 86 min
\nYears after a traumatic night in Congo, a son (Amani) and a mother (Riziki) are reunited in Belgium. Shot in Kinshasa and in Brussels,\u00a0Juwaa<\/em>\u00a0is a subtlety powerful drama based on African characters rarely seen on screens.<\/p>\n

Our Father, The Devil (Mon Pere, Le Diable)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Ellie Foumbi
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 108 min
\nAn African immigrant\u2019s quiet existence in a small mountain town in the south of France is upended by the arrival of an African priest, whom she recognizes from her past.<\/p>\n

Stronghold\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Julia Camara
\nCountry: US, Running Time:\u00a0 85 min
\nA young woman who\u2019s lived in the woods with her mother for as long as she can remember, meets an ill stranger who convinces her that she’s been kidnapped from her real family.<\/p>\n

The Great Distance Delivers Crane\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Lhapal Gyal
\nCountry: China, Running Time: 96 min
\nIn Tibetan villages on Qinghai Plateau, young siblings Gesang and Duojie lost their mother and live with their grandmother. They rescue an injured young, black-necked crane bird whose parents are dead.<\/p>\n

With winter coming, the little crane cannot fly to migrate. After many kinds of man-made training and flying failures, the siblings ride a motorcycle and carry the crane to the wintering ground in Shangri-La.<\/p>\n

The Problem Of The Hero\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Shaun Dozier
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 85 min
\nMarch 1941, the St. James Theatre in New York. On the eve of opening night, a difference of opinion over a single page of the script threatens an impasse between two literary giants of the 20th Century.<\/p>\n

As rehearsal continues around Richard Wright and Paul Green, led by the mercurial Orson Welles, the ensuing argument – delving into race, class, politics, and personal story – seems destined to dissolve the writers\u2019 friendship.<\/p>\n

The Way To Happiness \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Nicolas Steil
\nCountry: Luxembourg, Running Time: 112 min
\nAs a child, Sa\u00fcl escaped the the impending Shoah by being sent from Vienna to Brussels by a Kindertransport. In 1986, he is on the road to resilience and owner of a Delicatessen dedicated to the 7th<\/sup> Art.<\/p>\n

With his prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Joakin, a young Chilean director, they decide to write the story of Sa\u00fcl\u2019s childhood and turn it into a film. Alas, love comes knocking on Sa\u00fcl\u2019s door and he is confronted with his past\u2026<\/p>\n

HYBRID PROGRAM – DOCUMENTARY FEATURES<\/u><\/strong>
\nConversations with Ruth de Souza\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Juliana Vicente
\nCountry: Brazil, Running Time: 107 min
\nRuth de Souza inaugurates the existence of black actresses on stage, television, and cinema in Brazil. She carries within her the genesis of huge victories for black women over almost a century of her life. The film registers the encounter of the 98 years old actress with the young black woman and director Juliana Vicente.<\/p>\n

Ellis\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Sascha Just
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 96 min
\nEllis<\/em> is the first feature-length documentary about Ellis Marsalis Jr. and the Marsalis Music Family, often called the First Family of Jazz. The film chronicles the life of this exceptional New Orleans composer, performer, and educator, the profound influence that the city had on him — and that he had on the jazz that came out of New Orleans.<\/p>\n

It is also a story of how one man transcended racial injustices he faced from his birth during segregation to his death from COVID 19. The film interweaves Ellis’ accomplishments with key threads of American cultural history, placing him in historical context as someone who was both deeply affected the by world around him, and who, by responding to it helped to shape that world.<\/p>\n

Kanaval: A People\u2019s History of Haiti in Six Chapters\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirectors: Leah Gordon, Eddie Hutton Mills
\nCountry: UK, Running Time:\u00a0 78 min
\nHaitians take their history on to the streets during a modern-day annual carnival in the small southern Haitian town of Jacmel. Exuberant and historically rich, Leah Gordon and Eddie Hutton Mills\u2019s engrossing documentary charts centuries of Haitian history through the lens of carnival celebrations. The country has witnessed unspeakable atrocities, but carnival serves not only as a reminder of the past, but also as a radical act of oral storytelling and collective solidarity in the face of oppression.<\/p>\n

King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Harriet Marin Jones
\nCountry: France, Running Time: 99 min
\nA filmmaker searches for the truth about her grandfather Edward Jones, a charismatic African American who rose to the heights of financial and political prominence in Depression-era Chicago.\u2028 In shaping the destiny of a city, Ed Jones could not however escape his skin color. In conflict with both the mob and the Feds, he was forced into a life on the run.<\/p>\n

Exploring the rise and fall of the most famous \u2018Policy King\u2019 of all times, the filmmaker uncovers an unparalleled story, while showing the lasting repercussions of his untold story, both within her family, and for Chicago\u2019s South Side where he once embodied the American dream.<\/p>\n

Move When the Spirit Says Move: The Legacy of Dorothy Foreman Cotton \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirectors: Ry Ferro, Deborah C. Hoard
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 89 min
\nDorothy Foreman Cotton was a bold and highly effective civil rights leader, who educated thousands about their citizenship rights and inspired generations of activists with her powerful freedom songs. The only woman on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s executive staff, Dorothy was a charismatic, courageous, and consistently overlooked key player in the Civil Rights Movement, whose freedom schools, freedom songs and messages of empowerment are profoundly needed today.<\/p>\n

One Mother\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Mickael Bandela
\nCountry: France, Running Time: 80 min
\nFor nearly twenty years, I grew up in a foster family, today I am 35 years old, and I am trying to start my family when Gis\u00e8le, my birth mother, tells me that she is returning to live in Congo, his home country. I must understand: Why is she still leaking? Through archive images, I trace the thread of my childhood, methodically, to better question the present. Who is this woman who gave birth to me?<\/p>\n

Orange And The Blue\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Keif Roberts
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 82 min
\nAn inside look at devoted New York Knicks fans who support the team despite its dysfunction and lack of success.<\/p>\n

Ricochet \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirectors: Jeff Adachi, Chihiro Wimbush
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 76 min
\nWhen a young woman is shot by an undocumented immigrant on Pier 14 in San Francisco, the incident ignites a political and media furor that culminates in Donald Trump\u2019s election as President of the United States. In the eye of this storm, two public defenders fight for justice for an innocent man.<\/p>\n

HYBRID PROGRAM – NARRATIVE SHORTS<\/u><\/strong>
\nA Mukbang To Remember \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Leon Liu
\nCountry: Taiwan, Running Time: 16 min
\nAfter being exposed for fake-eating during her last mukbang eating show, the notorious big eater Lady White decides to turn the tide, holding an \u201cunforgettable mukbang\u201d.<\/p>\n

A Universal Woman\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Denis Gouzerh
\nCountry: France, Running Time: 23 min
\nImani, an Ivorian nuclear engineer in her thirties, travels as an expert to France following a terrible nuclear accident there. With her team, she discovers a community of seniors who refuse to leave their residence in the contaminated zone. She strives to help them in the face of the government\u2019s police-like attitude towards their fate.<\/p>\n

AJ\u2019s Story<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirectors: Christina Richardson, Leon Robinson
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 27 min
\nA bi-racial teenager living in the Bronx in search of his biological father, faces tragedy that could split up a foster home family.<\/p>\n

Black and White\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Christopher Thomas Wilson
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 22 min
\nA once renowned Hollywood actor, Calvin Bergerton, is accused and convicted of abusing his Greek girlfriend; Kathryn Soulti. Years later, he is released from a foreign prison, and finds himself living under the scrutiny of an imposed narrative he can\u2019t escape from\u2026<\/p>\n

Bolero Station\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Rolf Br\u00f6nnimann
\nCountry: Switzerland, Running Time: 10 min
\nThe signalman lives on one side of the tracks, the saleswoman on the other. They see each other every day, but it\u2019s not till death comes knocking that they both seize their chance to be together. They do it properly \u2013 and it\u2019s enough for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Down\u2019s Paradox\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Red Rodgers Truss
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 14 min
\nA teenage boy living in Harlem succumbs to the bad influences of his new friends.<\/p>\n

Let the Dogs Howl \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Christian Dioulo
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 10 min
\nA raw, stylish city slick tale of three friends looking for a night of excitement.<\/p>\n

Love Song\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Cameron A. Tubbs
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 15 min
\nLove Song tells the story of Lexi and Adam who painfully learn that love songs aren\u2019t only about meeting and falling in love.<\/p>\n

Stabat Mater\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Marina Sagona
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 5 min
\nStabat Mater is a work about motherhood and separation. It is built upon the repetition of an eighteen second film. The audio of the film is the mix of a dialogue in Italian, between the artist\u2019s daughter and the artist\u2019s former husband, with the first movement of Giovanni Pergolesi\u2019s Stabat Mater.<\/p>\n

The text of the Italian dialogue translated into English is superimposed over the footage in a gigantic sized type which grows smaller with each repetition until it disappears, while the voices subside, and the music takes over.<\/p>\n

Studio With A View \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Mara Wollong
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 22 min
\n“Studio with a View” is a short film chronicling the first two years of the Covid pandemic from the perspective of an apartment window in New York City\u2019s Chinatown. The film captures life as it unfolds on the city block below, home to a police precinct and located in a neighborhood stigmatized during the pandemic. Conceived as a visual poem, the film evokes themes both small and large, above all human resilience in the face of large-scale crisis.<\/p>\n

The Closet B!tch\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: William Alexander Runnels
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 19 min
\nShana finds herself looking to purchase her first home in New York City, but she only has $10,000, so she settles for the subjects… you know, 25% suburbs, 75% projects. The glamorous coming-of-age journey she thinks she\u2019s about to embark on quickly turns raggedy. This one-woman show, set in the Bronx, is Shana Solomon\u2019s origin story that chronicles the part of her life that leads to her being kicked out of her own apartment by her own father and writing a play about it.<\/p>\n

The Lake Merritt Monster\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Benjamin Mulholland
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 17 min
\nWhen Ollie Henderson\u2019s mother is attacked by a monster hiding in the depths of Lake Merritt, he sets out on a mission to find her – discovering instead a hidden network of monster hunters tasked with protecting Oakland from its own dark underbelly.<\/p>\n

The Waffle Prince\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: W.L. Boyd
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 16 min
\nA young boy returns home from delivering newspapers to find that his mother has left. Unable to process his feelings of abandonment the boy contemplates self-inflicted injury. In the end he is saved by the power of his mother’s love.<\/p>\n

TikTok Challenged \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Ivan Rome
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 9 min
\nClaretha, a soap opera-loving grandmother, has always dreamed of being a star, and she’s finally got her chance. TIKTOK. But she needs a little help from her grandson, Daryl, who didn’t plan to spend the day teaching his grandma how to do a TikTok dance.<\/p>\n

Will they be able to successfully make a TikTok? Maybe. Will their TikTok go viral? Who knows! But, watching the two of them struggle through this challenge together will be a fun ride filled with peach cobbler, Hollywood dreams, and a whole lot of funky dancing.<\/p>\n

Trust Issues\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Reva Santo
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 20 min
\nA young musician haunted by past sexual trauma struggles to navigate trust issues, new love, and a destabilized career.<\/p>\n

Visiting Day\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Diego F. Rodr\u00cdguez Ocampo
\nCountry: Colombia, Running Time: 15 min
\nJose tries his best to adapt to his father’s home, where he visits every other week.<\/p>\n

HYBRID PROGRAM – DOCUMENTARY SHORTS<\/u><\/strong>
\nJohn Leguizamo Live At Rikers<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Elena Francesca Engel
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 26 min
\nJohn Leguizamo visits Rikers Island Correctional Facility to perform his one-man Broadway show Ghetto Klown for an audience of over 400 inmates. Following his performance, Leguizamo holds group discussions with justice-involved young men awaiting trial or sentencing. This short documentary interweaves excerpts from Leguizamo\u2019s performance and those discussions, bringing attention to the serious challenges and human side of incarceration.<\/p>\n

Last May in Palestine<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Rabeea Eid
\nCountry: Palestine, State of, Running Time: 20 min
\nAfter the assassination of the journalist Shireen Abu-Akleh on May 2022, I return from the UK to Palestine and open my archive of May 2021 upraising in Haifa. On this trip, I relive memories and places I left, but it did not leave me, and ask questions about being a journalist during dangerous events.<\/p>\n

Part of Me – Anuar Khalifi by Yasiin Bey\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Jordi Esgleas Marroi
\nCountry: Spain, Running Time: 11 min
\nThis is the story of the appreciation, respect and fondness of musician, actor, and activist Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) for Spanish Moroccan painter Anuar Khalifi. Yasiin reflects on the cultural, ethnic, and religious issues present in Khalifi\u2019s work while sharing his thoughts candidly and providing his very personal take on his friend\u2019s art and life in general.<\/p>\n

Return of the Hummingbird Women<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Patricia Kaersenhout
\nCountry: Netherlands, Running Time: 18 min
\nThe film takes as a starting point the famous Artist and writers conference from 1956 which took place in the Sorbonne in Paris. This conference was organized entirely by Black women, but no women got the podium. The film not only criticizes patriarchy, but also the European colonial modernity project.<\/p>\n

Spiritual Cyphers: Hip Hop and the Church<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Ariyan Johnson
\nCountry: US, Running Time: 37 min
\nAriyan Johnson shares her personal journey about the struggles and triumphs of her two conflicting loves, Hip Hop, and the Church. Through research and interviews with pastors, historians, artists, and pioneering women hip hop dance artists, the film explores the burgeoning industry of Hip Hop and its challenge for acceptance within the Church. Spiritual Cyphers is a love story told through, the director- Ariyan Johnson’s experiences of her two loves.<\/p>\n

HYBRID PROGRAM – VIRTUAL REALITY (HARLEM360)<\/u><\/strong>
\nThank You For Sharing Your World\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Yu Sakudo
\nCountry: Japan, Running Time: 30 min
\nTakashi lost his eyesight in grade school. Though he can recreate the world in his mind, he is losing interest with fewer things to enjoy. He had a friend, Shinji, who was autistic. One day, Shinji invites him to a steam locomotive ceremony. Takashi gets into a fight with Shinji, and they become separated. Takashi looks for him, falling into a darker state of mind.<\/p>\n

Tops of Memory II ILLUSION\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\nDirector: Jialiang Liu
\nCountry: Japan, Running Time: 3 min
\nHand-drawn animation using actual painting materials has a unique charm because of its a special texture and unique sense of dynamism. Now with the help of VR, you can experience the hand-drawn world through 360-degree view. What on earth do humans remember when they remember the past? Obviously, it’s not the reality as it is. When the memory that recorded the past reality recurs to our mind repeatedly, the memory is reconstructed repeatedly by being added personal imagination and illusion, then becomes an unrealistic and illusory thing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Gregg W. Morris can be reached at gregghc@comcast.net, profgreggwmorris@gmail.com<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celebrating the art of cinema in the home of the Harlem Renaissance, The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) inspires and entertains by honoring dynamic films by anyone about anything under the sun. Conceived from the belief that we all have…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":25752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,29],"tags":[102],"class_list":["post-25732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film-fest-news","category-film-tv","tag-film-festivals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25732"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25749,"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25732\/revisions\/25749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}