All over the African Diaspora • June 30th, 2024-July 4th, 2024

An immersive, global, 5-Day Black Music and Film Experience.

SUN

6/30

Black Fantastic Otherness

Sunday June 30th - Click here to learn about our media partner KWELI TV!

  • Welcome Videos from Darice & Khalil

  • Black Origins of House Music by Khalil Anthony

  • Graveyard by the Sea by MARK Sylver Junsunn Lo - A doctor who is unable to mourn his daughter, lost to an epidemic which is decimating the island's population, refuses to allow her to be buried like an animal. (Martinique)

  • Misread by Abraham Thomas - A romantic thriller short about a misleading re-connection among a couple of strangers after a single encounter. (Nigeria)

  • Egili: Black Queen of Carnival by Caroline Reucker - Egili Oliveira, 42, is a confident Black Brazilian woman who is still fighting for her place in society while defending her status as a samba queen in Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Carnival. (Germany)

  • Tina, When Will You Marry? by Celestina Aleobua - The pressure to get married is one that affects Nigerian women across the globe from the age their bodies can reproduce through the rest of their lives. This documentary touches on a much broader conversation about ‘Tradition vs. Modernity’. (Canada)

  • The Cut Features: Illa J by Jake Phillips, Eric G - The Cut Features welcomes US Recording Artist & Producer, ILLA J, who was in London this February for the Jazz Café hosted tribute show to his older brother - "J DILLA CHANGED MY LIFE". (United Kingdom)

  • Mauve by Aaron C. Butler - "Mauve" captures the unique blend of tension, artistry, and emotional resonance that defines this last night at Jubilee Theatre's 42nd season of "The Color Purple." It's a snapshot that captures the ineffable magic of theater—how it can simultaneously be a mirror to our own lives and a window into worlds we've yet to explore. (US)

  • I See in Stories by Madmo Cem Adam Springer - Idress a Rwnadan Filmmaker from and based in Kigali fights against depression and showcases his passion for filmmaking as well as his creative workflow in his craft. (Germany)

  • Zach’s Day Out by Janae Motley - A rambunctious toddler escapes the house and shenanigans ensue as his father tries to retrieve him. (US)

  • My Own by Nila Puvendran, Benga Mavinga - My Own is a captivating experimental short documentary music video that follows the journey of a young refugee who leaves his life and family behind to seek refuge in Venice, Italy. This poignant narrative exposes the cold reality many immigrants and refugees from non-white countries face in Europe, while also revealing how our protagonist finds solace in a new community. (Germany)

  • After Party with DJ Kream

MON

7/1

BlAcK BuOyaNcy BlAcK PoWeR

Monday July 1st - CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR LITERARY PARTNER SISTAH SCI FI!

  • Welcome Videos from Darice & Khalil

  • Black Origins of House Music by Khalil Anthony

  • Pre-Party w/DJ Adam

  • Talkin’ Shhhh With Khalil Anthony

  • Direct and Reflect - Five artists in their 40s - 60s share their woes, accomplishments and daily routines. Each giving us their perspective on leaving a legacy. (US)

  • Luanda Blue - It is a monochromatic experimental film that uses the language of colors to represent a powerful cycle of problematic situations in Luanda through the dreams of Dizon, who navigates between reality, delusions and hallucinations about the city where he was born and raised. (Angola)

  • Evolving (The Augmented Reality Date) - Through the experience of a couple on a first date, this playful -- yet sinister -- slice-of-life, no-budget science fiction short film examines what it means to both use technology and live under the watchful eyes of technology. How can tech, specifically AI, subtly help or harm us? Would we even notice... Or know the difference? (US)

  • Golden Man - 28-year-old Muhammad Akbar arrived in the Karachi Pakistani to find a job, he know that a series of coincidences would soon turn him into the city’s new and unique performance artist, the “Golden Man of Karachi.” Painted from head to toe in gold, Akbar stands on street corners attracting considerable and positive attention, not just from passersby, but also authorities. (Pakistan)

  • IROCO - IROCO tells the story of a sacred tree, Iroco, and how it answered the requests of women in a village in exchange for offerings. Based on Yoruba mythology and Afro-Brazilian culture, the short shows the story of Olorumbi, one of the mothers who was unable to keep her promise and had her destiny completely transformed by Iroco. (Brazil)

  • Fast Life by Martha Da’ro - Lush music video featuring artist Martha Da’ro. (Belgium)

  • I Come - Between apprehension and judgment about his country, a young suburbanite returns 24 years later to his homeland in search of his roots, to find himself completely. (France)

  • After Party with DJ Kream

TUES

7/2

BlAcK CuLTurAL DiVErSitY

Tuesday July 2nd– CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT OUR FESTIVAL DJ!

  • Welcome Videos from Darice & Khalil

  • Black Origins of House Music by Khalil Anthony

  • Pre-Party w/DJ Adam

  • New Hire - A recently deceased Chicagoan starts their first day at a company that hires ghosts to perform odd jobs in order to pay off their debt. (US)

  • Mr. Botrach - Mr. Botrach is a grumpy frog who lives alone in his hut in the most peaceful pond of all. But he couldn't wait for what would happen one night when his sleep was interrupted by something unusual...(Brazil)

  • Body In Relation - 'Corpo em relação' [Body in relation] is a short film directed by Ana Clara Gomes that documents the experience of Gaama Gloria "MaMa G" Simms, Juliana dos Santos and Mario Lopes, artists invited by the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible, to take part in an artistic residency at Sertão Negro, an art space created by Dalton Paula in Goiânia, Goiás. (Brazil)

  • Waves and Tides - Waves and Tides is a thought-provoking experimental short film that intimately follows the solitary journey of, a man living on the bustling coastline of Lagos. Through his eyes, the film offers a poignant exploration of the intricate relationship between humans and their environment, and the significant impact this connection has on one’s holistic well-being. (Nigeria)

  • My Screen is Black - My Screen is Black is an experimental documentary film in solidarity with, Black Lives Matter, a movement, protesting against incidents of police brutality in USA and all the racially motivated violence against Black people. (India)

  • Prayer - Prayer is a film-song: two musicians and a dancer elaborate the relationship between Afro-Brazilian diasporic memory and popular song, especially samba. With a fragmented montage, musical improvisations and dramaturgy propositions with texts and speeches by poets such as Edimilson de Almeida Pereira, Aimé Cesáire, Lucille Clifton, Gilberto Gil, Zé Keti and Nelson do Cavaquinho. (Brazil)

  • EWA - The EWA music video tells the story of the goddess in an abstract way, through dances & cultural representations, the video shows how EWA, the goddess, is close to nature. (Brazil)

  • A Film Called Black - ‘a film called black’ is an evolving film. Each screening presents different elements to an ongoing conversation. Blackness. ‘King’s Speech’ is a short film that resides within the entirety of ‘a film called black.’ ‘King’s Speech’ centers around the conversation of Blackness - What is Blackness? Who gets to define it? (US)

  • Be Ready - Be Ready follows Richard Walters (Degrassi: Next Class, Frankie Drake Mysteries) and his friends on a madcap journey through Toronto, Canada, blending documentary, music and dance. (Canada)

  • Pre-recorded party video (DJ Kream)

  • Talkin’ Shhh w/Khalil Anthony

WED

7/3

Black FuTuRes, BlaCk FanTasy

Wednesday July 3rd – CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR MEDIA PARTNER KWELI TV!

  • Welcome Videos from Darice & Khalil

  • Black Origins of House Music by Khalil Anthony

  • Pre-Party w/DJ Adam

  • Kisum - Kisum wakes up at 4 a.m. on the morning of his big performance. This day will make or break his career, and he just hopes he gets what he has always wanted. But it will cost him five hundred thousand naira, a deal he made with the venue owner, and an amount that he presently doesn’t have. (Nigeria)

  • Say What You Want, I Will Be Very Happy - This documentary celebrates the life of the young black peripheral poet Daniel Marques, who, in addition to being an artist and actor, was a cultural activist. In 2017, unfortunately, Daniel committed suicide, leaving questions about the mental health of black youth and elaborating the mourning that not only encompasses Daniel's death, but also an entire system of racial exclusion that sickens us. (Brazil)

  • If You Don’t Photograph Yourself, You Die Forever - It's about portraying memories for future memories. I've never seen a photo of my grandfather on my father's or mother's side, just a painting, and it's great to look at our past and recognize traces. I want my traits to be remembered in the future, they are also part of my narratives. (Brazil)

  • Soul Train - Trem do Soul follows the timeline tracing a memorial and affective cartography of a young, black, and peripheral movement that stirred hearts, bodies, minds, and even military uniforms in the 1970s in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. (Brazil)

  • Black - "BLACK" is but one of many words with the same meaning, Nothingness and We are Its Children. (Germany)

  • Train Ride - On a typical day, two commuters enjoy a wonderful moment on the train. (US)

  • Origin - Nature, canalized in an indigenous being, raises its voice to remind us of the beauty that inhabits it and the importance of preserving it. (Spain)

  • Talkin’ Shhhhh with Khalil Anthony

  • After Party with DJ Kream

THUR

7/4

The UltiMaTe

BlaCk FaNtaStic

Friday CLOSING DAY FILMS! – CLICK HERE TO WATCH ON KWELI TV FREE!

  • Welcome Videos from Darice & Khalil

  • Black Origins of House Music by Khalil Anthony

  • Pre-Party w/DJ Adam

  • Cassie’s Purpose - Cassie, an 18 year old girl, is a shy and demurred girl who feels as though she has no purpose in life. That was until she discovered an essay writing competition, hosted by her favourite author. This short film delves into her journey into giving life meaning and ultimately, find her purpose. (South Africa)

  • Of Space. Of Time. Our Ship. - "There is a basin in the mind where words float around on thought and thought on sound and sight. Then there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought." - Zora Neale Hurston (US)

  • A Rapper From Gaza - A rapper from Gaza City is looking to emigrate due to the difficult living conditions in his country due to instability. (Palestine)

  • Bird Trap - In “Arapuca” we follow the daily life of Marcos, a man who returns to his old home to take care of his father, an elderly man who is in an advanced stage of a degenerative disease that deprives him of seeing clearly the reality around him. Marcos is unable to communicate with his father and this invisibility is slowly corrupting him, mainly because it prevents him from finding answers to something that has bothered him for a long time in the relationship between the two. (Brazil)

  • ¡Dimelo Rapeando! - Where daily practices become ritual, repetitive, looped, and sequenced. A transatlantic, experimental Hip-Hop collaboration between Germany & Cuba. (Puerto Rico)

  • Diasporics - Brazilian music is a black woman. It is made by the hands, mouths, ears and feelings of black women who are in the state of Goiás and narrate Black Brazilian Music. They are amefricanas, sonorous, black and centrals women celebrating blackness, being a woman and Brazilian music, based on the connection in Africa. (Brazil)

  • Twaano - A Zambian anthology that visits a depressed woman finding healing through dance, a freedom fighter seeking justice against her oppressors and a college student battling anxiety after a friend's death. (Zambia)

  • Talkin’ Shhhh w/Khalil Anthony

  • After Party with DJ Kream