BSFF26 Program Guide

“LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PRESENT YOU ARE CONSTRUCTING. IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE THE FUTURE YOU ARE DREAMING.”— ALICE WALKER

THE OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS ARE A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE 2026 BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL

DIRECTOR’S WELCOME “IT IS OUR DUTY TO FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM. IT IS OUR DUTY TO WIN. WE MUST LOVE EACH OTHER AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER. WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT OUR CHAINS.” — ASSATA SHAKUR It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 15th anniversary edition of BlackStar Film Festival!

Anniversaries are undoubtedly a great moment for reflection, and so much has happened in the last 15 years in this country, in the world and at our little festival. It has been a gift for me to witness intimately this space expand in the way that it has since its founding in 2012, to be in this community all these years, and to feel through the most difficult and the best of times that BlackStar the gathering, BlackStar the people, BlackStar the experience is bringing us together again. In this moment I thank my beloved friend, mentor and bossiest boss, Maori Karmael Holmes. BlackStar was

her vision and brainchild. Under her leadership we grew and became rooted as an organization, and through her tenacity we are still funded and present. I also thank all of my colleagues over these years.

BlackStar the festival and BlackStar the organization have been blessed to be touched and shaped by absurdly talented, creative, thoughtful, fun and engaged people.

From its humble beginnings as a creative initiative through its early years when it cemented itself as a powerhouse space for artists and audiences alike, BlackStar was truly a labor of love that came together through dedication and passion for its mission. We

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IMAGE: BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2015

became an organization of salaried employees just three months before the global pandemic, and still we shifted to continue our gathering as a small offering of solace in a time of isolation. Throughout our time, there was political and global turmoil that threatened our very raison d’être as an organization and our mental health as individuals and as a collective. Most recently, the economic realities of fascism have hit home, as the year 2026 brought unique challenges to the world, which reverberated for us internally, as many of you have also experienced. So to gather once more to celebrate 15 years of independent cinema from the global majority, 15 years of BlackStar, is nothing less than a blessing.

working together for years now, and we are moving through our process with more critical engagement, along with greater comfort in challenging each other in a generative way. Our meetings were replete with disagreements, and this is what makes the program in front of you so unique. We wanted to lean into programmatic experimentation, even when it felt uncomfortable, and to present works that we hadn’t presented before. The unique ways that each of us watches film and our vastly different geographies, backgrounds and interests make for a really diverse and exciting screening program. And I believe that this team’s cohesiveness is reflected in the program you will experience here.

Our wonderful programming team did the work this year with this celebration front of mind, and as always with a finger on the pulse of the world we live in. We have been

Special thanks to the amazing programmers of the 2026 BlackStar Film Festival: Alia Ayman and Wally Fall on experimental film; Lyse Ishimwe Nsengiyumva,

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

IMAGE: WEST SIDE FAMILIA DIR. TAYLOR HOSKING (PAGE 74)

Matazi Weathers and Samia Labidi on feature narrative; Kartik Nair, Marcellus Armstrong, Séverine Catelion and Umulkhayr Mohamed on short narrative; Jamal Batts, Janaína Oliveira and Melissa Bisagni on feature documentary; asinnajaq, Chloë Walters-Wallace, Nyambura M. Waruingi and Tzutzu Matzin on short documentary; and from our own team, Nyla Daniel, who supported us with programming short narrative films for the first time this year, and of course Sydney Alicia Rodriguez, who has been my co-programmer for several years.

Collectively, we wanted to lift up people power as a central theme in this moment. We open the festival with the world premiere of West Side Familia (dir. Taylor Hosking), a film about the erased history of the Puerto Rican community in New York’s Upper West Side.

And we close with part 5 of Haile Gerima’s 2026 epic film Black

Lions — Roman Wolves, aptly titled “Victory,” a formidable corrective of the story of Ethiopian resistance to Italian occupation. In between, we stop at Cape Verde’s liberation movement and its transnational solidarities (We, People of the Islands, dirs. Elson Santos and Lara Sousa); Lauretta Ngcoboa’s life story as a revolutionary woman from rural South Africa (And She Didn’t Die, dir. Kethiwe Ngcobo); the extraordinary fishermen of Vieques in their struggle against the U.S. military occupation (Zenón and the Rebel Boats, dir. Juan C. Dávila Santiago); the culture circles of Brazilian villages and their quest for mass literacy (Reading the World, dirs. Catherine Murphy and Iris de Oliveira); the foundational 1936 peasant revolt in Palestine (Palestine ’36, dir. Annemarie Jacir); the multipronged organizing of unhoused residents of Oakland against imminent eviction (Wood Street, dir. Caron Creighton); and

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9 more. We’ve also built a program that centers the margins — Brazilian domestic workers (No Sunshine in Here, dir. Karol Maia), transmasculine youth (What Will I Become?, dirs.

Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos), stolen remains of ancestors (Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/greatgrandparent/great-grandchild], dirs. Adam Khalil and Zack Khalil), a circus troupe experiencing genocide in Gaza (One More Show, dirs. Mai Saad and Ahmed Al Danaf), and many rural spaces around the world all take center stage in this year’s films.

The program is also crossintegrated in a fresh way across screenings and programs as well as within them. Bouchra and Mickey are in conversation with one another. Some of the themes in the Numinous shorts program are also heavily present in The

Prophet, but differently so. The shorts program Chrononaut is linked to the film An Incomplete Calendar in some surprising ways. And so on and so forth. We are excited to be bringing you the world premiere of Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes’s The Keeper, in a shorts program packed with supernatural and horror stories. Louis Massiah is back this year with another world premiere: Tenants of Lenapehocking in the Age of Magnets, a tender oral history archive documentary chronicling North Philadelphia’s past and present. And from firsttime filmmaker Arlieta Hall with co-director Brittany Alsot, the world premiere of Finding Your Laughter.

We have two exciting retrospective screenings this year: Alile Sharon Larkin’s A Different Image (1982) and the 20th anniversary screening of our own Maori Karmael Holmes’ Scene Not Heard: Women in

IMAGE: TENANTS OF LENAPEHOCKING IN THE AGE OF MAGNETS DIR. LOUIS MASSIAH (PAGE 69)

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

IMAGE: BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2020

Philadelphia Hip Hop (2005), each with its own spotlight conversation.

And Haiti shows up strong in our programming this year, for the 222nd anniversary of the Haitian Revolution, with several films and a panel dedicated to filmmaking in and about the country.

This year has been particularly challenging for our team. Some of our key staff are no longer with us, either due to the financial pitfalls that the last few years have brought us or because they’ve made the choice to pursue other incredible things. We are moving through these changes as both challenges and opportunities. More of us are learning how print traffic and quality-checking film files work.

More of us are rolling up our sleeves to get involved in the accessibility offerings. We are gaining new skills, even as we’re balancing all of these new systems with the aspects

of the festival (and beyond) that we’ve handled before. It has been a whirlwind, but we’re doing it with our usual attention to detail and flair.

All of my love and gratitude for the full BlackStar team, who keep moving forward while centering our mission, vision and values. I feel honored to share most of my days working on this behemoth project with you: Akua Maat and Amber Hunnicutt, the royals of all things operations; Autumn Faith Valdez; Catherine Lee; Heidi Saman; Jeanette Lloyd; Mariam Dembele; Nyla, who Nylas it daily; Pablo Alarcon Jr., responsible for making this guide so beautiful; Sydney, my work spouse and right-hand man; Terri Hall; Xenia Matthews; and the lovely Zendra Shareef. Extra shoutout to festival fellows Chenyao Liu and Jowel Sinclair. Special love and thanks to Oliver Spencer, the chillest tech producer I’ve known

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(sorry, Lendl). To Denise Beek who stepped in this year to support our comms team. And to Jess Garz, who turns our imaginations into hard cash. Maori, what more is there to say? And of course, our eternal thanks and appreciation to the festival staff, a dedicated and beloved bunch who agree to do this over and over again: Aidan Un, Antoinette Stewart, Antonio Wooten, Ayannah Kamryn, Caroline Strange, Chía Cotansuca, cobbina frempong, Daniel Jackson, E Morales-Williams, Erieon Dominick, Eugene Haynes, Gabe Bryant, Julian Turner, Julissa Aguilar, Kim Hunter-Bryant, Lo Lloyd, Marla Harris, Marwa Eltahir, Maryam April Pugh, Michael Moody, Mochi Robinson, Naeemah Afi Patterson, Rachel Hampton, Sabrina Paulino, Sam Plakun, Shaakira DeLoatch, Shak Lawrence, Shanti Mayers, Shauna Swartz, Shivon Pearl Love, Sydnie Schwarz, Takia Michael, Taya Stevens-Allen, Tomarra SankaraKilombo and Zoë Hodge.

Thank you to the volunteers who give of their time to support our work. Thank you to the BlackStar board for being so supportive, attentive and present. Thank you to the audience; your hard-earned trust is a treasure. And thank you to all of the filmmakers, panelists and special guests who make the festival the committed, exciting, fun gathering that it is.

All that remains is to share a collective invocation for our sisters and brothers who are resisting, struggling and surviving these bleak times at the front lines of war and colonialism.

NEHAD KHADER FESTIVAL DIRECTOR JUNE 2026

IMAGE: BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2025

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME DIRECTOR’S WELCOME

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

12

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL

14

TICKETS & ADMISSIONS

16

SCHEDULE

20

FESTIVAL MAP

24

FESTIVAL ACCESSIBILITY

26

FILM ACCESSIBILITY

28

FESTIVAL SPONSORS

34

ABOUT BLACKSTAR PROJECTS

36

BLACKSTAR PROGRAMS

40

SUPPORT BLACKSTAR

42

PROGRAMMING FEATURE FILMS

43

SHORT FILM PROGRAMS

79

SHORT FILMS

108

PANELS & CONVERSATIONS

138

SPECIAL PARTIES & EVENTS

148

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AWARDS & COMMITTEES JURIED AWARD NOMINEES

150

JURORS

158

PROGRAM COMMITTEES

160

STAFF & BOARD STAFF

168

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

170

SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL DONORS

172

INDEXES FILMMAKER INDEX

180

COUNTRIES INDEX

184

IN MEMORIAM GRETJEN LEE CLAUSING

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BlackStar Film Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of Black, Brown and Indigenous people from around the world.

IMAGE: BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2021

Since 2012, the festival has brought together filmmakers, supporters and enthusiasts through screenings, panels, workshops and conversations.

This yearly gathering creates space for dialogue and opens the opportunity for greater understanding within and across our communities. The films presented by BlackStar constitute a dynamic and important collection — one that is unlike any other — because they highlight both independent filmmakers of the global majority and cinema as a tool for our collective liberation. #BYINDIEMEANSNECESSARY BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

TICKETS & ADMISSIONS All passes and tickets* can be purchased at blackstarprojects.org/festival/tickets PASSES $375 All-access pass

$500 Industry pass

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Admission to all in-person and virtual screenings

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Admission to all in-person events, including First Friday at the Barnes Foundation

Admission to all in-person screenings and extended access to virtual screenings

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Admission to all in-person events, including First Friday at the Barnes Foundation

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Access to Filmmaker/Industry Lounge

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Discounts on drinks at Leo Restaurant & Bar in the Kimmel Center

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Access to the exclusive Filmmaker/Industry Mixer

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Access to contact list of filmmakers/film publicists

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Dedicated staff liaison for any questions

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Access to the Freedom Dreams exhibition at the Barnes Foundation

$175 Virtual pass •

Admission to all virtual screenings

*All sales are final. BlackStar does not offer returns, refunds or exchanges. Pass holders who are unable to attend may transfer their pass to another party using the Eventive website or by emailing: tickets@blackstarprojects.org.

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TICKETS

VIRTUAL FILM SCREENINGS

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$8 Individual tickets for virtual screenings

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$20 Individual tickets for in-person screenings

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Virtual screenings for pass holders and individual ticket holders will be released and available on a timed schedule.

You can unlock the film screening within 48 hours of its release, and you have 24 hours from the moment you unlock it to finish watching the film.

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All films and virtual events can be viewed at: watch.blackstarprojects.org.

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Not all films will be available for virtual screenings, and some films may be geoblocked, according to filmmaker and distributor preferences.

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If you have any trouble using the ticketing system or technical issues with your screenings, please visit: watch.blackstarprojects.org/help.

TICKET BUNDLES** •

$85 In-person Ticket Bundle Five in-person tickets

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$35 Virtual Ticket Bundle Five virtual tickets

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$30 Award Winner Bundle Virtual tickets for all awardwinning films on the streaming platform. This bundle is activated after the award winners are announced on August 10 and grants access through August 12.

**Bundles are added to the individual ticket buyer’s account and are not meant for shared use.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

TICKETS & ADMISSIONS ACCESS CARD HOLDERS BlackStar is offering Pennsylvania and Art-Reach ACCESS cardholders individual tickets to virtual and in-person screenings for $2.00. To receive the discount, use the code ACCAR26 at checkout when purchasing an individual ticket. You may be asked to present your ACCESS card at entry for in-person events.

COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS We would all like to do our part to keep our community safe and healthy.

Wearing masks is mandatory at all indoor venues, except briefly when eating and drinking; please be mindful of others and keep a distance. Mask wearing during outdoor events is optional but encouraged.

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EST. 2020 MADE IN PHILADELPHIA

GINGER WATER

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AUGUST 6 The Prophet 10:30 am Suzanne Roberts Theatre Boca Vieja 10:30 am Wilma Theater The Daily Jawn (morning show) 11 am Kimmel Center Lamentations (shorts) 11:30 am Kimmel Center Chrononaut (shorts) 1 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Let Them Be Seen 1:30 pm Wilma Theater Black Lions – Roman Wolves (eps.1&2) 2 pm Philadelphia Film Society Revisioning A Different World Presented by Netflix 2 pm Kimmel Center Intradependence (shorts) 2:30 pm Kimmel Center

Wellness Session 3 pm Kimmel Center, Merck Arts Education Center What Will I Become?

4 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Aquarius (shorts) 4:30 pm Wilma Theater School of Elev8Docs Presented by Color Congress (panel) 5 pm Kimmel Center Tenants of Lenapehocking in the Age of Magnets 5:30 pm Kimmel Center Numinous (shorts) 7 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre The Tropic Sun and His Eyes 7:30 pm Wilma Theater West Side Familia 8 pm Kimmel Center Opening Night Party 9 pm Frankie’s Summer Club

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AUGUST 7

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Yoga 9 am Kimmel Center, Hamilton Garden

Wellness Session 3 pm Kimmel Center, Merck Arts Education Center

And She Didn’t Die 10:30 am Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Scene Not Heard (shorts) 4:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

The Daily Jawn (morning show) 11 am Kimmel Center Autoscopy (shorts) 11:30 am Kimmel Center Reclamations (shorts) 11:30 am Wilma Theater Volition (shorts) 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Black Lions – Roman Wolves (ep.3) 2 pm Philadelphia Film Society Undocumedia: Humble Beginnings (panel) 2 pm Kimmel Center Luminiferous (shorts) 2:30 pm Kimmel Center

On Ayiti (panel) 5 pm Kimmel Center Zenón and the Rebel Boats 5:30 pm Kimmel Center We, People of the Islands 5:30 pm Wilma Theater First Friday 6 pm Barnes Foundation Black Zombie 7:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Call of My Life 8:30 pm Kimmel Center A Sad and Beautiful World 8:30 pm Wilma Theater

One More Show 2:30 pm Wilma Theater

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

AUGUST 8 Yoga 9 am Kimmel Center, Merck Arts Education Center Becoming Human 11 am Suzanne Roberts Theatre The Daily Jawn (morning show) 11 am Kimmel Center Palestine 36 11:30 am Kimmel Center No Sunshine in Here 12 pm Wilma Theater BlackStar Bazaar 12 pm Kimmel Center, Tier 2 Spotlight Conversation: Scene Not Heard (panel) 2 pm Kimmel Center

A Life in Art: Through the Eye of Dr. Leslie King Hammond 3 pm Wilma Theater Wellness Session 3 pm Kimmel Center, Merck Arts Education Center Image, Power and Visual Authorship (panel) 5 pm Kimmel Center Chile, Please! (shorts) 5 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Finding Your Laughter 5:30 pm Kimmel Center Bouchra 6 pm Wilma Theater Aanikoobijigan 8 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Reading the World 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Quintessence (shorts) 8:30 pm Kimmel Center

Black Lions – Roman Wolves (ep.4) 2 pm Philadelphia Film Society

We Are Not Dreaming 9 pm Wilma Theater

Mickey 2:30 pm Kimmel Center BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

AUGUST 9

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Yoga 9 am Kimmel Center, Tier 2

Heredity (shorts) 4:30 pm Kimmel Center

Wood Street 10 am Kimmel Center

By Indie Means Necessary: 15 Years of BlackStar Film Festival (panel) 5 pm Kimmel Center

The Daily Jawn (morning show) 11 am Kimmel Center A Different Image 12 pm Wilma Theater BlackStar Bazaar 12 pm Kimmel Center, Tier 2 An Incomplete Calendar 1:30 pm Kimmel Center Spotlight Conversation: A Different Image (panel) 2 pm Kimmel Center

Powwow People 5 pm Wilma Theater Variations on a Theme 6:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Black Lions – Roman Wolves (ep.5) 7:30 pm Kimmel Center Closing Night Party 8 pm Barnes Foundation

Noctidial (shorts) 2 pm Wilma Theater True North 3 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Wellness Session 3 pm Kimmel Center, Merck Arts Education Center 15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FESTIVAL MAP All festival venues are wheelchair accessible. If you need accommodation or have any questions about accessibility, please contact our Accessibility team: access@blackstarprojects.org.

SCREENINGS:

HOTELS:

1. Kimmel Center 300 S Broad St

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Hyatt Centric 1620 Chancellor St

2. Suzanne Roberts Theatre 480 S Broad St

11.

Cambria Hotel 219 S Broad St

3. Wilma Theater 265 S Broad St

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YOWIE Hotel 226 South St (off map)

4. Philadelphia Film Society Center 1412 Chestnut St PARTIES: 5. Frankie’s Summer Club 355 S 15th St 6. Barnes Foundation 2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy RESTURAUNTS & CAFES: 7. Leo 300 S Broad St 8. Elixr Coffee Roasters 207 S Sydenham St MURALS & INSTALLATIONS: 9. Philadelphia Film Project Mural on Broad/Sansom

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FESTIVAL ACCESSIBILITY For more information on accessibility please visit: blackstarprojects.org/festival/accessibility A core element of the liberatory world we envision at BlackStar is ensuring that all members of our community can safely and easily access our work. In pursuit of that vision, BlackStar is actively working to increase the accessibility of our spaces in order to right the ignorances of our past and create an environment that is different from the ones offered to us by greater society. In the wake of the many overlapping and converging public health crises, this work takes on even greater significance, because we know that we keep us safe.

We are far from perfect stewards of accessibility and disability justice.

As such, we welcome you to make known to us any access needs or considerations not covered here. Please email us at access@ blackstarprojects.org if you have any questions or concerns.

IMAGE: BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2024

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ACCOMMODATIONS • • • • • • • • •

• •

Wheelchair and stair-free access at all venues Open captions or subtitles at all in-person film screenings Audio description for designated in-person and virtual film screenings (see page 28 for a list of audio-described films) ASL interpretation at all panels and post-screening Q&As A quiet space, located in the Rendell Room in the Kimmel Center (open 11 am - 8 pm) Accessible seating options Designated parent rooms (also known as lactation rooms) Gender-neutral restrooms at all venues Complimentary tickets for personal care attendants (contact access@blackstarprojects.org with your order number at least 24 hours before the screening) $2 tickets to film screenings for ACCESS card holders Wellness offerings throughout the festival

COVID-19 SAFETY GUIDELINES We recognize that the risks of COVID-19 and other viruses are still current, and we are committed to protecting all our community members. These guidelines are meant to sustain an environment where all participants are able to joyfully participate.

Masks are required at all indoor events, except when you are actively eating or drinking. Please plan to bring your own mask to the festival; we will have limited masks available onsite. Air purifiers will also be working throughout the venues.

Note: Venues outside the main festival campus may not require masks.

While we cannot control their policies, we still request that festival attendees continue masking as part of our community agreement.

We thank you for your dedication to protecting our entire community.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FILM ACCESSIBILITY AUDIO DESCRIPTION These films feature audio description (AD) for blind and low-vision audience members. To access the AD at these screenings, please stop by the info desk to check out an AD listening device.community.

FILM/PROGRAM TITLE

SCREENING

Lamentations (shorts)

August 6 11:30 am Kimmel Center

Tenants of Lenapehocking in the Age of Magnets (feature documentary)

August 6 5:30 pm Kimmel Center

West Side Familia (feature documentary)

August 6 8 pm Kimmel Center

Finding Your Laughter (feature documentary)

August 8 5:30 pm Kimmel Center

Quintessence (shorts)

August 8 8:30 pm Kimmel Center

Heredity (shorts)

August 9 4:30 pm Kimmel Center

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CONTENT WARNINGS Please note the content warnings for the following films.

Viewer discretion is advised.

FILM TITLE

SCREENING

WARNING

A Different Image

August 9 12 pm Wilma Theater

Depiction of sexual violence

A Sad and Beautiful World

August 7 8:30 pm Wilma Theater

Scenes of war, snipers

Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/greatgrandparent/greatgrandchild]

August 8 8 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Settler-colonial violence, theft of human remains

After What Happened at the Library, (Noctidial shorts)

August 9 12 pm Wilma Theater

Hateful speech

Angels Pull Your Hair (Quintessence shorts)

August 8 8:30 pm Kimmel Center

Psychological thriller, implications of abuse

Black Zombie

August 7 7:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Scenes from horror films, genrerelated gore

Finding Your Laughter

August 8 5:30 pm Kimmel Center

Alzheimer’s disease progression, death of an elder

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FILM ACCESSIBILITY CONTENT WARNINGS Please note the content warnings for the following films.

Viewer discretion is advised.

FILM TITLE

SCREENING

WARNING

Free Joan Little (Luminiferous shorts)

August 7 2:30 pm Kimmel Center

Descriptions of sexual violence, discussions of state violence

Free Lyric (Volition shorts)

August 7 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Discussions of sexual assault

I Got My Brother (Volition shorts)

August 7 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Explicit discussions of child abuse, survivor story

The Keeper (Quintessence shorts)

August 8 8:30 pm Kimmel Center

Psychological thriller

Mickey

August 8 2:30 pm Kimmel Center

Conversations about parental abuse, discussions of suicide

No Sunshine in Here

August 8 12 pm Wilma Theater

Discussions of abuse

One More Show

August 7 2:30 pm Wilma Theater

Settler-colonial violence, distant scene of bombing

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FILM TITLE

SCREENING

WARNING

Palestine ’36

August 8 11:30 am Kimmel Center

Settler-colonial violence

We Are Not Dreaming

August 8 9 pm Wilma Theater

Sexual content

What Will I Become?

August 6 4 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Suicide, bullying

QUESTIONS? For the most up-to-date and detailed information, please visit the Accessibility page on our website at blackstarprojects.org/festival/accessibility.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FILM ACCESSIBILITY FLASHING LIGHTS Please note the content warnings for the following films.

Viewer discretion is advised.

FILM TITLE

SCREENING

TIMECODES

66 Days (Autoscopy shorts)

August 7 11:30 am Kimmel Center

00:34-00:44, 03:53-04:04 Bomb/explosion

After What Happened at the Library (Noctidial shorts)

August 9 2 pm Wilma Theater

02:09-02:10 Brief flash, stun gun

An Impossible Address (Chrononaut shorts)

August 6 1 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Frenetic scenes and Light flashes, mainly at the start

Charip: Lightning in the River (Aquarius shorts)

August 6 4:30 pm Wilma Theater

09:46-11:40 Flashlights, 12:58 Explosion

For Peace of Mind (Numinous shorts)

August 6 7 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

09:27-10:33

i wonder shall i fly (Autoscopy shorts)

August 7 11:30 am Kimmel Center

Blown out highlights and lens flares throughout

Ixquic (Aquarius shorts)

August 6 4:30 pm Wilma Theater

21:26-22 Four brief moments of subtle laser light effects

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FILM TITLE

SCREENING

WARNING

Mickey

August 8 2:30 pm Kimmel Center

00:54:38-00:55:25

Scene Not Heard

August 7 4:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

02:01-03:07, 01:33:28-01:34:52 Intermittent flashing lights

True North

August 9 3 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

02:01-3:07, 01:33:28-01:34:52 Intermittent flashing lights

We Act Like Children (Chile, Please! shorts)

August 8 5 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

00:52, 04:18-04:28, 08:30

We Are Not Dreaming

August 8 9 pm Wilma Theater

58:34-59:53 Flashing lights

QUESTIONS? For the most up-to-date and detailed information, please visit the Accessibility page on our website at blackstarprojects.org/festival/accessibility.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SPONSORS & PARTNERS PLATINUM

BRONZE

BRASS

COPPER

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

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IN-KIND

ADDITONAL SUPPORT

PUBLIC FUNDING

PARTNERS

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

IMAGE: PHILADELPHIA FILMMAKER LAB 2024

MISSION BlackStar creates the spaces and resources needed to uplift the work of Black, Brown and Indigenous artists working outside of the confines of genre. We do this by producing year-round programs including film screenings, exhibitions, an annual film festival, a filmmaker seminar, a film production lab and a journal of visual culture.

These programs provide artists with opportunities for viable strategies for collaborations with other artists, audiences, funders and distributors.

to imagine a new world. We elevate artists who are overlooked, invisibilized or misunderstood and celebrate the wide spectrum of aesthetics, storytelling and experiences that they bring. We bring that work to new audiences and place it in dialogue with other past and contemporary work. And we curate every aspect of our events to be intentional community-building efforts, connecting diverse audiences in a Black-led space centered on joy and thriving.

We prioritize visionary work that is experimental in its aesthetics, content and form and builds on the work of elders and ancestors BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

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IMAGE: BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2024

VISION BlackStar is building a liberatory world in which a vast spectrum of Black, Brown and Indigenous experiences is irresistibly celebrated in arts and culture. We create fertile spaces for ongoing imagination, learning and community building for Black, Brown and Indigenous artists to have the resources, support and shine we need to create visionary work.

We are building solidarity among Black, Brown and Indigenous artists globally to create this world and thrive together.

Learn more at blackstarprojects.org/about 15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

IMAGE: BLACKSTAR GREAVES SEMINAR 2024

VALUES BUILDING COMMUNITY Bringing people together is the fundamental basebuilding needed to build movements for social change, strengthen the webs of connections between different individuals and organizations, and together rectify the inequities caused by systems of oppression. By building community, we are building new means of reclaiming power and mobilizing the resources artists need to thrive.

CARE We create spaces in which we are all kindred and cared for. Our care manifests in forms from fair work practices for our staff to providing childcare for

filmmakers to devoting resources to language translation.

INTERSECTIONALITY We bring an analysis of race, gender and power to everything we do. We recognize that there is no singular Black, Brown or Indigenous experience. We uplift work that embodies these intersections, continually widening the global cultural frames we use to understand power and how we relate to one another.

LIBERATION Diversity and representation are not guiding us; liberation is. Our work is centered on shifting power and defying the perceived

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IMAGE: SEEN ISSUE 008 LAUNCH, 2025

limits of imagination. We need artists to be the architects of a world we’re trying to make through these experiments of narration.

REPARATIVE We build on the collective legacies of our elders and ancestors and carry their visions forward while building anew.

Through our programs we are understanding the experiences of those before us, healing ourselves and our trauma, and creating a different world for future generations to follow in.

RIGOR We are committed to uplifting work that is outside the confines of genre, creating new

definitions of aesthetics, storytelling and craft.

Audiences engage with our programs knowing there will be a consistent level of rigor in our curatorial practices.

SOLIDARITY We build solidarity among Black, Brown and Indigenous artists to create mutual support and work to center our voices together. We are challenging a history of divide and conquer and are instead coming together, building solidarity among Black, Brown and Indigenous creators.

Learn more at blackstarprojects.org/about

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

BlackStar develops and produces programs year-round to provide Black, Brown and Indigenous artists opportunities to showcase work, learn, gain support and collaborate with each other. Read about our core programs below.

CURATORIAL PROJECTS AND EXHIBITIONS Since 2016, BlackStar has curated exhibitions produced in partnership with a number of institutions, including the Institute for Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia International Airport, Bartram’s Garden, the Village of Industry & Art, and the Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University.

SEEN A journal of film, art and visual culture, Seen presents critical cultural discourse from Black, Brown and Indigenous perspectives to a wider audience of tastemakers, academics, funders, critics and film enthusiasts.

SEMINAR The William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar is an annual three-day gathering for filmmakers of color working in cinematic realms. At the 2026 seminar, over 130 participants from all over the country gathered at Stanford University’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts to explore the technical and creative aspects of media making while having honest conversations about the successes and pitfalls of their work.

YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMS BlackStar hosts screenings, events, talks and other programming nationally and internationally throughout the year with a myriad of partners including colleges, museums and peer arts organizations.

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IMAGE: BLACKSTAR GREAVES SEMINAR 2026

SPONSORED PROJECTS BlackStar provides fiscal sponsorship for artist-led projects that align with BlackStar’s mission, vision and values, working at the intersection of art and social justice. Learn more at blackstarprojects.org/sponsoredprojects.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SUPPORT BLACKSTAR

IMAGE: BLACKSTAR GREAVES SEMINAR 2026

CINEMA FOR LIBERATION A world where Black, Brown and Indigenous artists are not only seen but deeply valued, uplifted and cared for isn’t a distant dream. It’s a promise BlackStar has been actively building toward for the last 15 years. BlackStar’s vibrant ecosystem of artists, staff and supporters understands that bringing this liberatory vision into life takes intention, discipline and a shared commitment to reciprocity.

As you take in this year’s 15th festival, we invite you to think about the role you can play in sustaining and growing this work for many more years ahead. Become a member or make a gift today. Visit blackstarprojects.org/support to explore the ways you can continue championing cinema as a tool for liberation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION If you are interested in discussing a significant and/ or multiyear gift, please email Catherine Lee, Chief Operations Officer, at catherine@blackstarprojects.org.

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/ great-grandparent/ great-grandchild] Directed by Adam Khalil and Zack Khalil Feature documentary | Denmark, United States, 2026, 80 min.

Philadelphia premiere Best Feature Documentary Nominee English and Anishinaabemowin with English subtitles Trapped in museum archives, ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the stillpervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 8 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

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And She Didn’t Die Directed by Kethiwe Ngcobo Feature documentary | South Africa, 2025, 102 min.

United States premiere English and Zulu with English subtitles A daughter traces her mother’s journey from rural South Africa to exile and celebrated feminist writer. Blending archive, re-enactment and intimate memoir, And She Didn’t Die weaves a family history across continents and generations, celebrating storytelling as an act of resistance, resilience and defiance.

Screening: Friday, August 7 10:30 am Suzanne Roberts Theatre Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Becoming Human Chiet Chea Manusa Directed by Polen Ly Feature narrative | Cambodia, 2025, 99 min.

Philadelphia premiere Best Feature Narrative Nominee Khmer with English subtitles An abandoned cinema’s former spirit guardian wanders through rapidly transformed landscapes to reach her rebirth. Shocked by the world’s brutality, she must decide whether to become human again or remain a homeless ghost.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 11 am Suzanne Roberts Theatre Available virtually

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Black Lions — Roman Wolves Directed by Haile Gerima BlackStar Alum Feature documentary (five-part series) | United States, 2026, 623 min.

North America premiere Amharic with English subtitles Haile Gerima’s Black Lions — Roman Wolves is a five-part epic on Ethiopian resistance to Italy’s 1935 invasion, revealing a war fought with arms, memory and culture and honoring a nation that refused to kneel.

Screening information on page 48

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FEATURE FILMS

Black Lions — Roman Wolves Directed by Haile Gerima Screenings: Parts 1&2: “The Scar of Adwa” and “Invasion” 218 min. with a 30-min. intermission Thursday, August 6 2 pm Mainstage, Philadelphia Film Society Center Part 3: “Occupation and Terrorism” 124 min.

Friday, August 7 2 pm Mainstage, Philadelphia Film Society Center

Part 4: “Guerilla Warfare” 105 min.

Saturday, August 8 2 pm Mainstage, Philadelphia Film Society Center Part 5: “Victory” 84 min.

Sunday, August 9 7:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

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Black Zombie Directed by Maya Annik Bedward BlackStar Alum Feature documentary | Canada, 2026, 90 min.

Philadelphia premiere English, French and Haitian Creole with English subtitles A journey through cinema and history reveals how zombies evolved from Haitian spiritual traditions into Hollywood horror, exploring their deeper cultural significance as powerful symbols of resilience.

Screening: Friday, August 7 7:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Boca Vieja Directed by Yovegami Ascona Mora Feature documentary | Mexico, 2025, 85 min.

Spanish with English subtitles Boca Vieja, where the filmmaker’s maternal roots lie, is a quaint fishing and farming village in southern Mexico. Here, people live in harmony with the land and sea, but each rainy season forces them to retreat, letting nature reclaim its space. This cycle persists as the village faces the constant threat of losing its land.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 10:30 am Wilma Theater

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Bouchra Directed by Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki Feature narrative | Italy, Morocco, United States, 2025, 85 min.

Philadelphia Festival premiere English, Arabic and French with English subtitles Wrestling with writer’s block for her first film, Bouchra, a queer Moroccan jackal living in New York City, starts having difficult yet overdue phone calls with her mother in Casablanca that begin influencing the project.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 6 pm Wilma Theater

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Call of My Life Directed by Dammy Twitch Feature narrative | Nigeria, 2025, 110 min.

United States premiere English and Igbo with English subtitles Soluchi, 31, is a radiant and thoughtful call center agent, still carrying the scars of a long relationship with Kalu, a man whose neglect left her questioning her worth.

When loneliness threatens to swallow her, a routine customer call connects her to Eli, a magnetic man whose kindness and attention awaken feelings she has long buried.

Screening: Friday, August 7 8:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Available virtually

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A Different Image Directed by Alile Sharon Larkin Feature narrative | United States, 1982, 52 min.

Retrospective screening English A highly acclaimed film, A Different Image is an extraordinary poetic portrait of a beautiful young African American woman attempting to escape becoming a sex object and discover her true heritage. Through a sensitive and humorous story about her relationship with a man, the film makes provocative connections between racism and sexual stereotyping.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 12 pm Wilma Theater Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Finding Your Laughter Directed by Arlieta Hall and Brittany Alsot Feature documentary | United States, 2026, 87 min.

World premiere Best Feature Documentary Nominee English Finding Your Laughter follows Chicago comedian Arlieta Hall, who turns to her greatest tools, stand-up comedy and improvisation, to navigate the heartbreak and humanity of caring for her father, who is living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 5:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Audio description available Available virtually

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An Incomplete Calendar Directed by Sanaz Sohrabi Experimental feature documentary | Canada, Iran, Turkey, Venezuela, 2026, 77 min.

North America premiere Best Experimental Nominee Arabic, English, Farsi and Spanish with English subtitles Forgotten songs and archives tell a different story of the developing world’s political calendar of liberation movements and the fight for oil sovereignty.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 1:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Let Them Be Seen Directed by Nolitha Refilwe Mkulisi Experimental feature | South Africa, Germany, 2026, 75 min.

Philadelphia premiere English, IsiXhosa and SeSotho with English subtitles In a small, deeply religious South African village tethered to three borders, the camera gradually replaces spiritual authority. As older forms of belief collapse, image making becomes a new form of devotion, turning observation into spectacle and the camera into a sacred object through which power, aspiration and belonging are renegotiated.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 1:30 pm Wilma Theater Available virtually

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A Life in Art: Through the Eye of Dr. Leslie King Hammond Directed by Ben Baker-Lee and Rassaan Hammond Feature documentary | United States, 2025, 80 min.

Philadelphia premiere English From studio visits to museums, artists of color find their path to success through the humor and struggles of Dr. Leslie King Hammond and her extended artist family, making waves as a maverick troublemaker seeking to open the door to the art world. Her insistence on excellence and vision to rise above and transform the struggles she faces becomes contagious.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 3 pm Wilma Theater Available virtually 15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Mickey Directed by Dano Garcia Feature documentary | Mexico, 2026, 75 min.

East Coast premiere Spanish with English subtitles Filmed over 10 years, Mickey is a documentary about the memory of a trans woman from Sinaloa who, alongside the filmmaker who grew up with her, Dano, uses play and performance to re-signify the past and inhabit the present.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Available virtually

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No Sunshine in Here Aqui Não Entra Luz Directed by Karol Maia Feature documentary | Brazil, 2025, 79 min.

North America premiere Portuguese with English subtitles Combining personal memories and historical research, a filmmaker and daughter of a domestic worker travels through Brazil in search of traces of slavery in the architecture. Along the way, she meets other women who face the same legacy.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 12 pm Wilma Theater Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

One More Show Directed by Mai Saad and Ahmed Al Danaf Feature documentary | Egypt, Palestine, 2025, 72 min.

East Coast premiere Friday, August 7 2:30 pm Wilma Theater Arabic with English subtitles Struggling with the uncertainty of their own fate, the Free Gaza Circus troupe defies despair during the genocide carried out by Israel by performing for children in shelters and on the streets.

Screening: Friday, August 7 2:30 pm Wilma Theater Available virtually BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

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Palestine ’36 Directed by Annemarie Jacir Feature narrative | Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Norway, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, 2025, 119 min.

Philadelphia Festival premiere Arabic and English with English subtitles In 1936, as the British Empire tightens its grip on Palestine, Yusuf is caught between his village home and his work in Jerusalem. Amidst an anticolonial revolt and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution from Europe, all sides converge in a decisive moment for the entire region.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Powwow People Directed by Sky Hopinka BlackStar Alum Feature documentary | United States, 2025, 88 min.

Philadelphia premiere English Powwow People is a vérité-style documentary grounded in the rhythms, relationships and lived experience of a contemporary Native gathering.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 5 pm Wilma Theater Available virtually

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The Prophet O Profeta Directed by Ique Langa Feature narrative | Mozambique, South Africa, 2026, 94 min.

Philadelphia premiere Best Feature Narrative Nominee Creole Portuguese with English subtitles A kindhearted pastor struggling with his faith seeks help in obscure powers, and it all goes well until it doesn’t.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 10:30 am Suzanne Roberts Theatre

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Reading the World Lendo o Mundo Directed by Catherine Murphy and Iris de Oliveira Feature documentary | Brazil, United States, 2025, 71 min.

Philadelphia premiere Portuguese with English subtitles In the early 1960s, Paulo Freire led an experimental education project in Northeastern Brazil. This work enabled hundreds of rural adults to read, write and vote. Political upheaval led to Freire’s arrest and years of exile, during which he became a global icon advancing democracy through education.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Available virtually

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A Sad and Beautiful World Directed by Cyril Aris Feature narrative | Lebanon, United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, 2025, 109 min.

Philadelphia premiere Arabic with English subtitles In this sweeping love story that spans three decades of passion, heartbreak and hope, Nino and Yasmina find themselves drawn together by a magnetic relationship. As they face an impossible choice between love and survival, they must decide if they want to build a family and chart a path to happiness in Lebanon, despite the tragedies ravaging the country.

Screening: Friday, August 7 8:30 pm Wilma Theater

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip Hop Directed by Maori Karmael Holmes BlackStar Alum Feature documentary | United States, 2005, 45 min.

Retrospective screening English Scene Not Heard tells the story of a group of emerging and established female hip hop artists as they struggle to find success in the City of Brotherly Love.

Screening: Friday, August 7 4:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Available virtually

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Tenants of Lenapehocking in the Age of Magnets Directed by Louis Massiah, BlackStar Alum Experimental Feature | United States, 2026, 58 min.

World premiere English Tenants of Lenapehocking in the Age of Magnets is a collection of stories about the developing Black community of North Philadelphia from the late 19th through the 20th centuries, a time of migration, industry and blossoming culture. Oral histories are combined with archival photos, including from the collection of John W. Mosely.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 5:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Audio description available Available virtually 15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

The Tropic Sun and His Eyes Soley Twopikal Ak Pitit Li Directed by Elisee Junior St Preux Feature narrative | Haiti, 2026, 80 min.

Philadelphia premiere Haitian Creole and French with English subtitles In the vibrant streets of Cap-Haïtien, a despondent young man embarks on a journey to reconnect with his estranged father. Accompanied by an inquisitive street kid, he races against time to share his father’s parting words before it’s too late.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 7:30 pm Wilma Theater Available virtually

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True North Directed by Michèle Stephenson BlackStar Alum Feature documentary | Canada, United States, 2025, 96 min.

Philadelphia premiere English and French with English subtitles Through never-before-seen compelling historical footage and the voices of those who lived through the tumultuous period of 1960s Montréal, True North uses a bold cinematic aesthetic that centers the power of memory and archive to expose the pivotal events of a moment that impacted the global movement for Black liberation.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 3 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Variations on a Theme Variasies op ’n Tema Directed by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, BlackStar Alum Feature narrative | South Africa, Netherlands, Qatar, 2026, 65 min.

Philadelphia premiere Best Feature Narrative Nominee Afrikaans with English subtitles An elderly goat herder in the mountains of Namaqualand, South Africa, falls victim to a scam promising long-overdue reparations for her father’s World War II service.

As she waits for money that will never come, the disruptions of her 80th birthday threaten to strip away the last of her independence.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 6:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Available virtually BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

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We, People of the Islands Nós Povo Das Ilhas Directed by Elson Santos and Lara Sousa Feature documentary | Cape Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, 2025, 80 min.

North America premiere Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole with English subtitles From a forgotten photo of a group of clandestine Cape Verdean guerrillas in the mountains of Cuba, Elson, a young filmmaker, searches for the silenced heroes of this daring and little-known military operation, whose main objective was to fulfill Amílcar Cabral’s dream of liberating the country from the clutches of colonialism.

Screening: Friday, August 7 5:30 pm Wilma Theater Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

West Side Familia Directed by Taylor Hosking Feature documentary | United States, 2026, 75 min.

World premiere English and Spanish with English subtitles West Side Familia follows a legendary Puerto Rican biker crew and community elders on Manhattan’s Upper West Side as they fight to preserve their neighborhood’s culture, history and traditions in the face of gentrification and erasure.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 8 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Audio description available Available virtually

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We Are Not Dreaming Não Estamos Sonhando Directed by Ulisses Arthur Feature narrative | Brazil, 2026, 93 min.

World premiere Portuguese with English subtitles Ciro, an overworked medical student and pole dance instructor, loses stability as Brazil’s university system collapses. Forced out of his home, he finds refuge with Antônio, a reclusive DJ, a meeting that reshapes both their survival and intimacy.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 9 pm Wilma Theater

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

What Will I Become?

Directed by Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos Feature documentary | United States, 2026, 88 min.

East Coast premiere English Directors Lexie and Logan travel across the United States, trying to understand their own trans boyhood through the legacies of two young men and exploring what community healing means.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 4 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Available virtually

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Wood Street Directed by Caron Creighton Feature documentary | United States, 2026, 100 min.

Philadelphia premiere English Two unhoused men who have become community leaders — John and LaMonté — organize their neighbors in the face of displacement, addiction and a failing social system.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 10 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FEATURE FILMS

Zenón and the Rebel Boats Zenón y la Flotilla Rebelde Directed by Juan C. Dávila Santiago, BlackStar Alum Feature documentary | Puerto Rico, United States, 2026, 93 min. World premiere Best Feature Documentary Nominee English and Spanish with English subtitles After being displaced from his home by the U.S. Navy, Puerto Rican fisherman Carlos “Taso” Zenón pledged his life to fight against the military occupation of the island of Vieques. Zenón organized countless efforts to halt U.S. war games in the Caribbean Sea, inspiring one of the most influential environmental and anti-war movements in the Caribbean.

Screening: Friday, August 7 5:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Available virtually BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

AQUARIUS Placemaking through water Thursday, August 6 4:30 pm Wilma Theater Ixquic Directed by Elvis Caj Short narrative | Guatemala, 2025, 25 min.

United States premiere

Same Water Directed by Martine Granby Experimental | United States, 2025, 21 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Charip: Lightning in the River Directed by Gobierno Territorial Autónomo Nación Wampís (GTANW) and Mullu TV Short documentary | Ecuador, Peru, 2025, 20 min.

United States premiere

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Communion Directed by Pétala Lopes Short documentary | Brazil, 2026, 23 min.

East Coast premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

Autoscopy Ourselves in the archive Friday, August 7 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Remote Views Directed by Alexis McCrimmon Experimental | United States, 2025, 15 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Muoz-Doic Mixtape Directed by Quyen Nguyen-Le Short documentary | United States, 2025, 14 min.

East Coast premiere

Are You Native?

Directed by Victoria Cheyenne Short documentary | United States, 2026, 18 min.

East Coast premiere

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66 Days Directed by Joude Bazzoun Short documentary | Lebanon, United Kingdom, 2025, 23 min.

World premiere

i wonder shall i fly Directed by Harlan Banks Short documentary| United States, 2026, 16 min.

World premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

CHILE, PLEASE! The kids are alright Saturday, August 8 5 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre ChikaBOOM!!

Directed by c. Craig Patterson Short narrative | United States, 2026, 9 min.

World premiere

Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child Directed by Kevin Aubert Short narrative | Senegal, France, Morocco, 2025, 28 min.

United States premiere

We Act Like Children Directed by Evelyn Pakinewatik Short narrative | Canada, 2026, 13 min.

Philadelphia premiere

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Treasure Island Directed by Miryam Charles Short narrative | Canada, 2026, 18 min.

World premiere

Tell Me When You Get Home Directed by Tshay Meade Short narrative | United States, 2026, 9 min.

East Coast premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

CHRONONAUT Historicist time travel Thursday, August 6 1 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre The Store Directed by Dr. Fahamu Pecou Short narrative | United States, 2026, 14 min.

World premiere

Watch Out for the Ghosts Directed by Yvonne Michelle Shirley Short documentary | United States, 2026, 28 min.

World festival premiere

An Impossible Address Directed by Suneil Sanzgiri Experimental | United States, Angola, India, 2025, 39 min.

Philadelphia premiere

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

Seen is a journal of film, art and visual culture, dedicated to platforming nuanced and rigorous writing by and about Black, Brown and Indigenous communities globally.

Seen is published twice a year by BlackStar Projects.

Become a subscriber today.

blackstarprojects.org/seen 15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

HEREDITY Imparting and transmitting legacy Sunday, August 9 4:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Nwanne M Nwaanyị Directed by Chiemeka Offor Experimental | Nigeria, 2026, 3 min.

World premiere

National Seating Directed by Kevin Jerome Everson Short documentary | United States, 2026, 5 min.

World premiere

The Philadelphia Sensei: Lovett Hines Directed by Donn Thompson (“Donn T”) Morelli Short documentary | United States, 2025, 22 min.

World premiere

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Vis-à-Vis Directed by Mamadou Yattassaye Experimental | United States, 2025, 13 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Lani B. Supreme: Legacy Directed by Sabaah Folayan Short documentary | United States, 2026, 13 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Buckskin Directed by Mars Verrone Short documentary | United States, 2026, 17 min.

Philadelphia premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

INTRADEPENDENCE For collective action Thursday, August 6 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center The Seeds We Carry Directed by Gabrielle Patterson Short documentary | United States, 2026, 29 min.

World premiere

Philly Rumba Directed by Melissa Beatriz and Andrés Cisneros Short documentary| United States, 2026, 25 min.

World premiere

Authors of the Estate Directed by Abdou Cissé Short documentary | United Kingdom, 2025, 21 min.

United States premiere

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LAMENTATIONS Navigating grief into comfort Thursday, August 6 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Voicemail Directed by Lade Tinbu Experimental | United States, 2025, 6 min.

Philadelphia premiere

HomeGoing Directed by Julie Dash Music Video | United States, 2025, 10 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Solace Directed by Rodney Evans Short narrative | United States, 2025, 6 min.

World premiere

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White Musk Directed by Fatima Wardy Short narrative | United States, 2025, 18 min.

East Coast premiere

To Run Is to Return Directed by Precious Wura Alabi Short narrative | United Kingdom, 2026, 15 min.

World premiere

When They’re Gone Directed by Ragan Henderson and Lauryn Darden Short narrative | United States, 2026, 14 min.

East Coast premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

LUMINIFEROUS Light bearers and revolutionaries Friday, August 7 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Old Man River Directed by Iyabo Kwayana Short documentary | United States, Guyana, 2026, 35 min.

World premiere

Free Joan Little Directed by Yoruba Richen Short documentary | United States, 2025, 35 min.

Philadelphia premiere

A Bundle of Silences Directed by Sofía Gallisá Muriente Experimental | Puerto Rico, United States, 2025, 24 min.

Philadelphia premiere

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

WALK AROUND PHILADELPHIA 100+ miles of adventure around the city’s edge Join us to circumnavigate the entire city September 5–28 on Sat/Sun/Mondays You can start with just one part!

WalkAroundPhiladelphia.org 15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

NOCTIDIAL The story of a single day Sunday, August 9 2 pm Wilma Theater Whispers of a Burning Scent Directed by Mo Harawe Short narrative | Somalia, Austria, Germany, 2026, 28 min.

North America premiere

Wholesome Directed by Kimmy Campbell Short narrative | United States, 2025, 12 min.

Philadelphia premiere

After What Happened at the Library Directed by Syra McCarthy Short narrative | United States, 2025, 15 min.

Philadelphia premiere

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How to Hide It Directed by Ramla Ali and Richard A. Moore Short narrative | United Kingdom, 2025, 13 min.

Philadelphia premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

NUMINOUS Is it God or is it ...?

Thursday, August 6 7 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Jesus Is Coming (to Take the Church Away) Directed by Cameron Clay Short narrative | United States, 2025, 24 min.

East Coast premiere

God Sleeps on Sundays Directed by Naishe Nyamubaya Short narrative | Zimbabwe, 2026, 17 min.

Philadelphia premiere

For Peace of Mind Directed by Amandla Baraka Short narrative | United States, 2026, 17 min.

World premiere

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The Aura Directed by Fanta Sylla Short narrative | France, 2025, 22 min.

North America premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

QUINTESSENCE Inexplicable energy expanding the universe Saturday, August 8 8:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Fists of Mothers Directed by Tchaiko Omawale Short narrative | United States, 2026, 4 min.

World premiere

Potato Salad Directed by Kyle Drew Short narrative | United States, 2026, 14 min.

World premiere

Ish Meets a Mermaid Directed by Jonathan Thunder Short narrative | United States, 2026, 16 min.

East Coast premiere

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Angels Pull Your Hair Directed by Gabby Beans Short narrative | United States, 2026, 15 min.

North America premiere

The Keeper Directed by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes Short narrative | United States, 2025, 23 min.

World premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

RECLAMATIONS Taking back our bodies, our space Friday, August 7 11:30 am Wilma Theater At the Stage When Directed by Hao Zhou Short documentary | United States, China, 2026, 16 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Enjoy the Tropix and Have a Banana!

Directed by Kristine Blonbou Experimental | Guadeloupe, 2025, 8 min.

North America premiere

Another Day Shall Come Directed by Aida Kaadan Short documentary | Palestine, 2026, 20 min.

East Coast premiere

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Olinda’s Golden Arches Directed by Douglas Henrique Short documentary| Brazil, 2025, 24 min.

North America premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SCENE NOT HEARD The people behind the music Friday, August 7 4:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre An Afternoon With a Gnawa Directed by Meena Nanji Experimental | Morocco, 2025, 12 min.

Philadelphia Premiere

Ella Directed by Nikki Taylor-Roberts Short narrative | United States, 2026, 17 min.

East Coast premiere

Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip Hop Directed by Maori Karmael Holmes Feature documentary | United States, 2005, 45 min.

Retrospective screening

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VOLITION Claiming our bodies for ourselves Friday, August 7 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Revival 24 Directed by Darryl Daley Experimental | Germany, United Kingdom, 2024, 3 min.

North America premiere

Our Bodies Ours Directed by Sonali Gulati and Sanam Sheriff Short documentary | United States, India, 2026, 8 min.

World premiere

Glass Bricks Directed by Simone Holland Short documentary| United States, 2026, 10 min.

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

105

Free Lyric Directed by Cherish Oteka Short documentary | United States, United Kingdom, 2026, 23 min.

North America premiere

I Got My Brother Directed by Victor Gabriel Short documentary | United States, 2026, 17 min.

Philadelphia premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

66 Days

After What Happened at the Library

Directed by Joude Bazzoun

Directed by Syra McCarthy

Short documentary | Lebanon, United Kingdom, 2025, 23 min.

World premiere

Short narrative | United States, 2025, 15 min.

Philadelphia premiere English

Arabic with English subtitles After witnessing Israel’s 2024 onslaught on Lebanon from abroad, a filmmaker returns to her village in South Lebanon, where conversations with her family bring their losses to the surface.

Through the ritual of a card game and family gatherings, the film reflects on the war’s threat to erase memory and the traditions that bring them together.

Screening: Friday, August 7 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Akita the drag queen hasn’t left her apartment in days. Her inboxes overflow with messages of praise, concern and ... death threats? She soon lets in a film crew and recounts to a reporter about how far-right extremists stormed her Drag Story Hour in 2022. Inspired by writer and lead actor Kyle Casey Chu’s viral true story.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 2 pm Wilma Theater Program: Noctidial Available virtually

Program: Autoscopy Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

107

An Afternoon With a Gnawa

Angels Pull Your Hair Directed by Gabby Beans

Directed by Meena Nanji BlackStar Alum Experimental | Morocco, 2025, 12 min.

Philadelphia Premiere Arabic with English subtitles The Gnawa inhabit ordinary and unordinary worlds, and their music and song create passageways between the two. This experimental nonfiction short gives a brief entryway into these worlds through an encounter with Mustafa, a Gnawa musician who lives in Rabat.

Screening: Friday, August 7 4:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Scene Not Heard Available virtually

Short narrative | United States, 2026, 15 min.

North America premiere Best Short Narrative Nominee English If she stays awake, she unravels; if she sleeps, the hag returns. Escape means facing the faceless demon that follows her — or becoming it. Danielle, a young Black woman raised in the shadow of untreated mental illness, numbs herself with reckless nights to outrun one question: Am I next? A psychedelic weekend upstate forces her to find out.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 8:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Quintessence Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Another Day Shall Come

Are You Native?

Directed by Aida Kaadan

Directed by Victoria Cheyenne

Short documentary | Palestine, 2026, 20 min.

East Coast premiere

Short documentary | United States, 2026, 18 min.

East Coast premiere

Best Short Documentary Nominee

English

Arabic with English subtitles A portrait of Palestinians living in the suffocating 1948 borders during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. The film weaves together anonymous voice recordings and present-day footage of historical Palestine, encapsulating 76 years of identity deprivation and alienation.

Screening:

In a conversation through time, Indigenous moccasin maker Shauna White Bear responds to the VHS tapes she recorded 30 years ago for her estranged father as she reflects on her identity, art form and grief.

Screening: Friday, August 7 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Autoscopy

Friday, August 7 11:30 am Wilma Theater Program: Reclamations Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

109

At the Stage When 此時此刻

Authors of the Estate Directed by Abdou Cissé

Directed by Hao Zhou BlackStar Alum Short documentary | United States, China, 2026, 16 min.

Philadelphia premiere Sichuan Chinese with English subtitles A young married couple in a Chinese megalopolis navigates the tricky waters of the traditional expectations that surface in their most intimate exchanges. At the Stage When explores the evolving roles, identities and avenues of self-actualization available to young adults today.

Screening: Friday, August 7 11:30 am Wilma Theater Program: Reclamations

Short documentary | United Kingdom, 2025, 21 min.

United States premiere Best Short Documentary Nominee English In Northwest London, two estates take their stories into their own hands, exploring what would happen if a council house became a publishing house in this tale of ownership, creativity and the power of community.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Intradependence Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

The Aura L’Aura

Buckskin Directed by Mars Verrone

Directed by Fanta Sylla Short narrative | France, 2025, 22 min.

North America premiere

Short documentary | United States, 2026, 17 min.

Philadelphia premiere English

French with English subtitles Claudia is an unlucky and fatalistic young woman. During an esoteric event in a bookstore, a disturbing apparition in an aura photo will turn her day and her friend Antonia’s upside down.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 7 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Numinous Available virtually

An experimental portrait of the filmmaker’s grandfather, Carroll B. Williams Jr., a groundbreaking African American forester, reflecting on his work and legacy in the twilight of his life.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 4:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Heredity Audio description available Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

111

A Bundle of Silences Un montón de silencios Directed by Sofía Gallisá Muriente BlackStar Alum Experimental | Puerto Rico, United States, 2025, 24 min.

Philadelphia premiere Best Experimental Nominee

Charip: Lightning in the River Charip: el relámpago del río Directed by Gobierno Territorial Autónomo Nación Wampís (GTANW) and Mullu TV Short documentary | Ecuador, Peru, 2025, 20 min.

United States premiere

English and Spanish with English subtitles

Wampis and Spanish with English subtitles

In 1983, Puerto Rican revolutionaries expropriated $7 million from an armored truck in Hartford, Connecticut, as part of the Águlia Blanca heist. Through testimonies, archival textures, and images pressed with tobacco and coffee, this film is an exploration of the limits of documentary forms and the silences that shape history.

When a new wave of gold mining threatens their ancestral territory in the Peruvian Amazon, the Wampis Nation rises to defend their land, rivers and sovereignty, confronting global extractivism with their own systems of resistance, self-defense and territorial control.

Screening:

Screening: Friday, August 7 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Thursday, August 6 4:30 pm Wilma Theater

Program: Luminiferous Audio description available Available virtually

Program: Aquarius Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

ChikaBOOM!!

Communion Comunhão

Directed by c. Craig Patterson

Directed by Pétala Lopes

Short narrative | United States, 2026, 9 min.

World premiere

Short documentary | Brazil, 2026, 23 min.

East Coast premiere

English

Portuguese with English subtitles

Chika Batstone is an aspiring young magician whose curiosity accidentally unleashes Kaboom, a chaotic magical creature, into the heart of New York City.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 5 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Chile, Please!

Available virtually

A group of lesbian friends over 50 travel together and, away from the world’s gaze, celebrate their friendship, their desire and their freedom. Over the weekend, they fully experience the richness of a reality they already carry within themselves, strengthening the bonds that unite them.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 4:30 pm Wilma Theater Program: Aquarius Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

113

Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child Ne réveillez pas l’enfant qui dort

Ella Directed by Nikki Taylor-Roberts

Directed by Kevin Aubert Short narrative | Senegal, France, Morocco, 2025, 28 min.

United States premiere Wolof with English subtitles Diamant is a 15-year-old girl from Dakar who dreams of making films, but her family has other plans for her future. On the morning of an important appointment she dreads, she doesn’t wake up. Faced with the urgency of the situation, her loved ones do everything they can to try to rouse her.

Short narrative | United States, 2026, 17 min.

East Coast premiere English Ella sings her love songs — scatting through her darkest notes.

Screening: Friday, August 7 4:30 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Scene Not Heard Available virtually

Screening: Saturday, August 8 5 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Chile, Please!

Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Enjoy the Tropix and Have a Banana!

An diw jwi! On a la banane sous les tropiques!

Fists of Mothers

Directed by Kristine Blonbou

Short narrative | United States, 2026, 4 min.

World premiere

Experimental | Guadeloupe, 2025, 8 min.

North America premiere Guadeloupean Creole with English subtitles Screenshots of the reality of an islander who enjoys having at the expense of being — like a twist of fate, as if trapped in a hamster wheel, where our slightest desire has to be satisfied now, perhaps in the hope of compensating for all the days without. Welcome to “the Tropics”!

Screening:

Directed by Tchaiko Omawale BlackStar Alum

English Two mothers have an awkward conversation about their kids that turns violent.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 8:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Quintessence Available virtually

Friday, August 7 11:30 am Wilma Theater Program: Reclamations Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

115

For Peace of Mind

Free Joan Little

Directed by Amandla Baraka

Directed by Yoruba Richen

Short narrative | United States, 2026, 17 min.

World premiere

Short documentary | United States, 2025, 35 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Best Short Narrative Nominee

English

English and Spanish with English subtitles

Free Joan Little tells the story of the 1975 groundbreaking case of Joan Little, who was the first woman in U.S. history to be acquitted for using deadly force to resist sexual assault. With rare archival footage, contemporary interviews and the folk anthem that carried her cause, Free Joan Little captures the spirit of resistance that made history.

As Kya prepares for another healing ceremony, she is confronted by old wounds when her estranged mother shows up unannounced.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 7 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Numinous Available virtually

Screening: Friday, August 7 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Luminiferous Audio description available Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Free Lyric

Glass Bricks

Directed by Cherish Oteka

Directed by Simone Holland BlackStar Alum

Short documentary | United States, United Kingdom, 2026, 23 min.

North America premiere

Short documentary| United States, 2026, 10 min.

English

English Reliving one of the first viral social media moments in rap culture, when a 17-year-old female rapper’s life was turned upside down by admitting to having an orgy, Free Lyric explores the experience of online callout culture, gender and consent.

Screening: Friday, August 7 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Volition Available virtually

Deconstructing what it means to be a man, Glass Bricks challenges the outward presentation of gender conformity through self-expression.

Giving us a peak behind the curtain, Finessa Jawn walks us through the process of what it takes to get into drag and shows us that community building and self-love should be felt regardless of how you identify.

Screening: Friday, August 7 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Volition Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

117

God Sleeps on Sundays

HomeGoing

Directed by Naishe Nyamubaya

Directed by Julie Dash BlackStar Alum

Short narrative | Zimbabwe, 2026, 17 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Music Video | United States, 2025, 10 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Shona with English subtitles English James, a preacher who has fallen from grace after a corruption scandal in the city, is assigned to build a new church in a distant rural community.

Accompanied by his wife, Mavis, James views this as a second chance for himself and his family. However, the major obstacle in his way is a staunch, revered traditional healer named Chirongoma.

Through song and stillness, an operatic bass-baritone pays tribute to the nine lives lost during Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in 2015.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Screening: Thursday, August 6 7 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Program: Lamentations Audio description available Available virtually

Program: Numinous Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

How to Hide It

I Got My Brother

Directed by Ramla Ali and Richard A. Moore

Directed by Victor Gabriel

Short narrative | United Kingdom, 2025, 13 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Short documentary | United States, 2026, 17 min.

Philadelphia premiere English

English A moment of weakness after a humiliating breakup leads a young Muslim woman to play a forbidden lottery ticket. Her chance at escape becomes a spiritual crisis. While her coworker dreams of riches, she’s certain Allah is watching and waiting.

Two brothers reflect on their candid and often humorous memories of surviving the foster care system and prison, realizing along the way that their path to healing has always been each other.

Screening:

Screening:

Friday, August 7 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Sunday, August 9 2 pm Wilma Theater

Program: Volition Available virtually

Program: Noctidial Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

119

i wonder shall i fly

An Impossible Address

Directed by Harlan Banks BlackStar Alum

Directed by Suneil Sanzgiri BlackStar Alum

Short documentary| United States, 2026, 16 min.

World premiere

Experimental | United States, Angola, India, 2025, 39 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Best Short Documentary Nominee English

Best Experimental Nominee English and Portuguese with English subtitles

Formerly enslaved people reflect Black history through 1940s interview audio and timeless home movies.

Screening: Friday, August 7 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Haunted by questions of disappearance, loss and revolutionary struggle, An Impossible Address continues director Suneil Sanzgiri’s examination of the life of Sita Valles and the bonds of solidarity that developed between India and Africa against the Portuguese empire.

Screening: Program: Autoscopy Available virtually

Thursday, August 6 1 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Chrononaut Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Ish Meets a Mermaid

Ixquic

Directed by Jonathan Thunder

Directed by Elvis Caj

Short narrative | United States, 2026, 16 min.

East Coast premiere

Short narrative | Guatemala, 2025, 25 min.

United States premiere

English and Ojibwe with English subtitles

Spanish, Poqomchi’ and K’ekchi’ with English subtitles

An artist in a slump meets a mysterious woman from a realm beneath Lake Superior and finds success in the last place he ever expected — death.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 8:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Ixquic, an Indigenous teenager, rejects her mother’s fight to protect a threatened river. When the river begins to bleed and ancestral forces awaken, she must reconcile her identity with the legacy she denied in order to defend her territory.

Screening:

Program: Quintessence Available virtually

Thursday, August 6 4:30 pm Wilma Theater Program: Aquarius Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

121

Jesus Is Coming (to Take the Church Away) Directed by Cameron Clay BlackStar Alum Short narrative | United States, 2025, 24 min.

East Coast premiere

The Keeper Directed by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes Short narrative | United States, 2025, 23 min.

World premiere Best Short Narrative Nominee

English

English

North Carolina, 1971. After his rural community is ravaged by inexplicable disappearances, a devoted reverend discovers an extraterrestrial explanation.

After 10-year-old orphan Aisha’s grandmother dies, her only hope for protection is the family demon — but with a terrifying cost.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 7 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre

Saturday, August 8 8:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Program: Numinous Available virtually

Program: Quintessence Available virtually

Screening:

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Lani B. Supreme: Legacy

Muoz-Doic Mixtape

Directed by Sabaah Folayan

Directed by Quyen Nguyen-Le

Short documentary | United States, 2026, 13 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Short documentary | United States, 2025, 14 min.

East Coast premiere

English

English and Mien with English subtitles

Lani B. Supreme: Legacy is a short documentary exploring the creative practice of interdisciplinary musician Lani B. Supreme. Through poetic visuals, narration, live performances and an orchestral score composed and conducted by the artist himself, audiences are introduced to Lani B.’s musical style and deep historical roots.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 4:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Muoz-Doic Mixtape (pronounced: moo-ah thoy) is an offering of intergenerational storytelling from the Iu Mien community of Portland, Oregon: a brief glimpse into the collective work of culture-keeping in the face of historical displacement. Dedicated to the loving memory of Cayle Tern (1977-2026), who showed us that collective power is built in the everyday.

Screening:

Program: Heredity Audio description available Available virtually

Friday, August 7 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Autoscopy Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

123

National Seating

Nwanne M Nwaanyị

Directed by Kevin Jerome Everson BlackStar Alum

Directed by Chiemeka Offor

Short documentary | United States, 2026, 5 min.

World premiere English Pleas Everson Sr. waxes poetically about his history of employment.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 4:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Experimental | Nigeria, 2026, 3 min.

World premiere Igbo with English subtitles Nwanne M Nwaanyi is a visual stem that traces the intangible roots two sisters share, tethered by something far stronger than blood and deeper than soil. They meet again at the first place they ever called home, the womb, to cry out the songs of their mother’s mother, those only an Igbo woman knows the tune to.

Screening: Program: Heredity Audio description available Available virtually

Sunday, August 9 4:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Heredity Audio description available Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Olinda’s Golden Arches Os Arcos Dourados de Olinda

Old Man River Directed by Iyabo Kwayana BlackStar Alum Short documentary | United States, Guyana, 2026, 35 min.

World premiere Best Short Documentary Nominee English

Directed by Douglas Henrique Short documentary| Brazil, 2025, 24 min.

North America premiere Best Short Documentary Nominee

Old Man River is an exploration of lineage, memory and inheritance through an intimate portrait of the filmmaker’s father, a 100-year-old political activist and nation builder from Guyana who was one of the cofounders of the country’s first multiethnic political parties. The film sits beside him as he reflects on a lifetime shaped by struggle, idealism and sacrifice.

Portuguese with English subtitles

Screening:

Screening:

Friday, August 7 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

The historic city of Olinda becomes the stage for a late Cold War between Brazil’s first communist mayor and the arrival of McDonald’s. What made Olinda known as the first city in the world to bankrupt a McDonald’s?

Friday, August 7 11:30 am Wilma Theater

Program: Luminiferous Audio description available Available virtually

Program: Reclamations Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

125

Our Bodies Ours

The Philadelphia Sensei: Lovett Hines

Directed by Sonali Gulati and Sanam Sheriff BlackStar Alum

Directed by Donn Thompson (“Donn T”) Morelli

Short documentary | United States, India, 2026, 8 min.

World premiere

Short documentary | United States, 2025, 22 min.

World premiere

English

English

Our Bodies Ours is a short poetic animated film that explores the nuance and beauty of trans becoming from a diasporic lens. Leaning on the music of lyric, it reframes gender-affirming care as an intricate, intimate and meandering act.

An 80-year-old Philadelphia music educator whose classroom shaped generations of artists and the legacy he continues to pass on through mentorship, music and community.

Screening: Friday, August 7 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Volition Available virtually

Screening: Sunday, August 9 4:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Heredity Audio description available Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Philly Rumba

Potato Salad

Directed by Melissa Beatriz and Andrés Cisneros BlackStar Alum

Directed by Kyle Drew

Short documentary| United States, 2026, 25 min.

World premiere English, Spanglish and Spanish (music) with English subtitles Philly Rumba is a short documentary about a group of African American men in Philadelphia who gravitated toward Cuban rumba as an expression of their African roots during the civil rights and pan-African eras. Fifty years later, they continue to play rumba together, proving that music can create community and solidarity in difficult times.

Screening:

Short narrative | United States, 2026, 14 min.

World premiere English On Christmas Eve, a detective receives a call about a suicide that occurred during a dinner. When he arrives at the scene, he quickly realizes that something isn’t right and what appears to be a suicide may actually be something far more sinister.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 8:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Quintessence Available virtually

Thursday, August 6 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Intradependence Available virtually BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

127

Remote Views

Revival 24

Directed by Alexis McCrimmon

Directed by Darryl Daley

Experimental | United States, 2025, 15 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Experimental | Germany, United Kingdom, 2024, 3 min.

North America premiere

Best Experimental Nominee

Silent

English

Revival 24 captures an immediate moment within the third space in which, through the spirit, the Black male body transcends a singular notion of masculinity and the constraints of linear time. The film reflects an alternative tangible reality, where, through nonlinear time, the contemporary and the archival exist simultaneously.

A televisual stream of consciousness assembled from archival footage set in the Black media explosion of the 1980s.

Screening: Friday, August 7 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Autoscopy Available virtually

Screening: Friday, August 7 2 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Volition Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Same Water

The Seeds We Carry

Directed by Martine Granby

Directed by Gabrielle Patterson

Experimental | United States, 2025, 21 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Short documentary | United States, 2026, 29 min.

World premiere

English Same Water is a lyrical nonfiction film that weaves memory with archive to examine Black leisure, freedom and exclusion at Silver Springs State Park in Ocala, Florida.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 4:30 pm Wilma Theater Program: Aquarius Available virtually

English, Spanish and Karen with English subtitles A short documentary weaving intimate portraits of community farm stewards in Southwest Philadelphia. Through the rhythms of planting, cooking and sharing food, the protagonists reveal how everyday acts of care and resistance nurture belonging, foster cross-cultural kinship and preserve a sense of home amid the pressures of gentrification and displacement.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 2:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Intradependence Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

129

Solace

The Store

Directed by Rodney Evans BlackStar Alum

Directed by Dr. Fahamu Pecou BlackStar Alum

Short narrative | United States, 2025, 6 min.

World premiere

Short narrative | United States, 2026, 14 min.

World premiere

English

English

A short animated film about childhood fears, sibling communication, intergenerational care and family resilience.

In a forgotten corner of the city, there exists a bodega like no other — a gateway to ancestral wisdom and untold possibilities. When patrons step inside looking for something ordinary, a veil between worlds reveals an alternate reality where Black people thrive.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Lamentations Audio description available Available virtually

Screening: Thursday, August 6 1 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Chrononaut Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Tell Me When You Get Home Directed by Tshay Meade BlackStar Alum Short narrative | United States, 2026, 9 min.

East Coast premiere

To Run Is to Return Directed by Precious Wura Alabi Short narrative | United Kingdom, 2026, 15 min.

World premiere English

Best Short Narrative Nominee English Fifteen-year-old Honest Cardamom hasn’t seen her mother since she was 4, but at a crowded family party, she begins to feel her presence in ways she can’t explain.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 5 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Chile, Please!

Available virtually

A stoic pharmacist faces a tumultuous 11-hour shift at his demanding job. While he successfully juggles an assorted conveyor belt of patient’s problems, he struggles in desperate slivers of time to fight off the weight of his own festering issues.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Lamentations Audio description available Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

131

Treasure Island L’île aux trésors

Vis-à-Vis

Directed by Miryam Charles

Directed by Mamadou Yattassaye

Short narrative | Canada, 2026, 18 min.

World premiere

Experimental | United States, 2025, 13 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Best Short Narrative Nominee

English, French and Bambara with English subtitles

French and Haitian Creole with English subtitles Summer 1993. Marthe, 12, convinces her brother to run away from home and from the Haitian heritage they both reject.

Joined by their cousins in a park, they debate what their future might hold. But as the hours pass, the children begin to realize that what they’re trying to escape is also what binds them together most deeply.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 5 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Chile, Please!

Vis-à-Vis is a 12-minute experimental narrative short film centered around first-generation painter Moussa and his psyche as he internally grapples with his father’s ailing condition. Sitting with archives, he fleshes out a memory — a day of rare, confined intimacy with his father.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 4:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Heredity Audio description available Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Voicemail

Watch Out for the Ghosts

Directed by Lade Tinbu Experimental | United States, 2025, 6 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Directed by Yvonne Michelle Shirley BlackStar Alum Short documentary | United States, 2026, 28 min.

World festival premiere

English Within a bright, colorful surreal dream that eventually turns into a nightmare, the artist responds to voicemail messages from his late mother.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Lamentations Audio description available Available virtually

English A personal meditation on loss, family, home and reclamation through the artistic process of Adebunmi Gbadebo.

Gbadebo creates works out of organic materials from the South Carolina plantation cemeteries where her formerly enslaved ancestors and their descendants are buried.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 1 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Chrononaut Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

133

We Act Like Children Abinoojiikaasmin Directed by Evelyn Pakinewatik Short narrative | Canada, 2026, 13 min.

Philadelphia premiere

When They’re Gone Directed by Ragan Henderson and Lauryn Darden Short narrative | United States, 2026, 14 min.

East Coast premiere English

English Rooted in the universal experience of feeling stuck, this gentle story follows two siblings who retreat from an uncertain future, seeking shelter from the challenges waiting just beyond their reach.

Screening: Saturday, August 8 5 pm Suzanne Roberts Theatre Program: Chile, Please!

Available virtually

After an abrupt encounter at a graveyard, two elderly men form an unexpected bond over the grief and love of their late wives.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Program: Lamentations Audio description available Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SHORT FILMS

Whispers of a Burning Scent

White Musk Directed by Fatima Wardy

Directed by Mo Harawe Short narrative | Somalia, Austria, Germany, 2026, 28 min.

North America premiere Somali with English subtitles On the day of a crucial court hearing, a wedding musician faces his crumbling marriage, his stepchildren’s judgment and his own guilt.

Screening:

Short narrative | United States, 2025, 18 min.

East Coast premiere English and Arabic with English subtitles When teenage Hiba becomes her mother’s primary caregiver, a tense role reversal forces her to grow up too quickly, deepening the fractures in their fragile relationship.

Screening: Thursday, August 6 11:30 am Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Sunday, August 9 2 pm Wilma Theater Program: Noctidial Available virtually

Program: Lamentations Audio description available Available virtually

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

135

Wholesome Directed by Kimmy Campbell Short narrative | United States, 2025, 12 min.

Philadelphia premiere English After accidentally breaking into their favorite deli when it closes without notice, two friends attempt to recreate the home they once found there.

Screening: Sunday, August 9 2 pm Wilma Theater Program: Noctidial Available virtually

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

THE DAILY JAWN MORNING SHOW

IMAGE: BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2025

Live every day of the festival @ 11 am The Daily Jawn Stage Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts With rotating co-hosts Denise Beek, Maori Karmael Holmes, Noura Erakat, Rashid Zakat and Tre Johnson Start your festival mornings with the BlackStar crew as they have a coffee and chat with featured filmmakers and other special guests. Expect energy, insight and lots of laughter.

PANELS & CONVERSATIONS Revisioning A Different World Presented by Netflix Thursday, August 6 2-3 pm With Felicia Pride, Jordan Aaron Hall and Shawn Peters moderated by Doreen St. Félix Join showrunner and executive producer Felicia Pride, director of cinematography Shawn Peters, and star Jordan Aaron Hall as they discuss the highly anticipated sequel of A Different World and the enduring influence of the beloved series. First premiering in 1987, A Different World transformed television’s portrayal of college life at historically Black campuses, creating space for stories that resonated across generations. Together, the panelists will reflect on the original show’s cultural impact, explore the creative process behind re-imagining it for today’s audiences with special attention paid to the look of the series, and consider how the sequel continues the tradition of telling nuanced, aspirational and deeply relevant stories about intergenerational Black life.

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

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School of Elev8Docs Presented by Color Congress Thursday, August 6 5-6 pm With Ani Mercedes, Carlos Gutierrez, Chana Ginelle Ewing and Tracy Nguyen-Chung moderated by Sahar Driver In an age of disruptive marketing, distribution and press strategists share best practices for distribution. Elev8Docs is a learning initiative conceived in 2024

by Color Congress member organizations aimed at supporting experimentation and research for over two dozen nonfiction films by directors of color. Through eight distinct marketing experiments conducted in 2025, the project probed the barriers filmmakers face — from cultural gaps in mainstream marketing to limited data on diverse audience preferences — to identify pathways to strengthen distribution infrastructures. The result is a set of stress-tested strategies for connecting with audiences of color despite corporate consolidation, budget cuts and rising censorship.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

PANELS & CONVERSATIONS Undocumedia: Humble Beginnings Friday, August 7 2-3 pm With Jesús Iniguez, Nancy Meza and Stephanie Solis moderated by Set Hernandez December 2011. In a Los Angeles conference room, a scrappy group of young adults were unknowingly making a dent in the course of cinema history. Made up of bloggers, videographers, technologists and artists, this unassuming bunch was brought together by their lived experience as undocumented immigrants and a shared goal to reclaim from the media ecosystem the narratives told about their lives. Thus came to be a team that would be known as UndocuMedia.

As our newsfeeds are flooded with the terror undocumented immigrants justifiably experience right now, BlackStar presents an unprecedented conversation, bringing together this first wave of undocumented film practitioners from 2007 through 2012. In the face of political retaliation and a film industry that has actively excluded them, these makers offer perspectives for creating an alternative cinema tradition that could refresh the ways we understand filmmaking today.

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On Ayiti Friday, August 7 5-6 pm With Elisee Junior St. Preux, Michèle Stephenson, Miryam Charles and Pierre Michel Jean moderated by Cybille St.Aude-Tate In 2026, we celebrate 222 years since the Haitian Revolution and the establishment of Haiti as the first permanent sovereign Black country. Yet, within a global hegemony of imperialism and capitalism, Haiti faces cruel, centuriesold punishment from powerful state actors, including the United States.

Haiti has been forced into unimaginable debt, various occupations, climate disasters and consequently repeated political turmoil. Even as the famous Haitian saying dèyè mòn gen mòn establishes that beyond every challenge is another challenge, the country and its people persist. In this panel, we lift up the Haitian filmmakers in the 2026 BlackStar program and put the spotlight on mediamaking and visual storytelling in and about Haiti, as well as its challenges, sensitivities and ultimate triumphs.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

PANELS & CONVERSATIONS Spotlight Conversation: Scene Not Heard Saturday, August 8 2-3 pm With Dyana Williams, Maori Karmael Holmes, Mercedes Martinez and Tina Morton moderated by Deesha Dyer Seven years before founding BlackStar, Maori Karmael Holmes directed the documentary Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip Hop, which examines the place of women in the city’s hip hop scene in the early aughts and documents the artists, promoters and journalists who made their voices known. The film journeyed to more than 40 festivals in 2006 and 2007, which inspired Holmes to create Black Lily Film & Music Festival (2007-08) and set her on the path to becoming a film programmer and curator. By 2012, she launched BlackStar, for which several of the relationships forged during the production and distribution of Scene Not Heard proved instrumental. This conversation examines the production of Scene Not Heard and celebrates the places (and some of the faces) of a beloved era.

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Image, Power and Visual Authorship Saturday, August 8 5-6 pm With Iyabo Kwayana, Michael Cambio Fernandez, Shaandiin Tome and Simone Holland moderated by Lendl Tellington The creative vision and technical acumen of cinematographers shape how images are made and experienced. This conversation explores how to cultivate visual language rooted in cultural specificity, community care and a strong sense of authorship. The panel invites a deeper reflection on how creators are expanding the possibilities of visual storytelling while imagining and shaping new cinematic futures on their own terms.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

PANELS & CONVERSATIONS Spotlight Conversation: A Different Image Sunday, August 9 2-3 pm With Adisa Anderson, Alile Sharon Larkin and Margot Muhammad moderated by Melissa Lyde Join filmmaker Alile Sharon Larkin (writer/director/producer/editor) and cast members Adisa Anderson and Margot Muhammad in conversation with Melissa Lyde as they reflect on A Different Image’s enduring legacy and radical vision of Black womanhood on screen. Emerging from the L.A. Rebellion, Larkin’s 1982 film challenged dominant cinematic representations through an intimate, deeply political coming-of-age story centered on Black female subjectivity. Together, the panelists discuss the film’s production, its relationship to Black independent cinema and the continued urgency of creating images that allow Black women to be fully seen on their own terms.

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By Indie Means Necessary: 15 Years of BlackStar Film Festival Sunday, August 9 5-6 pm With Denise Beek, Kim Brundidge, Maori Karmael Holmes, Nehad Khader and Sekou Campbell moderated by Imran Siddiquee For 15 years, BlackStar Film Festival has been a site of imagination, risk taking and relentless creativity — a space where independent artists and audiences come together to expand what cinema can be. This panel reflects on the festival’s trajectory: how it has grown, adapted and sustained itself through vision, experimentation and collaboration to become a lasting cultural institution. From its earliest days to its current role as a cultural staple, BlackStar has always operated “by indie means necessary,” finding innovative ways to center Black, Brown and Indigenous storytellers; cultivate emerging talent; and challenge mainstream ideas about production. Through conversation with those who have shaped its journey, from leadership to staff to program committee members to board members, the discussion will trace the festival’s evolving impact and commitment to the art and power of independent cinema.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

SPECIAL EVENTS & PARTIES

Opening Night Party

First Friday at the Barnes

Thursday, August 6 9 pm - 12 am Frankie’s Summer Club

Friday, August 7 6-9 pm Barnes Foundation

Kick off the festival in style with music, dancing and more! The party will feature mixes by Cory Townes and NA$H. Free event, but RSVP requested. Registration does not guarantee entrance.

Enjoy an evening of art, live music, cocktails and light fare at this First Friday mixer.

Presented by Visit Philly

Use code BLACKSTAR26 at checkout for $10 tickets. All-access and Industry pass holders attend for free.

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BlackStar Bazaar

Closing Night Party

Saturday, August 8 & Sunday, August 9 12-7 pm Kimmel Center, Tier 2 Lounge

Sunday, August 9 8 pm - 12 am Barnes Foundation

Our annual bazaar offers a curated shopping experience that celebrates community by supporting local creators.

Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to find one-of-a-kind treasures from talented artisans based right here in Philly.

Join us as we send off the festival with sounds by DJs Cvgebird and Oluwafemi. Free event, but RSVP requested. Registration does not guarantee entrance.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

JURIED AWARDS BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTRAY NOMINEES Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/ great-grandchild] Directed by Adam Khalil and Zack Khalil Denmark, United States, 2026, 80 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Finding Your Laughter Directed by Arlieta Hall and Brittany Alsot United States, 2026, 87 min.

World premiere

Zenón and the Rebel Boats Directed by Juan C. Dávila Santiago Puerto Rico, United States, 2026, 93 min.

World premiere

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BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE NOMINEES Becoming Human Directed by Polen Ly Cambodia, 2025, 99 min.

Philadelphia premiere

The Prophet Directed by Ique Langa Mozambique, South Africa, 2026, 94 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Variations on a Theme Directed by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar South Africa, Netherlands, Qatar, 2026, 65 min.

Philadelphia premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

JURIED AWARDS BEST SHORT DOCUMENTRAY NOMINEES Another Day Shall Come Directed by Aida Kaadan Palestine, 2026, 20 min.

East Coast premiere

Authors of the Estate Directed by Abdou Cissé United Kingdom, 2025, 21 min.

United States premiere

i wonder shall i fly Directed by Harlan Banks United States, 2026, 16 min.

World premiere

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Old Man River Directed by Iyabo Kwayana United States, Guyana, 2026, 35 min.

World premiere

Olinda’s Golden Arches Directed by Douglas Henrique Brazil, 2025, 24 min.

North America premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

JURIED AWARDS BEST SHORT NARRATIVE NOMINEES Angels Pull Your Hair Directed by Gabby Beans United States, 2026, 15 min.

North America premiere

For Peace of Mind Directed by Amandla Baraka United States, 2026, 17 min.

World premiere

The Keeper Directed by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes United States, 2025, 23 min.

World premiere

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Tell Me When You Get Home Directed by Tshay Meade United States, 2026, 9 min.

East Coast premiere

Treasure Island Directed by Miryam Charles Canada, 2026, 18 min.

World premiere

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

JURIED AWARDS BEST EXPERIMENTAL NOMINEES A Bundle of Silences Directed by Sofía Gallisá Muriente Puerto Rico, United States, 2025, 24 min.

Philadelphia premiere

An Impossible Address Directed by Suneil Sanzgiri United States, Angola, India, 2025, 39 min.

Philadelphia premiere

An Incomplete Calendar Directed by Sanaz Sohrabi Canada, Iran, Turkey, Venezuela, 2026, 77 min.

North America premiere

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Remote Views Directed by Alexis McCrimmon United States, 2025, 15 min.

Philadelphia premiere

Additional Awards Philadelphia Filmmaker Award Shine Award for First-Time Filmmakers

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JURORS EXPERIMENTAL Awa Konaté Founder and Artistic Director, Culture Art Society Gervais Marsh Associate Curator, Creative Time Meg Onli Nancy and Fred Poses Curator, Whitney Museum

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY June Givanni Film Curator JT Takagi Filmmaker; Executive Director, Third World Newsreel Sonya Childress Co-Executive Director, Color Congress

FEATURE NARRATIVE Aseye Tamakloe Founder and Festival Director, Ndiva Women’s Film Festival Kelly Boutsali Programmer, Toronto International Film Festival Tre Johnson Author and Writer

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

157 SHORT DOCUMENTARY Abiba Coulibaly Film Curator Juanita Anderson Filmmaker and Founder, Indija Productions, LLC Zaina Bseiso Cofounder, Bahia Collective Senior Programmer, Points North Institute

SHORT NARRATIVE Aiko Masubuchi Producer Lynnée Denise Writer and Interdisciplinary Artist Nuotama Bodomo Filmmaker

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

PROGRAM COMMITTEES EXPERIMENTAL ALIA AYMAN Alia is a film curator and doctoral candidate in anthropology at New York University. She is the cofounder of Zawya Cinema in Cairo and has contributed to the programs of Berlinale Forum, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, BlackStar Film Festival, Flaherty NYC, Images Festival and the Arab Women Film Festival in Brazil, among others.

WALLY FALL Wally is a filmmaker of Martinican and Senegalese descent. In 2016 he cofounded Cinemawon, a film collective dedicated to creating new spaces to screen largely overlooked films from the Caribbean, Africa and other Afro-diasporic spaces. His latest works include Plowing the Stars (2020) and Dancing the Stumble (2023).

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FEATURE DOCUMENTARY JAMAL BATTS Jamal is an assistant professor of Black studies at Swarthmore College. His work reflects on the relationship between Black queer contemporary visual art and risk. He is a member of the curatorial collective The Black Aesthetic, which has programmed four seasons of experimental film screenings and published three edited volumes.

JANAÍNA OLIVEIRA Janaína is a film scholar, curator and professor at the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro. Since 2009 she has been developing research, curating film programs, and working as a consultant, jury member and lecturer at various institutions in Brazil and abroad. She is the founder of the Black Cinema Itinerant Forum.

MELISSA BISAGNI Melissa is a film curator, consultant and programmer specializing in Indigenous and Asian American film.

She is currently the festival director for the D.C. Asian Pacific American Film Festival. She served for 15 years as the film and video program manager at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, where she continues to work in Museum Learning and Programs.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

PROGRAM COMMITTEES FEATURE NARRATIVE LYSE ISHIMWE NSENGIYUMVA Lyse is a film programmer and photographer based in Belgium. In 2016 she founded Recognition, a Brussels-based community film screening program that focuses on work for and by people of African descent. Lyse is currently a programmer at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Previously, she was a film consultant for the Berlinale Forum.

MATAZI WEATHERS Matazi is a temporal and spatial film farmer, curator, educator and filmmaker from Los Angeles (via Twiggs, Georgia, and Dayton, Ohio). They constellate image-making networks across the African diaspora as an experiential researcher, fostering vulnerable stories rooted in land and spirit that foreground pleasure in expansive somatic experience, emphasize sensorial and narrative immersion, and are oriented toward revolutionary transformation.

SAMIA LABIDI Samia is a curator and cultural worker based in Tunisia. Informed by abolitionist thought, she is interested in how cultural practices can hold people together across distance, difference, censorship and grief, and in how we can widen our political imaginaries to enact liberated futures. She has programmed for Palestine Cinema Days, the Haifa Independent Film Festival, JCC-Carthage Film Festival, CinéMadart and BlackStar Film Festival.

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

Congratulations!

SIFTers with official selections in the 2026 BlackStar Film Festival Director, Melissa Beatriz (& Andrés Cisneros)

PHILLY RUMBA

Drylongso, directed by Cauleen Smith

Director, Gabrielle Patterson THE SEEDS WE CARRY

Discover your next favorite film.

Stream the best in cinema only on the Criterion Channel.

Start your 7-day free trial

Congratulations to the BlackStar Film Festival on 15 years of visionary storytelling, creating community, and a commitment to amplifying visions and voices of the global majority. Scribe Video Center celebrates this milestone and the legacy you continue to build.

GABRIELLE PATTERSON

A Philadelphia-based collective fostering an equitable ecosystem for Black and Latine women-identified filmmakers through mentorship, community care, and transformative programming.

New membership applications are being accepted!

siftmediacollective.org

PROGRAM COMMITTEES SHORT DOCUMENTARY asinnajaq asinnajaq is from Inukjuak, Nunavik, and lives in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal). Their work includes photography, filmmaking, writing and curating. asinnajaq wrote and directed Three Thousand (2017), a short sci-fi documentary. They were longlisted for the Sobey Art Award in 2020 and are a recipient of the New Generation Photography Prize and the Pierre-Ayote Award. In their work, asinnajaq is interested in sharing tools for navigating life’s journey.

CHLOË WALTERS-WALLACE Chloë is a Jamaican creative and recognized leader in nonfiction media. As Director of Regional Initiatives at Firelight Media, she is the creator and executive producer of the award-winning anthology series Homegrown, bringing vital regional stories to the forefront. As a member of Third Horizon, she co-created the Caribbean Film Academy 2.0, the Caribbean Think Tank and the Susu Emergency Relief fund supporting Caribbean artists recovering from climate disasters.

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NYAMBURA M. WARUINGI Nyambura is a writer, producer and curator at the intersection of art, culture and immersive technology.

She is committed to imagining new worlds through filmmaking, interactive gaming and multisensory installation art. She founded Maison Constellation to center African, Indigenous and POC story worlds and futurisms.

TZUTZU MATZIN Tzutzu is an activist for alternative film exhibition and public access to audiovisual heritage in Mexico. She currently leads Ambulante Presenta, a film exhibition program in independent and alternative venues across Mexico, where she also directs the training program for community exhibitors.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

PROGRAM COMMITTEES SHORT NARRATIVE KARTIK NAIR Kartik is a lifelong cinephile. His first book, Seeing Things (2024), is about the production, censorship and circulation of low-budget horror films made in 1980s Bombay. His writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Mubi Notebook and The New Inquiry. He teaches at Temple University in Philadelphia and lives in New York City.

MARCELLUS ARMSTRONG Marcellus is an artist, filmmaker, media programmer and educator. His work focuses on archival and material notions of Blackness and queerness. Rooted within participatory community media, Marcellus has worked with Scribe Video Center and Detroit Sound Conservancy and is the inaugural recipient of the Ann Bennet Visionary Producers Prize.

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SÉVERINE CATELION Born in Martinique and based in Paris, Séverine is a producer, distributor and curator. She has a keen interest in developing projects from the African continent and its diasporas, focusing on international co-productions. She cofounded Cinemawon, a nonprofit aiming to shed light on Black cinemas by building bridges between audiences and professionals.

UMULKHAYR MOHAMED Umulkhayr (they/he/she) is a Welsh Somali artist, writer and curator who produces artwork under the alias Aisha Ajnabi. In his art, they are able to join the practicing of spirituality rooted in animism and ancestral honoring with a politic grounded in solidarity and liberation. Umulkhayr maintains that there are no solid borders between their curatorial and artistic practices, as this porosity offers enriching vitality to their work.

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

STAFF & BOARD BLACKSTAR PROJECTS STAFF AKUA MAAT

NYLA DANIEL

Senior Operations Manager

Program Manager, Parties & Panels Producer

AMBER HUNNICUTT Program Manager, Festival Operations Director

OLIVER SPENCER

AUTUMN FAITH VALDEZ

PABLO ALARCON JR.

Business Director

Design Manager

CATHERINE LEE

SYDNEY ALICIA RODRIGUEZ

Chief Operations Officer

Program Manager, Festival Programmer

CHENYAO LIU

TERRI HALL

BlackStar Summer Fellow, Digital Content Assistant

Individual Giving Director

HEIDI SAMAN

Communications Coordinator

Program Director

JEANETTE BELL LLOYD

Technical Producer

XENIA MATTHEWS ZENDRA SHAREEF Administrative Associate

Partnerships Director

JESS GARZ Development Consultant

JOWEL SINCLAIR BlackStar Summer Fellow, Festival Assistant

MAORI KARMAEL HOLMES Chief Executive & Artistic Officer

MARIAM DEMBELE Marketing Manager

NEHAD KHADER Festival Director, Festival Programmer

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

167 FESTIVAL STAFF AIDAN UN

LO LLOYD Technical Production Coordinator

Videographer

ANTOINETTE STEWART Box Office Manager

MARLA HARRIS Festival Support Specialist

MARWA ELTAHIR

ANTONIO WOOTEN

Festival Support Specialist

Merchandise Manager

MARYAM APRIL PUGH

AYANNAH KAMRYN

Web Manager

Parties Coordinator

CAROLINE STRANGE Childcare Provider

MICHAEL MOODY House Manager

MOCHI ROBINSON

CHÍA COTANSUCA

Photographer

Festival Support Specialist

COBBINA FREMPONG Videographer

NAEEMAH AFI PATTERSON Volunteer Coordinator

RACHEL HAMPTON

DANIEL JACKSON

House Manager

Photographer

E MORALES-WILLIAMS Wellness Coordinator & Safety Team Member

SABRINA PAULINO Social Media Coordinator

SAM PLAKUN Virtual Festival Coordinator

ERIEON DOMINICK

SHAAKIRA DELOATCH

Childcare Provider

Press Coordinator

EUGENE HAYNES

SHAK LAWRENCE

Industry Liaison

Print Traffic Manager

GABE BRYANT

SHANTI MAYERS

Safety Team Member

Festival Bazaar Curator

JULIAN TURNER

SHAUNA SWARTZ

Video Editor

Program Guide Copy Editor

JULISSA AGUILAR Technical Production Coordinator

KIM HUNTER-BRYANT

SHIVON PEARL LOVE The Daily Jawn Producer

Wellness & Grounding Facilitator 15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

STAFF & BOARD SYDNIE SCHWARZ

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Childcare & Festival Office Coordinator

AMANDA BRANSON GILL

TAKIA MICHAEL

Cofounder, Kilo Films Treasurer

Box Office Manager

TAYA STEVENS-ALLEN

ANDRÉ ROBERT LEE

Accessibility Coordinator

President & Founder, Many Things Productions

TOMARRA SANKARA-KILOMBO

DENISE C. BEEK

Merchandise Coordinator

Co-Chair

ZOË HODGE

ERIC BAI

House Manager

Strategic Partnerships Manager, Airwallex

CONSULTANTS ALMA

JAMILA FARWELL

Public Relations

JUDILEE REED

SUTRO LI

Chief Executive Officer, United States Artists

Bookkeeping & CFO Services

MAORI KARMAEL HOLMES Chief Executive & Artistic Officer, BlackStar

SEKOU CAMPBELL Partner, Pierson Ferdinand LLP Co-Chair

SUNANDA GHOSH Interim Executive Director, Forman Arts Initiative

TAYYIB SMITH Principal, Little Giant, Smith & Roller, Pipeline Philly Secretary

TED PASSON President, All Ages Productions

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

Join us for an unforgettable night honoring trailblazers transforming the arts, culture and media landscape. The Luminary Gala is a must-attend event bringing together artists, philanthropists and BlackStar’s vibrant community of supporters to celebrate our work and raise vital funds for its continued growth.

Last year’s sold-out Gala honored Meshell Ndegeocello, Robert Townsend, Third World Newsreel and history-making Oscar winner Autumn Durald Arkapaw. Celebrate a new slate of luminaries at the 2026 Luminary Gala!

TICKETS ON SALE SOON 15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

INDIVIDUAL DONORS LUMINARY CIRCLE GALAXY Garikai Campbell

STAR Margaret Harris & Phil Straus

SHINE Anonymous Drs. George & Mary Campbell Geraldine Wang Dr. Tarek Khader

SPARKLE Adjoa Jones de Almeida Allison Acevedo Amy Sherald Representative Andre Carroll Anne Ishii Aronte Bennett Autumn Durald Arkapaw Brandon Pankey Charles Burnett David J. Huisken Deborah Thomas Deesha Philyaw Donald Young Donna Frisby-Greenwood Dyana Williams Ernest Owens Councilmember Isaiah Thomas James Claiborne Councilmember Jamie Gauthier Joseph Hill Joslyn Ewart Julia Shaw Kimberly Brundidge

Lacey Dickinson Len Rieser & Ferdinand Chang-Muy Loira Limbal Maori Karmael Holmes Marcel Pratt Mercedes Martinez Meshell Ndegeocello Senator Nikil Saval Noura Erakat Patrice Green Paulette Singleton Rakia Reynolds Raymond Perkins Rebecca Smyrl Reginald Browne Robert Townsend Sekou Campbell & Jasmine PeńaCampbell Skai Reynolds Tash Moseley Ted Passon Third World Newsreel Val Gay Senator Vincent Hughes

MEMBERS FILM SCHOLAR Akiba Solomon Anthony Tidd Casey Cook & Shauna Swartz Chrissy Kind Cornelius Moore Courtney Dailey Dagmawi Woubshet Dan Brawley Davinia Gregory Denise Beek Iyabo Kwayana Jermaine Jenkins Kai Kornegay Kevin Jerome Everson Michael Garden Natalie Bullock Brown Rosalind Ray Sonya Childress Tim Belknap

FILM ENTHUSIAST Ada Gay Griffin Aleni Pappas André Robert Lee Anjali Kumar Anne Fleming Barbara Braxton Ben Weinberg Beth Jellinek Bree Gant Chris Hastings Daniel Gordon Danielle Allen David B. Devan Dimitri Stancioff Eric Bai Everett Abitbol Heidi Cruz-Austin Jacqueline Woodson Jason F. Jeffers

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Jessica Garz Jordan Muse Kate Fox Kavita Rajanna Laiya St. Clair Lindsey Scannapieco Marc Grika Maryam Pugh Merlyne Jean-Louis Nora Alter Orinne “JT” Takagi Paul Farber Roman Krivitsky Ruth Ennes Littrell Stephanie Shepard Sunanda Ghosh Tarana Burke Tricia Trice Tshay Williams Un Kyong Ho Valerie Keller Vanessa Northington Gamble Victoria Jordan

FILM ARCHIVIST Adam Lingo Alexandra Leigh Alexia Chororos Amy Sadao Asali Solomon Atinuke Diver Bernadine Mellis Brahm Goldstein Bret Perkins Caren Hosansky Charles Raboteau Charlotte Cohen Cheryl Fabio Christine Broome Chynna Broxton Danielle Ayers Deanan DaSilva Debbie Davis

Debora Reaves Charmelus Deesha Dyer Denice Frohman Dennis Doros & Amy Heller Desjoire Smith Diane Colson Diane Funderburg Dina Allen Donna Brown Durrell Callier Eileen Jeng Lynch Elizabeth Hawley Ellen Brodsky Ellie Bagli Elliot Clerget Elliott Brown Jr. Erica Atwood Esther Lindstrom Eugene Haynes Eurie Chung Evelyn Salcedo Gabe Carryon Gabrielle Kacha Harriet Rubenstein He-myong Woo ill Weaver Iuri Bauler Pereira Jana Reed Jenea Robinson John Arthur Smith Joyce Wilkerson Juanita Anderson Judy Claude Julie Dash Kate Houstoun Keesean Moore Keisha Parks Kelly Shindler Kerri Park Kim Cooper Kim Slote Kimberley Parris Kimberly Grocher

Kinnedy Broughton Korin Williams Kyle Darby Malaika Carpenter Marcia Smith Mariam Dembele Mary Brownlee Mary Trice Maryjoe Mathai Masina Frank Masterjay Matt Birkhold Matthew Neff Mattice Haynes Maurice Wallace Megan Gibson Megan Voeller Meghan McClelland Mel Hsu Melissa Fox Merlyne Jean-Louis Michael Davis Michael P. Arnold Michelle Houston Minh D. Du Nathalie Thomas Nehad Khader Nycholas Maldonado Osarhia L. Ferguson Patricia White Paul Socolar Pawikan Films R. Patricia Cooke Ricky Gautier Robert Shaw Rochelle Nichols-Solomon Ryan Chartier Sally Singer Sean Flynn Set Ronquillo Sheena Sood Shinia Brown Shivon Love Sonali Gulati

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

INDIVIDUAL DONORS Stephani Pescitelli Stephanie Ayanian Stephanie Perry Su’ad Abdul Khabeer Terri Hall Tracy Rector Trina Middleton Wendy Epstein Whitney Muse William Marcellus Armstrong Yaba Blay

ANNUAL FUND Aarenne Milton Aaron Ball Abena Anderson Ada Vintar Adaeze Elechi Adam Clair Adam Kaplan Adele McKenna Adele Ray Aditi Tandon Adrian Adams Jr. Adwoa Nantwi Afiya Yearwood Aimee Ando Aja Bonner Akira Di Sandro Akua Allrich Alanna Faelan Alex Rafi Alexa de los Reyes Alexa Ross Alexander Praileau Alexandra Canavan Alexandra Demetriades Alexandra Gery Alexis Harrison Alexis Hithe Alia Al-Khatib Alice Gallagher Alice Grandoit Alicia Doorey Alison Lin Alicia Minette Alie Huxta Alix Gerz Allegra Penn Almas Ebony Alonzaa Harris Alonzo Vereen Alysia Davis Alyssa J. Wilson Alyssa Miller

Amajahnay Will Amaka Okechukwu Amalia Cottrell Amelia Bass Amir Joshua Palmer Amir Rose Amy Bilyeu Amy Kamdem Ana S H Andre Jackson Andrea Kirsh Andrea Ribier Andreina Mijares Andrew A. Adair Jr. Andrew Bilindabagabo Andrew Burgess Andrew Demirjian Andrew Levitt Andria Bibiloni Anne Lukins Angelo Madsen Anita C. Carlton Anjanette Levert Annie Tickell Antoinette Phillips Anyabwile Love Araeia Robinson Arch G. Ari Darui Ariel Shelton Arlin Hill Armad Shareef Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture Aseel Rasheed Atena Jeretic Audrey Butler Audrey Dale Aurgria Martin Ayannah Kamryn Ayesha Innocent Ayesha Strickland Aymar Jean Barbara Attie Barbara J. White

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Barbara Dowdall Barrington Bryant Beandrea Davis Becca Graham Belinda Huang Ben Rearick Benjamin Herold Benjamin Pope Benjamin Winkler Bernadine Hawes Beth Rabinowitz Beth Severy-Hoven Betsy Elliott Betty Leacraft Beverly McPhail Beverly Scarlett Bilal Taylor Bill Gaskins Blue Park Bob Palmer Brad Linder Braden Biel Brandi Goldsborough Brandon Thompson Breeaun Johnson Brittany McNair Brittany Rogers Brittni Collins Brooke Wyatt Bryant Mcinnis bunni brown Caitlin Lodato Camille King Carleton Gholz Carina Yervasi Carol Orme-Johnson Carolina Torres Carrie Marie Schneider Carrie Pierce Cassandra Glover Catherine Lee Catron Booker Caula Matthew Cauleen Smith

CB Smith-Dahl Ceyanna Dent Chanae Brown Chantal Nasralla Cheri Hawkins Chloe Crawford Chris Pope ChrisAnne Smith Christina Burton Christina KallasSaritsoglou Christina Marea Christopher Dean Christopher Nana-Sinkam Christopher R. Rogers Christy A. LeMaster Chyla Graham Clare Kobasa Clarke Mason Claudia B. Hamilton Clay Mallory Conor Smith Constance Collier-Mercado Constance L. Humphrey Cornell Lacy Courtnee Fenner Courtney McIntosh Cynthia Hillocks Cynthia Weaver Dagny Elise Carlsson Dana Edelman Dana Reinhold Dana Salisbury Dana Verde Daniel Coles Daniel O. Tucker Daniel Yusupov Darcella Cross Darlyne Dandridge Darrow Farr Das Rios Dasha Hill David Acker

David Felix Sutcliffe David Herman Jr. David Scranton Davos Paquin Deb Reed Debora Charmelus Debora Kodish Deborah Menkart Debra Disbrow Delaney Savedge Denise M. Walston Denise McDaniel Henderson Denise Ryner Denzel Dykes Derrick Foreman Desjoire Smith Destiny Edens Dezshanae Grayson Dina Portnoy Dioni Wise Doja Mshindi Dominique Jean-Louis Donte McFadden Dorian & Simone Missick Dorothea Gamble Dorothy J. Green Douglas Tolbert Dwight Dunston E. M. Sea Ebonie Durham Eden Carlton Edward Gay Edward Kihn Elaine Kindell Elif Sendur Eliza Bell Elizabeth Nipper Elizabeth Pratt Elizabeth Ramirez Elle Clay Elon Evora Emanuel Darby Emily Artinian

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

INDIVIDUAL DONORS Emily Lin Emily Szulc Emily Tepe Emma Compton Eric Davis Erica Hector Vital-Lazare Erin McLeary Erin Young Ernest Saxton III Eugene Charles Phillips Eugene Lew Eva Davis Evan Blaise Walsh Evan Moore Evelyn La Nier Everett Gillison Farah Bakaari Farah Stockman Feini Yin Felisa Armento Fleta W. Howell Dr. Foluso Fakorede Francesca Scarlett Frank Briggs Franklin D. Neblett Fred Joiner Frederica Glaser Frehiwet Alfa Genevieve Minick Genevieve Radosti Genevieve Saavedra Gerard Franklin Germaine Ingram Gideon Bryant Greg Carr Hallee Adelman Hannah Gann Harry G. Hayman Hashaun Troy Suttles Heba Nimr Hilary Tackie Ian Connito Ife Salam

Ignacio Rivera Ikemba Ojore Imad Elsheikh Imani Cooper Imani Wilson Inga Saffron Ivy Mongare J. Kehaulani Kauanui Jacinto Grant Jackie McGriff Jacqueline Wiggins Jamaica Reddick James A. Farmer II Jamila Daniel Jamila Medley Jamila Pugh Jamile Karout Jan D’Aguilar Janelle Fofie Janet Thomson Janine de Novais Jason Gilmore Jason Harris Jean Tickell Jean Tom Jeanel Burgess-Belfon Jeanine McGrath Jeanne D’Angelo Jeffrey Trexler Jeffrey Young Jennifer Jordan Jennifer Tobin Jerard James Jeremy Boyd Jeremy Liu Jessiah Styles Jessica Downing Jessica Fuentes Jewell Hill Jiana Murdic Jody Mace Johari Harris John Gunsbury John Myers

John Smelcer John Smith John Walters Johnny Granberry Jonathan Cooper Jonathan Dickstein Judith R. Peters Judith Shosie Judy Wicks Julie Gant Junko Taniguchi Justin Rubich Kaj Brian K. Wilson Kahlila Chaar-Pérez Kamodjia Williams Kanika Thelwell Karem Orrego Karen Benson Karen Hunter Karen Jones Karen Jordan Karen Masso Karie McGuire Karma Mayet Johnson Kasha Brown Kat Walden Kate Rushin Katherine Karlin Kathleen Ogilvie Greene Kathryn Toure Katrina Stokes Katrina Trudeau Kay Mcguffin Kayla Shuler Kayla Watkins Keisha Gwynn Keith Collins Kelechi Ajunwa Kelley A. Jackson Kelli Sparrow Mickens Kelly Shareef Kelvin Vu Kemi Schleicher

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Kenisha Askew Dada Kenya Miles Kerstin Fuchs Kevin Brooks Kevin Leacock Kevin Storey Kiarah Cannady Kim Fleisher Kipp Gilmore-Clough Kira Branch Krista Mar Kristen Hinds Kristi Stanton Kyle Cuffie-Scott Kyle Bower L. Silver Lakiia Greer Larisa K. Mann Lashawn Haliburton LaTiana Ridgell Laura Alarcon Laura Pegram Lauren Arrington Lauren Jane Holland Lauren Lefty Lauren Murray Lavette Vance Leena Agyapong Leila Nashed Leilani Clark Lesley Fredericks Levester Williams Levi Baruch Lihle Hunt Lillian Dunn Lillian Ransijn Lina Reyes Linda Blackaby Linda Clark Linda Earle Linda Fernandez Lindsay Thompson Lisa Hall Lisa Perriera

Lisbet Tellefsen LisaMaria Francis-Richburg Liz Welch Lori Landew Lorraine Ricks Lorretta A. Walker Louis Harrigan Jr. Lu Mukerjee Lucille Pilling Lucy Duncan Lynda Black M’daya Meliani Maalika Banerjee Mable Bakali Madeline Barnhard Madison Tillman Magali Sarfatti Larson Maggie North Maggie Wrobel Mahlette Betre Mahsati Moorhead Maiya Nashed Major Jackson Mansi Bhargava Marcia V. Ellis Marcia Molina Marcus Shepard Margaret Clough Mark Clark Mark Hernandez Mark Schlawin Markette Harris Mary Ebeling Mary George Mary Spiers Matt Nelson Matthew Morris Max Freedman Maximiño Manzanares Meena Murugesan Megan Bailon Melanie Cotton Melinda Kowalska

Melissa Ahlborn Melissa Hamilton Melissa Langer Meredith Muncy Meredith Rainey Merinda Johnson Metut Amare Mia Herndon Michael B. Barron Michael Carroll Michael Galarraga Michael Kenneth Riley II Michael Melas Michelle Brooks Michelle Byars Michelle David Michelle Lanier Michelle Parkerson Mike Chan Mike Kaiser Mike Mauirubu Mike McArthur Mimi Perez Miriam Ayoo Miriam Harris Mishell B. Kneeland Mobolaji Olambiwonnu Mona Al Mukaddam Monica Ocampo Mosi Ighzebier Muthisage Amaru Nadia Sussman Nadia Woodhouse Nadine Krueger Naima Nguvu Najah A Farley Nakeiha Primus Nana Apatu Nancy Geryk Naoka Carey Natalie Cone Nathalie Cerin Nathan Bishop

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

INDIVIDUAL DONORS Nehal Naser Nella Biacs Nesanet Teshager Abegaze Nettie C. Bullock Niaara Jackson Nicholas Schonberger Nicole Wooten Nil Moreno Nora Elmarzoouky Norman Scott Nyla Koncurat Nzadi Keita Nzinga T. Oceana Sawyer Oki Sogumi Olivia Moseley Olivia Polk Olivia Vincenti Oluwayemisi Oyeniyi Owen Taylor Pam Adams Pamela Gray Payton Panagiotis Karalis Pat Coleman Patricia Stewart Patrick Bobko Patrick Fitzgerald Patsy Cannon Paul V. Grant Paula Lamb Paula Paul Penny M. Von Eschen Penny Scott-Sedley Peter Hall Phil Asbury Philip Gentry Queen Jo R. Taylor Ra Malika Imhotep Rachel Jordan Rachel Newman Rackell Arum Raffaella Pierson Ramona Gilbert

Randi Gill-Sadler Raquel Von Cogell Rashid Zakat Rea Tajiri Rebecca Alvarez Rebecca Green Rebecca Maury Rebecca Quinte Reema Dodin Renata Hall Reginald Harris Reginald Moore Renee Brown Walters Renee Whatley Rex Yin Ria Tandon Richard Faithful Richard Wesley Rikki Harley Rita Reed Rita Z. Asch Robin Wood Rodney Evans Ronald Johnson Roshan Basil Ruha Benjamin Ruth King Ruth Owens S. Hought Salma Hinkle Sam Chemsak Samantha Baneerjee Samantha Simpson Sandra Dungee Glenn Sandra Toney Dr. Sapana Shah Sarah Curry Sarah Drury Sarah East Sarah Morrison Sarah Rowley Sarah Salem Sasha PB Sasha Rosario

Sasha Waters Savannah Wood Seena Curtis Shakaboona M. Shakerra Grays Shantala Thompson Shari Hersh Shawn Peters Shea Scruggs Sheila Lent Shesheena Bray Shira Hassan Simone Austin Shontina Vernon Skai Stroud Socorro Montaño Sonalee Rashatwar Sonia Mak Sonia Mohammadzadah Sophie Hagen Sophie Maddocks Soria Ginzburg Sracy Darrah Sreedevi Sripathy Stacy Bullard Stephan Ruiz-Zink Stephanie Etienne Stephanie Gailes Stephane Robolin Stephen A. Way Stephen Hicks Stephni B. Layne Sterling Warren Steven Majewski Stewart Scott Subrina L. Wood Sue Delliproscoli Suhas Sreedhar Susan Bennett Susan Bell Susie Day Suzy Subways Sylvio Etienne Tajah Ebram

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Tamara N. Thompson Tamara Xavier Tamira Moore Tania Hewes Tanya Latortue Tapiwa Chikwanda Tara Foster Tariq Rashid Tatiana Bacchus Taunya Ransom Tavina Lynn Taylor Aldridge Taylor Meghie Taylor Tai Ted Glackman Ted Lozier Tempest Carter TeNeasha Billingsley Terence Washington Terry Trudeau Theo Spencer Theodore W. Burkhardt Thomas Chong Thomas Hardiman Thulani Davis Tia Live-Joseph Tiffany Bacon Timothy Belknap Tisa Bryant Tonita Austin Tony Clark Torkwase Dyson Tracey Mia Stewart Traci Johnson Tracy Heather Strain Tracy L. Collins Tracy Mickens-Hundley Tsilala Brock Uchenna Nebolisa Un Kyong Ho Valerie Keller Valerie Riss Valerie Ward Vanessa Jackson

Vanessa Rios Cheatham Verdie Maldonado Veronica Vance Vicki Meek Vjaceslavs Desankovs Wendy Atwell Wendy Levy Willie Cochran William O’Connor Xelba Guttierez Xuechun Wu Yace Sula YaYa Horne Yolo Robinson Yoni Brook Yvette Alberdingk Thijm Yvonne King Yvonne Lin Yvonne Shirley

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FILMMAKER INDEX A Abdou Cissé Authors of the Estate — 88, 109, 150 Adam Khalil Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/greatgrandparent/great-grandchild] — 9, 29, 44, 148 Ahmed Al Danaf One More Show — 9, 21, 30, 61 Aida Kaadan Another Day Shall Come — 100, 108, 150 Alexis McCrimmon Remote Views — 81, 126, 155, Alile Sharon Larkin A Different Image — 9, 23, 29, 54, 144 Amandla Baraka For Peace of Mind — 32, 96, 115, 152 Andrés Cisneros Philly Rumba — 90, 124 Annemarie Jacir Palestine ’36 — 8, 61 Artlieta Hall Finding Your Laughter — 9, 22, 28, 29, 53, 149

B Ben Baker-Lee A Life in Art: Through the Eye of Dr. Leslie King Hammond — 22, 57 Brittany Alsot Finding Your Laughter — 9, 22, 28, 29, 54, 149

C c. Craig Patterson ChikaBOOM!! — 82, 112 Cameron Clay

Jesus Is Coming (to Take the Church Away) — 96, 121 Caron Creighton Wood Street — 8, 23, 75 Catherine Murphy Reading the World — 8, 22, 64 Cherish Oteka Free Lyric — 30, 105, 117 Chiemeka Offor Nwanne M Nwaanyị — 86, 123 Cyril Aris A Sad and Beautiful World — 21, 29, 65

D Dammy Twitch Call of My Life — 21, 52 Dano Garcia Mickey — 9, 22, 30, 33, 58 Darryl Daley Revival 24 — 104, 127 Devon Delmar Variations on a Theme — 23, 70, 149 Donn Thompson Morelli (“Donn T”) The Philadelphia Sensei: Lovett Hines — 86, 125 Douglas Henrique Olinda’s Golden Arches — 101, 125, 151

E Elisee Junior St Preux The Tropic Sun and His Eyes — 20, 68 Elson Santos We, People of the Islands — 8, 21, 71 Elvis Caj Ixquic — 32, 78, 120 Evelyn Pakinewatik We Act Like Children — 33, 82, 130

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F

J

Dr. Fahamu Pecou The Store — 84, 129 Fanta Sylla The Aura — 97, 111 Fatima Wardy White Musk — 91, 133

G Gabby Beans Angels Pull Your Hair — 29, 99, 107, 152 Gabrielle Patterson The Seeds We Carry — 88, 128 Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Wampís (GTANW) Charip: Lightning in the River — 32, 79, 111

H Haile Gerima Black Lions — Roman Wolves — 8, 20, 21, 22, 47, 48 Hao Zhou At the Stage When — 101, 109 Harlan Banks i wonder shall i fly — 32, 81, 119, 150

I Ique Langa The Prophet — 9, 20, 63, 149 Iris de Oliveira Reading the World — 8, 22, 64 Iyabo Kwayana Old Man River — 92, 124, 143, 151

Jason Jacobs Variations on a Theme — 23, 70, 149 Jonathan Thunder Ish Meets a Mermaid — 98, 120 Joude Bazzoun 66 Days — 32, 81, 106 Juan C. Dávila Santiago Zenón and the Rebel Boats — 8, 21, 74, 149 Julie Dash HomeGoing — 91, 117

K Karol Maia No Sunshine in Here — 9, 22, 30, 59 Kethiwe Ngcobo And She Didn’t Die — 8, 21, 45 Kevin Aubert Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child — 83, 113 Kevin Jerome Everson National Seating — 86, 123 Kimmy Campbell Wholesome — 95, 133 Kristine Blonbou Enjoy the Tropix and Have a Banana! — 100, 114 Kyle Drew Potato Salad — 98, 126

L Lade Tinubu Voicemail — 90, 131 Lara Sousa We, People of the Islands — 8, 21, 71 Lauryn Darden When They’re Gone — 91, 133

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

FILMMAKER INDEX Lexie Bean What Will I Become? — 9, 20, 31, 74 Logan Rozos What Will I Become? — 9, 20, 31, 74 Louis Massiah Tenants of Lenapehocking in the Age of Magnets — 9, 21, 29, 67

M Mai Saad One More Show — 9, 21, 30, 61 Mamadou Yattassaye Vis-à-Vis — 87, 131 Maori Karmael Holmes Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip Hop — 9, 21, 22, 33, 67, 103, 136, 142, 145, 171 Mars Verrone Buckskin — 87, 110 Martine Granby Same Water — 79, 126 Maya Annik Bedward Black Zombie — 19, 49 Meena Nanji An Afternoon with a Gnawa — 102, 107 Melissa Beatriz Philly Rumba — 88, 124 Meriem Bennani Bouchra — 9, 22, 51 Michèle Stephenson True North — 33, 69, 141 Miryam Charles An Incomplete Calendar — 9, 23, 55, 154 Mo Harawe Whispers of a Burning Scent — 95, 133 Mullu TV Charip: Lightning in the River — 32, 79, 111

N Naishe Nyamubaya God Sleeps on Sundays — 97, 117 Nikki Taylor-Roberts Ella — 103, 113 Nolitha Refilwe Mkulisi Let Them Be Seen — 20, 52

O Orian Barki Bouchra — 9, 22, 51

P Pétala Lopes Communion — 79, 112 Polen Ly Becoming Human — 23, 48, 149 Precious Wura Alabi To Run Is to Return — 91, 131

Q Quyen Nguyen-Le Muoz-Doic Mixtape — 80, 122

R Ragan Henderson When They’re Gone — 91, 133 Ramla Ali How To Hide It — 95, 118 Rassaan Hammond A life in Art: Through the Eye of Dr. Leslie King Hammond — 22, 57 Richard A. Moore How to Hide It — 95, 118 Rodney Evans Solace — 90, 129

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S

V

Sabaah Folayan Lani B. Supreme: Legacy — 87, 122 Sanam Sheriff Our Bodies Ours — 105, 125 Sanaz Sohrabi An Incomplete Calendar — 9, 23, 55, 154 Simone Holland Glass Bricks — 104, 116, 143 Sky Hopinka Powwow People — 23, 63 Sofía Gallisá Muriente A Bundle of Silences — 92, 111, 155 Sonali Gulati Our Bodies Ours — 105, 125 Steven Barnes The Keeper — 9, 30, 99, 121, 152 Suneil Sanzgiri An Impossible Address — 32, 84, 119, 155 Syra McCarthy After What Happened at the Library — 29, 32, 95, 107

Victor Gabriel I Got My Brother — 30, 105, 119 Victoria Cheyenne Are You Native? — 80, 108

Y Yoruba Richen Free Joan Little — 30, 115 Yovegami Ascona Mora Boca Vieja — 20, 50 Yvonne Michelle Shirley Watch Out for the Ghosts — 84, 133

Z Zack Khalil Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/greatgrandparent/great-grandchild] — 9, 29, 44, 148

T Tananarive Due The Keeper — 9, 30, 99, 121, 152 Taylor Hosking West Side Familia — 8, 20, 28, 72 Tchaiko Omawale Fists of Mothers — 99, 115 Tshay Meade Tell Me When You Get Home — 83, 130, 153

U Ulisses Arthur We Are Not Dreaming — 31, 33, 73

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

COUNTRIES INDEX ANGOLA

DENMARK

An Impossible Address — 32, 84, 119, 155

Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/greatgrandparent/great-grandchild] — 9, 29, 44, 148

AUSTRIA

ECUADOR

Whispers of a Burning Scent — 95, 133 Charip: Lightning in the River — 32, 79, 111

BRAZIL Communion — 79, 112 No Sunshine in Here — 9, 22, 30, 59 Olinda’s Golden Arches — 101, 125, 151 Reading the World — 8, 22, 64 We Are Not Dreaming — 31, 33, 75

EGYPT One More Show — 9, 21, 30, 61

FRANCE

Becoming Human — 23, 48, 149

The Aura — 97, 111 Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child — 83, 113 Palestine ’36 — 8, 61

CANADA

GERMANY

Black Zombie — 19, 49 An Incomplete Calendar — 9, 23, 55, 154 Treasure Island — 85, 132, 143, 155 True North — 33, 69, 141 We Act Like Children (Abinoojiikaasmin) — 33, 82, 130

Let Them Be Seen — 20, 56 Revival 24 — 104, 127 A Sad and Beautiful World — 21, 29, 65 Whispers of a Burning Scent — 95, 133

CAPE VERDE

Enjoy the Tropix and Have a Banana! — 100, 114

CAMBODIA

We, People of the Islands — 8, 21, 71

CHINA

GUADELOUPE

GUATEMALA Ixquic — 32, 78, 120

At the Stage When — 101, 109

GUYANA Old Man River — 92, 124, 143, 151

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183

HAITI

MOZAMBIQUE

The Tropic Sun and His Eyes — 20, 68, 141

The Prophet — 9, 20, 63, 149 We, People of the Islands — 8, 21, 71

INDIA

NETHERLANDS

An Impossible Address — 32, 84, 119, 155 Our Bodies Ours — 105, 125

Variations on a Theme — 23, 70, 149

IRAN

Call of My Life — 21, 52 Nwanne M Nwaanyị — 86, 123

NIGERIA

An Incomplete Calendar — 9, 23, 55, 154

NORWAY

ITALY

Palestine ’36 — 8, 61

Bouchra — 9, 22, 51

PALESTINE

JORDAN

Another Day Shall Come — 100, 108, 150 One More Show — 9, 21, 31, 61 Palestine ’36 — 8, 61

Palestine ’36 — 8, 61

LEBANON

PERU

66 Days — 32, 81, 106 A Sad and Beautiful World — 21, 29, 65

Charip: Lightning in the River — 32, 79, 111

MEXICO

PORTUGAL

Boca Vieja — 20, 50 Mickey — 9, 22, 30, 33, 58

We, People of the Islands — 8, 21, 71

MOROCCO An Afternoon With a Gnawa — 102, 107 Bouchra — 9, 22, 51 Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child — 83, 113

PUERTO RICO A Bundle of Silences — 92, 111, 155 Zenón and the Rebel Boats 8, 21, 74, 149

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

COUNTRIES INDEX QATAR

UNITED KINGDOM

A Sad and Beautiful World — 21, 29, 65 Palestine ’36 — 8, 61 Variations on a Theme — 23, 70, 149

66 Days — 32, 81, 106 Authors of the Estate — 88, 109, 150 Free Lyric — 30, 105, 117 How to Hide It — 95, 119 Palestine ’36 — 8, 61 Revival 24 — 104, 127 To Run Is to Return — 91, 131 White Musk — 91, 133

SAUDI ARABIA A Sad and Beautiful World — 21, 29, 65 Palestine ’36 — 8, 61

SENEGAL Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child — 83, 113

SOMALIA Whispers of a Burning Scent — 95, 133

SOUTH AFRICA And She Didn’t Die — 8, 21, 45 Let Them Be Seen — 20, 56 The Prophet — 9, 20, 63, 149 Variations on a Theme — 23, 70, 149

SUDAN White Musk — 91, 133

TURKEY An Incomplete Calendar — 9, 23, 55, 154

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES White Musk — 91, 133

UNITED STATES Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/greatgrandparent/great-grandchild] — 9, 29, 44, 148 After What Happened at the Library — 29, 32, 95, 107 Angels Pull Your Hair — 29, 99, 107, 152 Are You Native? — 80, 108 At the Stage When — 101, 109 Black Lions — Roman Wolves — 8, 20, 21, 22, 47, 48 Bouchra — 9, 22, 51 Buckskin — 87, 110 A Bundle of Silences — 92, 111, 155 ChikaBOOM!! — 82, 112 Call of My Life — 21, 52 A Different Image — 9, 23, 29, 53, 144 Ella — 103, 113 Finding Your Laughter — 9, 22, 28, 29, 54, 149 Fists of Mothers — 99, 115 For Peace of Mind — 32, 96, 115, 152 Free Joan Little — 30, 115 Free Lyric — 30, 105, 117 Glass Bricks — 104, 116, 143 HomeGoing — 91, 117 I Got My Brother — 30, 105, 119 i wonder shall i fly — 32, 81, 119, 150

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185

An Impossible Address — 32, 84, 119, 155 Ish Meets a Mermaid — 98, 120 Jesus Is Coming (to Take the Church Away) — 96, 121 The Keeper — 9, 30, 99, 121, 156 Lani B. Supreme: Legacy — 87, 126 A Life in Art: Through the Eye of Dr. Leslie King Hammond — 22, 57 Muoz-Doic Mixtape — 80, 122 National Seating — 86, 123 Old Man River — 92, 124, 143, 151 Our Bodies Ours — 105, 125 The Philadelphia Sensei: Lovett Hines — 86, 125 Philly Rumba — 88, 126 Potato Salad — 98, 126 Powwow People — 23, 63 Reading the World — 8, 22, 64 Remote Views — 81, 126, 155 A Sad and Beautiful World — 21, 29, 65 Same Water — 79, 127 Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip Hop — 9, 21, 22, 33, 67, 103, 136, 142, 145, 171 The Seeds We Carry — 89, 128 Solace — 90, 129 The Store — 84, 129 Tell Me When You Get Home — 83, 130, 153 Tenants of Lenapehocking in the Age of Magnets — 9, 21, 29, 67 True North — 33, 69, 141 Vis-à-Vis — 87, 131 Voicemail — 90, 131 Watch Out for the Ghosts — 84, 133 West Side Familia — 8, 20, 28, 72 What Will I Become? — 9, 20, 31, 74 When They’re Gone — 91, 133 White Musk — 91, 133 Wholesome — 95, 133 Wood Street — 8, 23, 75

Zenón and the Rebel Boats — 8, 21, 76, 151

VENEZUELA An Incomplete Calendar — 9, 23, 55, 154

ZIMBABWE God Sleeps on Sundays — 97, 117

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

IN MEMORIAM

IMAGE: GRETJEN LEE CLAUSING, 2016 BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL

Gretjen Lee Clausing 62, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania died Saturday, May 23, 2026, at her family cabin in the Catskills.

Born on April 19, 1964, in Media, Pennsylvania to JoAnn and Jan Clausing, Gretjen grew up in Wallingford, PA, attended public schools in Media and went on to graduate from Ithaca College with a BS in Communications and Media Studies in 1986.

For close to 40 years Gretjen worked in community media as a media arts programmer, maker, and administrator. During college she interned at the Neighborhood Film/ Video Project (NFVP) a program of the International House of Philadelphia (IHouse). Mentored by its founder Linda Blackaby, she joined the NFVP staff after graduation, or as Linda put it, “She came highly recommended as an intern, and we were lucky to find a way to keep her on in a full-time position.”

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

187 That turned into over a decade working on NFVP programming at IHouse including the launch of the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema (PFWC) in 1991. This was the beginning of her career as one of the region’s most talented and prolific programmers of independent media which included her time directing repertory programming at the Prince Music Theater/Film at the Prince, as Program Director at Scribe Video Center, an internationally recognized media arts center and as the inaugural executive director of Philadelphia Community Access Media (PhillyCAM), Philadelphia’s first public access television station.

Filmmaker Louis Massiah, founder of Scribe Video Center, said it was important to remember and lift up Gretjen’s legacy of activism and her unwavering commitment to community media which was demonstrated both in her role as a founding member of the citywide Philadelphia Public Access Coalition, a group of activists, independent producers, educators and community organizations that in 2007 finally won the 27 year fight for public access in the city of Philadelphia and as executive director of PhillyCAM where she helped create a welcoming

environment to support and nurture a growing community of media makers.

An accomplished photographer and media maker in her own right, Gretjen had a radio show in college, acted as a facilitator/production consultant for Scribe’s Community Visions program and its Precious Places Community History Project, was part of the team that produced the show Big Tea Party, a local favorite hosted by chef and artist Elizabeth Fiend focused on topics like DIY sustainable living, local politics and vegetarianism, that aired on PhillyCAM until 2017, and most recently produced and hosted Pulling Focus, a weekly radio show on WPPM 106.5 FM in Philadelphia that explored filmmaking and film music.

When she was 16, Gretjen went to Belgium as part of a junior year abroad program, it was there she met Philippe Staff, her husband and partner of 45+ years. They corresponded and kept in touch when she returned home, and reunited years later while she was in a college exchange program in London. The rest is history, including Philippe attending her college graduation in Ithaca before they

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

IN MEMORIAM embarked on a three-month crosscountry trip, returning to Belgium later that year. They got married December 27, 1987, in Media, Pennsylvania while visiting her parents for the Christmas holidays.

They returned to Brussels and lived there for another two years before returning to Philadelphia and making it their home.

While her loved ones are shocked and deeply saddened by Gretjen’s death, they are thankful for her life and immensely grateful for having been part of it. Gretjen was special to those who knew her. She loved adventure (I mean, she built an igloo in her backyard), wasn’t afraid to take risks, ask big questions or speak her truth. As someone commented when learning of her passing, “...authentic has become such as overused term, but she truly was authentic.” She was also kind, curious, honest, brave, generous, and full of life and laughter; folks will always remember how her face lit up when she smiled and how much fun she was to be with.

cooked meals using bounty from her garden, going to see a film or hear music, being in nature doing things like — walking in the Wissahickon, working in her garden at home, digging in her plot at the community garden, hanging at the cabin in the Catskills or working on the boat, and spending time with her extensive network and robust community of family, friends, and colleagues. She brought lightness to all their lives with an uncanny ability to share the joy she found with those around her.

Gretjen is survived by her beloved husband Philippe Staff of Philadelphia, PA, her loving and devoted parents, JoAnn H. Clausing and Jan Clausing of Newark, Vermont and a wide circle of extended and chosen family, friends, colleagues, co-conspirators, accomplices and allies. Her memory will be cherished by all who knew her. She was as they say... a real one.

Obituary: Denise M. Brown & Philippe Staff

Gretjen found ways to make time to enjoy life’s pleasures, the simple ones... like hanging out at home, working on a new knitting project, sharing one of her yummy homeBLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL 2026

189 Many of us at BlackStar were deeply saddened by the news of Gretjen Clausing’s passing. My relationship with Gretjen spans nearly all of my time in Philadelphia. We first worked together at the Philadelphia Independent Film & Video Association (PIFVA) in 2004, after which our professional and personal lives were constantly intertwined via Scribe Video Center, Black Lily, Leeway Foundation, International House, NAMAC, etc. She was always a generous beatific presence, rolling up her sleeves to help and offer insight. From the beginning, Gretjen and the PhillyCAM team supported BlackStar’s programs and events in a myriad of ways. On behalf of everyone at BlackStar Projects, we extend our deepest condolences to Gretjen’s family, loved ones, colleagues, and the entire PhillyCAM community. We are grateful for her life, her visionary leadership, and for the example she set for so many of us.

–Maori Karmael Holmes

15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

NOTES

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15 YEARS OF CINEMA FOR LIBERATION

CONCEIVED AND FILMED BY

WILLIAM GREAVES

DIRECTED BY

DAVID GREAVES

PROUDLY SUPPORTS

IN THEATERS

OCTOBER 16

BlackStar Projects Year Round Funders Bloomberg Philanthropies City of Philadelphia Color Congress Department of Community and Economic Development Ford Foundation John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Mellon Foundation People’s Media Fund Perspective Fund Pop Culture Collaborative Ruth Foundation for the Arts Surdna Foundation The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Wallace Foundation William Penn Foundation Wyncote Foundation

2026 BlackStar Film Festival Program Guide COMPILATION Sydney Alicia Rodriguez

COMPILATION SUPPORT Jowel Sinclair Nehad Khader Nyla Daniel

COPY EDITOR Shauna Swartz

FESTIVAL IDENTITY Pacific Pacific

IDENTITY APPLICATION & LAYOUT Pablo Alarcon Jr.

PRINTING The Standard Group © BlackStar Projects, Philadelphia BlackStar Projects 267.603.2755 star@blackstarprojects.org www.blackstarprojects.org

Printed in Lancaster, PA

BY INDIE MEANS NECESSARY