Annual Report
2023 blackstarfest.org | @blackstarfest
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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. Watch our 2023 Year-In-Review video.
Photos in this report are by Daniel Jackson, Constance Mensch, Gene Smirnov, Geoff Haggray, Lendl Tellington, Mochi Robinson, Naomieh Jovin, and Rashid Zakat.
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About
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Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab
24
Board Letter
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Year Round Programs
28
CEAO Letter
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Sponsored Projects
29
2023 At-A-Glance
06
Wellness & Accessibility
30
Festival
08
Supporters
31
Exhibitions
12
Staff
36
Many Lumens
15
Board
37
Seen
18
Seminar
21
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Board Letter
Sekou Campbell and Denise Beek BlackStar Board of Directors, co-chairs
In 2023, we continued to delight in BlackStar’s evolution. During a year that saw sustained funding challenges and global crises of many kinds, BlackStar curated spaces that allowed us to locate ourselves, find solace, and imagine a more humane and dignified world. As you will read throughout this report, BlackStar is thriving. As we extricate ourselves out of two industry strikes and brace ourselves for a vitriolic election year, we are steadfast in our commitment to agency and authorship. We stand firm against forces that undermine our right to truth, healing and liberation as the United States sanctions violence against Black, Brown and Indigenous bodies, both here and abroad. But because we are rooted in love and grounded in community, we will cultivate and flower new work, till the soil for emerging and established artists, and seed opportunities for creativity and collaboration. BlackStar’s staff has brought new meaning to quality programming with the 12th annual BlackStar Film Festival, the Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, Many Lumens, the William and Louise Greaves Seminar, and Seen journal, among other projects. The level of care
that they embed in daily operations and then demonstrate to filmmakers and audiences provide a model for how we carry forward legacies of activism, education, and cultural vitality for future generations. The work produced by BlackStar and its growing community fosters new possibilities and connections. Despite the weight of that responsibility, the BlackStar team has continued to meet that need and the outlook shines brighter than ever. We, along with our fellow board members, are privileged to be among BlackStar’s stakeholders, helping to fortify its infrastructure, and develop its people and resources. We are inspired to match the determination of the organization’s leadership by continuing to provide institutional support and cultivate new networks of contributors. 2024 will bring about a new set of changes as we bid farewell to Sara Zia Ebrahimi, our Chief Operations Officer of the last three years. Sara Zia managed the growth of this organization with grace, tact, and enormous attention to detail. Balancing BlackStar’s operations and maintaining its fidelity to organizing and mission-driven principles would challenge the most skilled leader, and Sara Zia held each of these
priorities with equal measure. Thank you for all of your hard work. We will miss you, and we wish you much success in all of your future endeavors! As BlackStar forges ahead, we look forward to meeting the challenges, seen and unforeseen. We can say that because we have supporters like you, backing us, promoting us, and investing in our journey. As evidenced by this report, it is you who keeps us going. Thank you for showing that you believe in us through your contributions and your presence. To deeper community building, true solidarity, and bolder visions, Sekou and Denise
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CEAO Letter
Maori Karmael Holmes Chief Executive & Artistic Officer
It is in gathering with our communities that we found inspiration, respite, and joy in 2023. From our third annual William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar in March to our 12th annual BlackStar Film Festival in August, this year we brought together thousands of filmmakers, artists, and other cultural workers to discuss, debate, and celebrate groundbreaking art from the global majority.
Dear Friends, What does it mean to be a liberatory arts organization in a moment like this? How do we best support Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists in the shadow of global tragedy and uncertainty? This year has often felt void of satisfying answers, from the climate crisis to ongoing colonial oppression, but at BlackStar we continue to lean into the challenging questions — knowing that our mode of cultural work is as necessary now as it has always been.
This report marks the close of our fourth year as a full-time organization, and the culmination of an extraordinary period of growth and innovation at BlackStar. In addition to organizing the seminar and our biggest festival ever, over the past twelve months we released two issues of Seen, ten episodes of our podcast Many Lumens, co-presented a major exhibition by artist Terence Nance, completed the second year of our Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab, and hosted our very first Luminary Gala. (*Exhales*). It’s been personally exhilarating to see so many of the programs I dreamed of (along with so many of you) over the first decade of the film festival come fully to life now. But BlackStar has always been a space for experimentation and learning, and as we look ahead
to what’s next, we’re recognizing a need for rest and reflection. This means more time spent celebrating all we’ve accomplished and planning for a truly sustainable future as we face fundraising hurdles and challenges due to attention shifting away from racial justice and narrative work to other areas of need. In 2024, we’ll be focused on deepening the potency of our gatherings and remaining the premiere Blackled space for radical, genre-defying visual art and imagination for artists of color. As always, I am forever grateful for our incredible staff, board, partners, members, and others who make this work possible. Of course I must name the particular contributions of my friend and outgoing Chief Operations Officer, Sara Zia Ebrahimi, who over the past three years transformed our work by building systems and processes and overseeing fundraising. You will be greatly missed Sara Zia, but your legacy of thought-leadership and institutional development is on full display in the pages that follow — and in everything we continue to build at BlackStar. Many Lumens, Maori
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2023 At-a-Glance 300+
Number of BIPOC artists BSP paid in 2023
$1,150,000+
Amount of money paid to artists and cultural workers in 2023
70+ Press mentions in outlets reaching an audience of over 1 billion readers worldwide Including: Axios, EBONY, The New York Times, Vogue
500k
Festival
Total social media reach
200k+
Video views on IG, YouTube, and TikTok
46K+
15K+
93
attendees
Films
19
5
world premieres
U.S. premieres
11
10
Instagram followers
1k
YouTube Subscribers
North American premieres
East Coast premieres
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2023 At-a-Glance
“Under the purview of chief executive and artistic officer Maori Karmael Holmes, BlackStar has become the premiere destination for experimental artistic endeavors, community, and conversation for Black and brown creators in Philadelphia, attracting filmmakers and attendees from all over the world.” — The Cut
“The most incredible part is it being in one of my hometowns. Philadelphia is a practice ground for refusal, persistence of Black intellectual and psychic power — I love that this type of portal belongs to this city. ” — 2023 Festival Attendee
"The staff & team [at BlackStar] believe in making things accessible because they love & respect the festival goers as their cinematic family." — FWD-Doc’s Film Event Accessibility Survey
“The massive amount of Black love, support and networking were life-changing.” — 2023 Seminar Participant
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BlackStar Film Festival 2023 The 12th annual BlackStar Film Festival took place August 2-6, 2023 and was attended by more than 15,000 people worldwide. The Festival included both virtual and in person screenings of 93 genre-defying films, a central stage featuring interviews, panels, and live podcast recordings (including one episode of Many Lumens, which you can watch here), a filmmaker brunch and awards ceremony, and outdoor opening and closing night parties. For the first time, BlackStar took over Broad street in downtown Philadelphia, activating three different venues — Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center, Suzanne Roberts Theater, and Lightbox Film Center — while continuing to increase accessibility. Watch our 2023 Festival recap video.
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BlackStar Film Festival 2023 — Awards
Juried Awards Best Experimental Film Before I Let Go Dir. Cameron A. Granger Experimental Film Honorable Mention Quiet As It’s Kept Dir. Ja’Tovia Gary Best Feature Documentary Fire Through Dry Grass Dirs. Andres “Jay” Molina and Alexis Neophytides Best Feature Narrative Girl Dir. Adura Onashile Best Short Documentary Bone Black: Midwives vs. the South Dir. Imani Nikyah Dennison
Best Short Documentary Honorable Mention A Bear Named Jesus Dir. Terril Calder Best Short Narrative Sèt Lam Dir. Vincent Fontano Short Narrative Honorable Mention The Truth About Alvert, the Last Dodo Dir. Nathan Clement
Audience Awards
Special Prizes
Best Short Narrative Look Back At It Dir. Felicia Pride
Best Director of Climate Storytelling (Center For Cultural Power) Mirasol dir. Annalise Lockhart
Best Feature Narrative Mountains Dir. by Monica Sorelle Best Short Documentary Over the Wall Dir. Krystal Tingle Best Feature Documentary Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project Dir. by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster Best Experimental Film Before I Let Go Dir. Cameron A. Granger
Shine Award MnM Dir. Twiggy Pucci Garçon
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BlackStar Film Festival 2023
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Terence Nance: Swarm Exhibition
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Terence Nance: Swarm In 2023, BlackStar debuted Terence Nance: Swarm, presented in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. Curated by BlackStar's Chief Executive & Artistic Officer Maori Karmael Holmes, Swarm is the first solo exhibition for the visionary artist behind projects like Random Acts of Flyness and An Oversimplification of Her Beauty. The exhibition opened in March 2023 with a record-setting attendance of 1,100+ guests on opening night, and continued high engagement through the exhibition close in July 2023. The exhibition was accompanied by several programs, including the first ever live performance of Nance’s debut album, V O R T E X, in collaboration with Union Transfer and an Artist-Curator talk at ICA in conjunction with the catalog release.
“Swarm is [a] brilliant, impassioned love-letter to the Black diaspora.” — Artblog
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Terence Nance: Swarm
“At the ICA Philadelphia, ‘Terence Nance: Swarm’ Invites Guests to Settle In” — VOGUE
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Many Lumens Many Lumens, BlackStar’s signature podcast hosted by founder Maori Karmael Holmes, makes space for reflective conversations on the intersection of art, social change, and popular culture. Many Lumens features an eclectic roster of guests including Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists and cultural workers working outside the confines of genre. Season 3, produced in partnership with Rowhome Productions, debuted in April 2023 and featured 10 episodes, with guests including D’Lo, Meg Onli, Jason Moran, Cherien Dabis, Omar Tate and Cybille St. AudeTate, and more. In its first three years the show has been downloaded over 37,000 times and is available on most major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
2023 At-A-Glance: • 10+ new episodes • Listeners in 29 countries • Named an Apple “New and Noteworthy” Podcast • 18k+ downloads
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Many Lumens — Season 3 Guests
Cherien Dabis
D'Lo
Danielle Deadwyler
Fariha Roisin
Lisa Cortes and Bethann Hardison
J. Wortham
Jason Moran
Meg Onli
Michael Fernandez
Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate
Sterlin Harjo
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Seen Seen is our journal of film, art, and visual culture. The journal and its online column, Observed, presents critical cultural discourse from Black, Brown, and Indigenous perspectives to a wider audience of tastemakers, academics, funders, critics, and film enthusiasts. 2023 Stats:
• 60+ writers, illustrators, and photographers commissioned
• 50+ articles in print and online
In 2023, we released Issue 005 and Issue 006, featuring renowned filmmaker and multimedia artist, Cauleen Smith, and Philadelphia-native actor and director, Colman Domingo, respectively, as cover stars. Issue 005 was celebrated at McNally Jackson in New York City, with readings by artists and writers Lizania Cruz, Lou Cornum, and Aurella Yussuf. Our Issue 006 launch, co-hosted with NEW INC at the New Museum, focused on labor and artificial intelligence and featured presentations by American Artist, Suneil Sanzgiri and Stephanie Dinkins, as well as a conversation between
• Available in 40+ museums, galleries, bookshops, library collections, and other retailers worldwide
the artists moderated by critic and contributing writer Clarkisha Kent. Additionally, we partnered with Critical Minded, a grantmaking and learning initiative that supports cultural critics of color in the U.S., to host a prelaunch event and reception at Sundance, featuring a conversation with writers Beandrea July and Tre’vell Anderson.
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Seen — Current Stockists Philadelphia
Los Angeles
New Orleans
American Grammar Forin Cafe Omoi Zakka Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia Printworks The Sable Collective Thinker Makers Society Ulises Uncle Bobbie's YOWIE
The Academy Museum Store Hammer Museum The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles Now Instant Reparations Club Skylight Books Tomorrow Today
Pilot and Powell
Maryland New York Amant Center for Art, Research, and Alliances (CARA) Import News Metrograph Miriam Gallery McNally Jackson The New Museum Printed Matter The Studio Museum in Harlem Whitney Museum
Good Neighbor Loyalty Bookstores United Kingdom magCulture Interesting Books + Zines
Washington, DC Washington Project for the Arts Toronto Issues Magazine Shop Seen is also carried in academic libraries at the following institutions: Haverford RISD Cornell Wexner Center at Ohio State MoMA
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William and Louise Greaves Seminar The William and Louise Greaves Filmmaker Seminar is an annual, three-day gathering for Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists working in cinematic realms. At the 2023 Seminar, over 130 participants gathered in Philadelphia from all over the country to explore the technical and creative aspects of media-making, while having honest conversations about the successes and pitfalls of their work. Seminar programming included a keynote speech (Cauleen Smith’s Dreaming the Present), director’s commentary (Terence Nance on Season 2 of Random Acts of Flyness), curated film programs, and more.
“The demographic of this seminar created a completely unique environment. It felt rigorous and academic, but also spiritual, creative and communal.” — 2023 attendee
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William and Louise Greaves Seminar
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Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab
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Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab BlackStar's Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab supports Black, Brown and Indigenous filmmakers by making equipment, space, crew, mentorship, funding and critical feedback available over the course of a 12 month program. BlackStar acts as an executive producer on the short films created during the Lab and premieres the films at our annual film festival. The 2023 Lab included both Producing and Directing Fellows, with producers and directors working together to create three films that premiered at the 2023 BlackStar Film Festival. In addition to receiving funding for their projects, each of the fellows received year-round mentorship, including feedback on worksin-progress, advice on working with below-the-line crew and space for peer-to-peer support amongst the cohort.
We once again partnered with All Ages Productions to offer shadowing opportunities for additional Black, Brown, and Indigenous filmmakers to work on the film crews of these projects to gain further professional experience in production. The 2023 Lab was presented in partnership with Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity with additional support from All Ages Productions, Expressway Cinema Rentals, Gucci Changemakers Impact Fund, Independence Public Media Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Seven Knots Films, William Penn Foundation, and the Wyncote Foundation.
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Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab — 2023 Cohort
An Endoscopy
The Freedom to Fall Apart
All That’s Left
Directed by: Zardosht Afshari
Directed by: David Gaines
Directed by: Simone Holland
Produced by: Aaron Brokenbough Jr.
Produced by: Elizah Turner
Produced by: Stephanie Malson
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Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab — 2023 Cohort
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Year-Round Programs In 2023, we hosted and co-hosted additional screenings, events, talks, and other programming throughout the year. These included:
•Lindiwe Matshikiza’s One Take Grace (2021) in collaboration with the Barnes Foundation •Black Music: Pasts & Presents with Guthrie Ramsey at BlackStar Workshop •Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso (1998) in collaboration with the Bryn Mawr Film Institute •Lisa Cortés’ Little Richard: I am Everything (2023) in collaboration with Cinespeak
•Fall Screening Series: Dee Rees’ Pariah (2011) in BOK Auditorium and Kasi Lemmons’ Eve’s Bayou (1997) in BOK Auditorium •Queer Futures Shorts Program with J. Wortham in Conversation at Swarthmore College •Palestine Cinema Days: Michel Khleifi’s The Tale of Three Jewels (1995) at BlackStar Workshop •Teach-in on Palestine featuring Roshi Sarraj’s Bank of Targets (2021) at BlackStar Workshop
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Sponsored Projects BlackStar provided both comprehensive and one-time grant sponsorship for the following artist-led projects in 2023.
Comprehensive:
Grant Specific
Spirits Up! Project Lead: Sudan Green
La Casa de Luz Project Lead: Selina Morales
The John Coltrane Symposium Project Lead: Anyabwile Love
Dance Legends of Philly Project Lead: Cassie Owens
Della Can Fly! Project Lead: Jasmine Lynea
Chasing Dia Project Lead: Stephanie Malson
The Claudia Jones Project Project Lead: Farrah Rahaman
MAMABABY Project Lead: Xenia Matthews
SOFT Project Lead: Sarah Krusen
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Wellness & Accessibility BlackStar is committed to centering access in our internal policies, collective culture and our programmatic offerings to artists and the public. Examples of our work in 2023 included:
• Hiring members of an external Accessibility Committee (Natasha Ofili, Thomas Reid, Andraéa LaVant) to collaborate on Festival protocols • Designating an accessibility coordinator for the 2023 Festival • Producing a printed and virtual accessibility guide for our annual festival • Providing accessibility training to our full festival team, facilitated by Accessibility Committee member, Andraéa LaVant • Hiring American Sign Language interpreters for many in-person events • Providing closed captioning for all virtually streamed content at the Festival.
A record number of submissions for the 2023 festival came from filmmakers self-identifying as disabled and/or with central characters/ protagonists with a disability.
• Providing open captioning at 24 screenings at BSFF23. • Providing audio description tracks for 25% of the festival films in 2023 • Commissioning the creation of over 10 hours worth of audio description for festival
• Training 10 BIPOC audio describers through our audio description for film training program • Creating a sensory-friendly, decompression space at our annual festival for neurodivergent guests or people on the autism spectrum, open to all festival attendees • Hosting a mask-required seminar and festival to welcome immunocompromised and elderly community members • Providing a discount code for all ACCESS card holders to receive Festival screening tickets for $2 each • Working with developers to reimagine Festival website to center accessibility resources and information and simplify design overall.
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Supporters Foundation Supporters
Government Grants
Ford Foundation/JustFilms Forman Arts Initiative Gucci ChangeMakers Fund Independence Public Media Foundation John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Mellon Foundation Michael Jordan Black Community Commitment Fund Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Mighty Arrow Family Foundation Nathan Cummings Foundation Perspective Fund Philadelphia Cultural Treasures Fund PopCulture Collaborative Ruth Foundation for the Arts Samuel S. Fels Fund Surdna Foundation Wallace Foundation William Penn Foundation Wyncote Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Nonprofit Supporters American Documentary/POV Annenberg School for Communication Black Public Media Blues Babe Foundation Center For Cultural Power Firelight Media Gotham Film and Media Institute Indego ITVS MediaJustice Open Society Foundations Philadelphia Museum of Art TapRoot Earth Temple University School of Theater, Film and Media Arts
University of Pennsylvania Cinema & Media Studies WORLD Channel
Corporate Supporters All Ages Productions Concordia Fellowship at Concordia Studios Descriptive Audio Works Eventive Expressway Cinema Rentals Impact Partners Joe + Monroe Klip Collective NEON PECO Runway Urban Outfitters Visit Philadelphia W Hotels Warner Bros./Discovery Xfinity/Comcast
Individual Supporters A'Brianna Morgan Aarati Kasturirangan Abbie Altamirano Abby Sun Adrian Bagley Adrienne Johnson Aija Seera Ajah Barnes Akiba Solomon Alazar Aklilu Aleni Pappas Alex Albers Alexa Ross Alexandra Leigh Alibhe Pascal Allendre Lindor Allison Budschalow Allison Nonko Alysa Bradley Amanda Amanda Branson Gill Amanda Chan Amanda Jacobs Wolf
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Supporters Amanda Nwobu Amanda Standard Amethyst Carey Amita Sreenivas Ancil George Andre Dias Andrew A. Adair Jr. Andrew Jarecki Andrew Nadkarni Anjali Kumar Anjanette Levert Annabelle Jellinek Anndi Jinelle Liggett Anne Fleming Anne Swann Annmarie Naples Anthony Bastian Ariel Johnson Arthur Pope Ayana Jones Aybala Ozturk Ayoka Babi Gill Ahluwalia Beandrea Davis Bernadine Hawes Betsy Ivey
Beverly Hill Lomax Bonny Dean Bree Gant Brianna Neff Bridget Fritz Brielle Alexander Brittany Webb Brooke O’Hara Bryant Maxie Powell Caitlin Mae Burke Caitlin Marshall Cameron Spiller Caren Hosansky Carmichael Jones Caro Yamakazi Carrie Leljedal Cauleen Smith Chanaiah Maxwell Charles Mitchell Charles Weaver Chris Chrissy Kind Christine Broome Ciera Spencer Cindy L. Burstein CJ
Clare Kobasa Clarise McCants Conita Pierson Constance Golding Cori Murray Cornelius Moore Courtney Dailey Cynthia T. Celeste Dagmawi Woubshet Daina Troy Dana Kaplan Daniel Yusupov Danielle Allen Danielle Ayers Danielle Noble Darian Patrick David J. Huisken David L. Look David Valev David Zwerdling Dawn Schuler DeAndre Lipscomb Debora Kodish Denise Beek Denise Brown Dennis Slade
Devon Burgoyne Diane Lee Donte McFadden Dwight Wilkins Dyana Williams Echo Byrd Edwin Mayorga Elijah Jackson Emily Cook Emily Fern Dayton Emma Eisenberg Emot Farley Eric Sherman Erica Kermani Erin A. Wimberly Erin Grant Esther Lindstrom Eva Boodman Eva Lipton-Ormand Farah Ebrahimi Flor Tejada Folayemi Wilson Francena Turner Frederick Ware Gabrielle Nadolny Gayle
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Supporters Gayle Tuckett Geneva White Geoffrey Hindle George Campbell George McNeely Georgette Paulycarpe Geraldine Wang Gerard Franklin Gina Duncan Gregory Bissell Hadeel Alhubaishi He-myong Woo Heidi Ramirez Helene Ebenstein Hillary Blecker Holland & Knight Ilana Schmertzler Imani Perry Imran Siddiquee Iris Harvey Isabella Willms-Jones Isabelle Helmich Iyabo Boyd Iyabo Kwayana Jabari Caughman JacJac Devorah
Jacqueline Alexander Jacqueline Rios Jacqui McMillian-Bohler Jah Khepra Jahshua Washington Jakeya Caruthers Jamal Batts James Adams Jamile Karout Jamillah Hinson Jane J Hirt Janee Burkhalter Janet Goldwater Janice Smith Janiya Henley Jannie McInnes Jasmine Carroll Jason Fitzroy Jeffers Jaymes McCloud Jeanelle Augustin Jeff Chang Jennifer West Jennilie Brewster Jere Edmunds Jerry Mras-Swan Jesse Harold
Jessica Byrd Jessica Ross Joanna Lack Jocelyn Allen John Arthur Smith John Cardellino John Thomas Joi Mitchell Jona Shreeves-Taylor Jordan Levy Jordan Muse Jos Duncan Ase Joyce Bernheim JT Takagi Juanda Myles Judilee Reed Judith Peters Judy Norsigian Jules Burnstein Justine Nagan Kai Kornegay Kareal Amenumey Karen Redrobe Karline Wilson-Mitchell Kate Johnson Kathleen Greene
Kathryn Woodard Kathy Sachs Katrina Boilard Katrina Nagorny Kavita Rajanna Kelly S. Lockwood Kerri Park Kevin McGlinchey Kiana Blake Chung Kieran Alessi Kim Cooper Kim Jordan Kimberly Ashby Kimberly Brundidge Kira Branch Kirwyn Sutherland Jr Kristie Lutz Laila Muhammad LaKasha White Lana Pasqual Larisa Mann LaRonda Davis LaToya Laura Fielder Lauren Hunter Lauren Shaddox
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Supporters Laurin Talese Leigh Whitaker Lena Webber Leo Brooks Leola Calzolai-Stewart Leslie Crawford Leslie Foncette Liesel Pollvogt Lila V Owens Lillian Ransijn Lindsey Scannapieco Linnea Bond Lisa Bryant Liz Maillie Louise Greaves Lucille Pilling Lynne Shinozaki M K Player M’daya Meliani Maddie Cooper Maggie Pollard Maori Karmael Holmes Mara Henderson Maraba DiRaddo Marcellus Armstrong Marcia Smith
Marcus Boyd Margaret Harris Margaret J. Cunningham Margaret Whittum Maria Barrios Leblanc Maria Fenton Maria Guerrero Marie Alarcon Marjorie Pierre Mark Setton Martine Makower Mary Awosika Mary E. Fridley Mary Lee Davis Maryam Pugh Matthew Ritvo Melanie Moone Melissa Bisagni Mercedes Martinez Mia Herndon Mica Michael Davis Michael Garden Michael Kuetemeyer Michael Moody Michael Wellenreiter
Michele Pierson Michèle Stephenson Michelle Byrd-McPhee Mike Maiorini Mishell Kneeland Mitchell Elinson Mohamed Salah Molly Gross Monica Ferreira Monique Perry Morgan Bryant Naima Ramos-Chapman Nan Collymore Nanette Nelms Nawshaba Siddiquee Nazenet Habtezghi Nefertite Nguvu Nhadya Lawes Nia King Nicholas Manson Nile Shareef-Trudeau Nora Alter Noura Erakat Olivia D'Atri Oluwayemisi Oyeniyi Patricia Mines
Patricia Thomas Patrick & Deloris Hogan Patty Jackson Penelope Ann Latin Pheralyn Dove Phi Le Phil Campbell Priya Morgenstern Qudsiya Naqui Rabia Sulayman Rachel Hough Rae Ellison Rafiah Vitalis Rafiqah Mustafaa Rahdi Taylor Rahwa Asmerom Rajan Jugran Rea Tajiri Rebecca Smyrl Reginald William Butler Rhonda DelBene Rhonda Mitchell Rhys Lloyd Richard Genzer Richard Hamilton Risë Wilson
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Supporters Roberta Munroe Rodney Clark Rodney Evans Rosalind Ray Rose Johnson Roxanne Lawson Ryan Chartier Saiko Wolfer Sam Katz Sami Martin Sarmiento Samira Sunrise Abarry Sandra Dungee Glenn Sandra T Sangodare Wallace Sarah Jackson Sarah Rosado Savannah Wood Sean-Josahi Brown Sekou Campbell Shalonda Cornitcher Sham-e-Ali Nayeem Shannon Freitas Shaquiyyah Jenkins Shari Bailey Sharon Pinkenson Sharon Turner
Sheila Malkind Shelleah Jackson Shellee Haynesworth Shira Walinsky Shirley Bruno Sloan Leo Stacy Schiller Stephanie Renée Stephanie Scarbrough Stephanie Shepard Stephanie Wilson Steven Berry Steven Kelly Suhas Sreedhar Sumaya Ellard Sunanda Ghosh Susan Kimball Sylvie Renee Gallier Howard Tajah Ebram Tamara Henry Tamara Jeffries Tamira Moore Taneshia Laird Taneshia Nash Laird Tania Hewes Tanya Latortue
Tara Pearson Tasha Crowder Tayyib Smith Teena Varghese Terrance Walker Terri Hall-Jackson Thomas F. Kennedy Thomas Paolo Thomasin Parnes Tia Finn Tim Belknap Tim Horsburgh Timnit Tina Ballard Tina Farris Torian Tobechi Ugworji Tracy Heather Strain Trina Middleton Trish Langley Frempong Trisha Chak Tristen Luvert Tyler Young Uche Blackstock Uta Bassey Valerie Keller Vanessa Northington Gamble
Verne Freeman Veronica Craig Vincent Wimbush Wally Fall Wesleigh Weusi Baraka Whitney Muse William Armstrong William Bissell William O’Connor William Wilhelm Yaya Horne Yolanda Wisher Yuji Okamura Yvonne (Evie) Davis Yvonne Bryant Zakia Elliott Zendra Shareef Zenith Aya Zion Ethiopia Zowie Salvato
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Staff and Consultants BlackStar Projects Staff
Business Team
Akili Davis Program Associate
Lendl Tellington Technical Director
Nyla Daniel Public Programs Manager
Accounting Services Firm Sutro Li
Akua Maat Operations Associate
Leo Brooks Design Manager
Pablo Alarcon, Jr. Design Associate
Auditor Wegner CPAs
Autumn F. Valdez Business Director
Maori Karmael Holmes Chief Executive & Artistic Officer
Sara Zia Ebrahimi Chief Operations Officer
Legal Counsel Anjali Kumar
Dessane Lopez Cassell Editor-in-Chief, Seen
Mariam Dembele Marketing Associate
Swabreen Bakr Marketing & Engagement Director
Media Relations Cultural Counsel
Farrah Rahaman Research & Curatorial Fellow
Marielle Ingram Associate Editor, Seen
Sydney Alicia Rodriguez Artist Programs Manager
Imran Siddiquee Chief Communications Officer
Michele Pierson Development Manager
Terri Hall People & Culture Director
Irit Reinheimer Associate Producer, Many Lumens
Nehad Khader Festival Director
Xenia Matthews Communications Coordinator
Jess Garz Development Consultant
Nile Shareef-Trudeau Administrative Coordinator
Zoë Greggs Executive Associate, & Associate Producer, Many Lumens
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Board of Directors Denise C. Beek VP of Original Storytelling, Represent Justice Co-Chair Sekou Campbell Partner, Culhane Meadows PLLC Co-Chair Amanda Branson Gill Co-Founder, Kilo Films Treasurer Tayyib Smith Principal, Little Giant, Smith & Roller, Pipeline Philly Secretary Eric Bai Strategic Partnerships Manager, Airwallex
Jamila Farwell Director of Documentary Series, Netflix Maori Karmael Holmes Chief Executive & Artistic Officer, BlackStar Sunanda Ghosh Nonprofit Strategy Consultant Ted Passon President, All Ages Productions
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Thank You!!!