Time to reserve your virtual seat!
A new film festival dedicated to Black creatives is set to premiere in the Bay Area next week, NBC Bay Area reports.
The Black X Film Festival was created to support and highlight Black narratives that are underfunded or marginalized. The festival was created by a collective of Black artists and allies following the death of George Floyd. The goal was to promote a varied view of Black life and experiences that “[centered] Black power, the Black radical imagination, and Black resilience.”
Shane T. Watson, filmmaker and co-founder of Black X Film Fest spoke about the motivations behind the festival, saying, “We wanted to showcase Black artists because at a time right now when we constantly see people being murdered by the police, we wanted to show artists who are using their lived experiences to make a statement.”
The event is virtual and spans 3 days with opening night hosted by comedian Sampson McCormick. After combing through submissions from across the globe, the founders were able to narrow it down to 17 short films, 1 web series and 1 featured documentary. All viewings are completely free and each film is subtitled for viewers. Organizers have currently launched a GoFundMe with the goal of compensating the filmmakers and raising money to support Black led nonprofits, already garnering more than $8,000 of their $35,000 goal.
“A lot of these artists are in the beginning stages of their careers and a lot of times as a short filmmaker you don’t get paid, so we wanted to compensate these filmmakers,” Watson said.
Watson’s own film, “I Live Here,” which was nominated for a Student Academy Award and is based on his experience as a Black creative living in the Bay Area, will also be shown at the festival.
The Black X Film Festival takes place September 25th-27th. For more information, to donate to the cause, or to reserve your space, follow their Instagram page @blackxfilmfest or visit their site at www.bxfilmfest.com.
Photo Courtesy of NBC Bay Area