The third edition of annual D.C. Black Film Festival (DCBFF) is scheduled to be held on August 15-17 at the Miracle Theatre and the Mayflower Hotel.
The DCBFF states that it is “dedicated to exhibiting quality film, web series and television content by and about people of African descent.”
They support new artists, who work towards adding diversity into the entertainment business by discovering and bringing them to the public’s attention.
Speaking to WTOP, the festival’s founder and director Kevin Sampson said:
“We have definitely grown… The Miracle Theatre on Barracks Row has been our home. We love those guys. Now, in addition, we have expanded to the Mayflower Hotel, which is right in Northwest D.C. — a hop, skip and a jump from Farragut West Metro.”
On its first year, the festival received 125 applications, which doubled in 2018. A total of 59 films among them were selected to be shown last year.
In order to be able to submit your movie to the DCBFF, it must have at least one writer, director, producer or a star (above-the-line crew) who is of African origin.
According to Sampson, his goal in founding the festival was not to make it an exclusive thing. He believes that it should not be hard to have an individual of African descent as one of the decision-makers in the name of inclusivity.
Have you got your tickets to DCBFF 2019? If not, let’s change that right now! 🙌🏾👊🏾 😀 https://t.co/EotTOgstrX #dcblackfilmfestival #dcbff2019 #SupportIndieFilm #Blacktwitter #BlackExcellence #FilmFestival #Filmmaking #FilmTwitter
— DC Black Film Festival (@dcblackfilmfest) August 6, 2019
The festival will kick off on Thursday, August 15 at 5:00 p.m. with its opening film Solace at the Miracle Theatre. Starring Hope Olaide Wilson, Chelsea Tavares and Lynn Whitfield, the movie centers around the story of a 17-year-old girl, who is sent to live with her estranged family after the death of her father and starts a friendship with a self-destructive neighbor.
Following the opening movie, a series and panel discussion titled “Making Black Lives Matter Through Film” will take place between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The movies The Voicemail, Oklahoma is Black, Crispus, We Have The Numbers: A Short Documentary on Gun Violence in America, Murder in Mobile, Unarmed Man are screened in this session that features a Q&A with the filmmakers.
The second day presents the film block The Connection, which showcases connections to Africans’ history, at the Miracle Theatre.
You can check out the full schedule of the festival here.