Maori was included as #25 on Essence's 2019 Woke 100, a list that uplifts Black women who exemplify the true meaning of being change agents and power players. The 2019 list also includes BlackStar alumnae dream hampton and Ava DuVernay, as well as festival fixtures Yaba Blay and Imani Perry.
The Infiltrators(2019), which won the Best Documentary Feature award at BlackStar, isabout several undocumented youths who deliberately get detained by border patrol to infiltrate a for-profit detention center. Marco Saavedra, an activist in the film, will be in attendance for the post-screening discussion. More information here.
Black Public Media is accepting submissions for its 2019 Open Call. They’re looking for feature-length documentaries, shorts (nonfiction or scripted), or limited podcast series for public media distribution. While there are no limits on the subject area, they encourage projects that will promote discourse and engage audiences of all ages around a critical social issue. Projects will be funded in amounts ranging from $50,000 - $150,000,depending on the type of project, scope, and phase ofdevelopment/production.
Applications are being accepted through November 15, 2019. Apply here.
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The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and of global communities of color, showcasing films by black, brown and indigenous people from around the world. Support our voices--by indie means necessary.
