The ninth edition of the BlackStar Film Festival will include 90 films from nearly two dozen countries. But instead of small screenings at cool venues across the city, there will be three drive-in screenings — which sold out within an hour — and a host of digital cinematic events, panel discussion and parties.
Filmmaker Maori Holmes founded BlackStar back in 2012 when a platform for Black filmmakers was on the fringe. But Holmes said now, they’re receiving more support.
“We are trendy, there’s no denying that. The kind of support we’ve gotten this year, the kind of support that the filmmakers are getting, we definitely are seeing the shift,” Holmes said.
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Festival highlights include Coded Bias, which is about the racial implications of facial recognition software; The 40-Year-Old Version, which is about a middle-aged actress remaking herself into a hip-hop artist; and Stateless, a documentary about the ethnic and racial divide separating Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
There’s also space for Q&As.
“We have 100% filmmaker participation in the Q&As because everyone could be there,” Holmes added.
They’re also launching a morning talk show on the first day called BlackStar Live.
Online movie tickets are $5, the Q&A panels and virtual parties are free.