PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new social justice film festival is launching in time for Philadelphia’s Juneteenth celebration. The United We Heal Film Festival, on June 20, is the creation of local filmmaker Ebony Roberts.
“I wanted to start a festival that gives a platform to filmmakers that are often overlooked and are making positive changes in their communities through film,” she said.
Roberts was so moved by the social unrest of 2020, she turned her frustration with racism in America into art.
She made her 2021 short film “United We Heal” as a reaction to the deaths of George Floyd, Breyonna Taylor, Ahmad Aubrey and countless others. The short expresses the trauma Black people experience, living in an oppressive system born of white supremacy, and the hope they feel as they move toward equality, freedom, joy and economic stability.
When she directed the short film, Robert said, all she wanted was to provide comfort and hope to Black people in America. Now she wants to help other filmmakers do the same.
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The festival will showcase the short films of nine other filmmakers.
“This film festival is basically me wanting to give a platform to filmmakers of color that have stories that they want to tell about their communities, about uplifting their communities and healing their communities,” Roberts said.
Films like that don’t get the respect and attention they deserve, she added.
“Now that we’ve turned it into a festival, I hope we can grow each year and make a global impact. I'd like to be part of a movement that gives spaces to Black and brown artists to operate freely, tell their stories. I want us to be a bridge to resources and needs in our communities,” said Roberts.
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The films touch on sensitive subject matter and themes relating to mental health, Robert said. People in Black and brown communities often don’t seek out the mental health assistance they need to help with their trauma, she added. In fact, many may not even recognize that they are dealing with trauma.
“It’s important to have someone there that we can have a conversation with, and then if we wanted to, we can take it further into our own mental health, because that has a lot to do with healing,” Roberts said.
To that end, Dr. Williametta Simmons, president of the Pennsylvania Psychological Foundation, will serve as the festival's resident expert and will lead a discussion on the subject matter highlighted in the films.
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The inaugural United We Heal Film Festival will take place on June 20 at Underground Arts at 1200 Callowhill Street.