Stay in the Loop
BSR publishes on a weekly schedule, with an email newsletter every Wednesday and Thursday morning. There’s no paywall, and subscribing is always free.
Previewing the BlackStar Film Festival
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, August 1-7, 2024
Kyle V. Hiller
August is upon us, which means the BlackStar Film Festival is here! The storied festival, which we’ve covered many times in the past (including a profile of Maori Karmael Holmes, which I wrote last summer). In fact, one of my first freelance pieces was way back when covering the festival nearly 10 years ago. It’s become a staple in the film community not just in Philadelphia, but internationally so, and it’s helped elevate Black and brown voices all over the world. This year’s festival runs August 1-4, 2024.
This week, I’ll be giving my picks for this year’s festival. Here is a mix of features, documentaries, and shorts that I hope to get my sights on, and hopefully I’ll get to many more. Be sure to check out the festival’s full schedule of film screenings, but also take a look at their programming, too. Many of the films offer virtual screenings—if you can’t make it out, you’ll be able to enjoy the festival from the comfort of your home or wherever smart screens are viewed.
Happy screening, Philly!
Dreams in Nightmares
Thursday, August 1, 7pm
Perelman Theater at the Kimmel, 300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia
Three Black queer femmes in their mid-30s take a road trip across the midwest in search of their friend who has seemingly disappeared off the grid.
I feel like I haven’t seen a good road trip film in a while, so definitely adding this one to the list. The film comes from Shatara Michelle Ford, a Black filmmaker born in Arkansas, raised in Missouri, and based in Philadelphia.
Seeking Mavis Beacon
Friday, August 2, 1:30pm
Perelman Theater at the Kimmel, 300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the software’s Haitian-born cover model Renee L'Esperance vanished decades ago. Two DIY detectives search for the model while posing questions about identity and artificial intelligence.
L'Esperance’s story is interesting and is just another case of companies exploiting Black women for their own capital gain. It’s a familiar theme in Pancake Queen, too, which we previewed this week. There’s a great read on the film at Brown Girls Doc Mafia if you’re interested in learning more.
Beyond the Door
Friday, August 2, 9pm
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia
Saturday, August 3, 10am
Streaming online
“Rushing from the chaos of her student job, up the never-ending staircase of her apartment building, Danielle, a West African-French student, calculates that she has enough time to change from her work clothes before her final sociology exam in 20 minutes. Her under-maintained shoebox apartment has other plans. Yanis, a young concierge, comes to help and tries to fix the ancient door lock that has trapped her. As time trickles past, the two strangers find an unexpected solidarity, with only a door to separate them.”
One of the things that makes the BlackStar Film Festival so great is that it helps fill the void of quirky, slice-of-life pictures that feature (and center) Black and brown characters. Reading the description, it sounds like there could be some magic happening here. Magic is a subjective term, though—magic emerges in ways we see every day and might not recognize as magic. Beyond the Door sounds like it might cast a spell.
Fractal
Friday, August 2, 6pm
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia
Friday, August 2, 7:30pm
Streaming online
This short film from filmmaker Anslem Richardson (The Boys, After We Leave) tells the story of a deaf boy who calls upon a mysterious creature to find solace from tragedy. It stars Keivonn Woodard, who was sensational in last year’s The Last of Us.
You Don’t Have to Go Home, But…
Saturday, August 3, 11am
Perelman Theater at the Kimmel, 300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia
The documentary is “an ode to dancing bodies, a grimy love letter to Philadelphia, a story about what to do when the DJ has played the last song, the club’s lights have come on and you gotta go … somewhere.” The film follows three dancers at different stages in their lives, and “examines the possibility of spiritual fulfillment in a socioeconomic configuration that ultimately doesn’t value the practices that make us free.”
That last part—I’ve been searching for that arrangement of words. I’m no dancer, but seeing artists at varying stages of their creative lives in a world that doesn’t value art as much is at least edifying and crystallizing. However, there are probably equal parts joy, spiritual fulfillment, heartbreak, and devastation. Fun times!
Songs from the Hole
Saturday, August 3, 2:30pm
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia
The feature-length documentary visual album from director Contessa Gayles follows James “JJ 88” Jacobs. At 15, Jacobs took a life. Then, three days later, his brother’s life was taken. The musical opus of hip-hop and soul music interweaves nonfiction collective storytelling with imagined representations of dreams, memories, and spiritual dialogues set to its protagonist’s original music as he serves a double-life prison sentence.
Bloomed in the Water
Saturday, August 3, 8:30pm
PAFA's John and Richanda Rhoden Arts Center, 118-128 North Broad Street, Philadelphia
Saturday, August 3, 10pm
Streaming online
Bloomed in the Water portrays a Korean immigrant single mother who misinterprets school picture day, resulting in surprise when her kindergarten son’s appearance differs from his classmates.
School picture day was never my favorite, but what it’s like for others is something I’d be curious about. Give this short a shot!
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
