Festival Happened: Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival 2023

Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF)

The 22nd Annual Run&Shoot Filmworks Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival an OSCAR® Qualifying Festival in the Short Film Category

Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival 2023

This year’s film festival in Martha’s Vineyard was definitely a little less star studded because of the SAG-AFTRA strike but it didn’t change anything in terms of quality. It was still an incredible experience full of amazing stories and wonderful people. I didn’t get a chance to see everything but I did see a wonderful array of films, panels, and conversations while meeting so many different interesting people. With over a week of films, discussions, lounges and events, there was a myriad of options for what you could do. There are so many great films that I would recommend after seeing them at the festival. The incredible thing is that I truly didn’t watch a single piece of work that wasn’t great. It’s definitely one of my favorite events each year!!

Netflix‘s Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip Hop is a great watch that I would HIGHLY recommend. They did a great job and highlights some of my favorite women like Queen Latifah and Chika. The welcome reception for the festival was at L’Etoile which was phenomenal. The food there is always delicious and they had a lovely variety of drinks for everyone there. It’s a great restaurant for hosting events or grabbing dinner.

The following day we got to see Ibram X. Kendi‘s “Stamped from the Beginning” coming soon to Netflix (with Producer Mara Brock Akil who is incredible as was the preview). I was excited to see Lynae Vanee of parking lot pimpin’ fame and how diverse the voices and teaching were. We also watched Stanley Nelson‘s “Sound of the Police” (which you can watch on Hulu) which are both incredible pieces of work.

Lagueria Davis‘ “Black Barbie” was so much more than I expected it to be and just some really well done storytelling. I definitely enjoyed it more than I enjoyed watching “Barbie”.

Chuck D’s “Fight the Power” was a dope continuation of the 50 years of Hip Hop Celebration.

Kamilah Thurmon‘s “The Legacy of Lee’s Flower Shop” – Lee’s Flower and Card Shop, the oldest Black-owned flower shop in Washington, D.C. has planted seeds of wisdom and perseverance in the District since 1945.

“Own the 8 Count” feating JaQuel Knight – In a world where credit is given based on followers, not authenticity, this movie reveals the highs and lows of creating viral dances. It includes voices of legendary choreographers (Debbie Allen, Galen Hooks, Brian Friedman) and dance creators navigating ownership in the ever-changing landscape of choreography and the creator world.

“Bone Black: Midwives Vs. The South” is a great addition to the Black Mother Mortality Crisis.

Tari Wariebi, director of “We Were Meant To” – In a world where Black men have wings and their first flight is a rite of passage, Akil must defy fears, insecurities, and societal barriers while discovering his perfect launch into manhood.

“Triggered” – When a dedicated teacher’s prized student mysteriously disappears, he is confronted with a pivotal challenge that compels him to reconcile with the boy’s mother in a race against time to locate him. Directed by Hisonni Mustafa.

Jack Gordon’s “Outside Line” featuring NASCAR driver Rajah Caruth, who’s from the area so it was nice to see the DC represented. While he may have been born in Atlanta, Georgia to a Caribbean household, Rajah spent most of his young years in Washington D.C. The star student-athlete graduated from School Without Walls High School in 2020, and moved to Concord, North Carolina. This film tells the story of his late start but awesome rise in NASCAR. Directed by D.C. resident Jack Gordon, an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, this movie follows the rise of racecar driver and fellow Washingtonian Rajah Caruth, 21, one of just a few Black NASCAR drivers. “His story reveals the lengths that one must go to and the skill they must possess to break into a space where few people look like them,” Gordon says in his director’s statement. “Rajah isn’t just a great driver destined for success in the sport, he’s an understated but infectious personality that you just can’t help but root for.” Events DC was also a prominent feature in this short film so it was nice to see DC in the house!! I learned that Events DC has been a principal sponsor of Washington, DC native Rajah Caruth for the past three years, charting his successful path as a young NASCAR driver.

Payton Mack‘s “Forsee” – The story of a young woman who must begin her natural hair journey shortly after her mother’s death. Jon K Jones’ “Fracture”, “The Waffle Prince” were all emotional watches.

“The Other Black Girl” based on the novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris was riveting. We only got to watch the first two episode in which Nella meets Hazel, a new coworker at Wagner Books who may not be exactly what she seems and then after the blow up with Colin, Nella has to decide whether or not to apologize, and whether or not she can trust Hazel. It definitely made me excited to watch the whole series. I also watched Matthew Cherry’s “Young Love”.

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network‘s “Time of Essence”, which is the story of Essence Communications Inc., Time Of Essence is a five-part documentary series highlighting how Essence has informed and reflected Black culture in America over the past 50 years. Each episode will cover a different decade – from the ’70s to today – and feature first-hand commentary on that era’s biggest moments from the icons, trailblazers, staffers and leaders who lived and defined them. This candid commentary will be coupled with never-before-seen footage and exclusive behind-the-scenes moments from the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics, fashion and beauty. The series features trailblazers, including fashion model and icons Beverly Johnson, Iman, Oscar® winning actresses Halle Berry and Whoopi Goldberg, Emmy® winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, Regina Hall, Taye Diggs, Oprah Winfrey and more. Definitely worth a watch.

Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple” is going to be amazing. Every scene they showed us what incredible. A bold new take on the beloved classic. #TheColorPurple only in theaters December 25.

Misty Copeland made an incredible film with her best friend Leyla Fayyaz, called Flowers that is a must watch!! – if you’re in Oakland, GO on Friday, September 29th at 7:00pm – https://oaklandballet.org/flower/). “Flower” is a movement-based narrative short film starring and produced by world-renowned ballerina and African-American icon Misty Copeland, which seeks to highlight intergenerational equity in American cities. The film focuses on the community of Oakland, California and the housing crisis and growing homelessness problem in the Bay Area. Through the parallels drawn between eldercare, dementia, and the erasure of the past, “Flower” shines light on the consequences of gentrification and the failure to maintain a community’s quality of life for all. The film features new, original music by Grammy-winning recording artist and Oakland native Raphael Saadiq and choreography by Alonzo King, and Rich+Tone Talauega. Directed by Lauren Finerman.

I literally didn’t watch anything that wasn’t awesome and the only reason I didn’t catch more films was because I was occassionally in the lounge enjoying dope panels and conversations from the Library of Congress, the Dove CROWN lounge, Camille Rose, Black Farmer Fund, The College Board and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Also got some awesome new KAZMALEJE thanks to the SheaMoisture lounge at the MVAAFF and saw LaToya Stirrup who you can see on “The Next Black Millionaires”.

I love film and television because I love storytelling (and escapism from time to time). I’ve been wanting to get more into script writing and once I put something into the universe, it starts to shift to support that desire. So over the last year I have found myself being exposed to more events and opportunities like Pan African Film Festival 2023 (PAFF). I was actually in California for the opening of the Charlotta Bass Lab at USC (more on that soon) when I realized that PAFF was happening at the same time.