LANGSTON PRESENTS LANGSTON HUGHES AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
#BLACKFILMONBLACKFRIDAY MINI FILM FEST
NOVEMBER 25-27TH
LANGSTON HUGHES PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE 104 17TH AVE. SOUTH SEATTLE, WA 98144
Seattle, WA – LANGSTON, the new non-profit arts organization created to continue the mission of the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute is bringing a pocket-sized version of its signature Langston Hughes African American Film Festival (LHAAFF) to audiences during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend November 25-27 at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute 104 17th Ave. South, Seattle, WA. The Festival, which generally screens over a 9-day run in the spring, brings a different take on ‘Black Friday’ by showcasing a melanin-rich weekend of documentary, narrative features, and shorts that are by or about Black people throughout the diaspora.
#BLACKFILMONBLACKFRIDAY Mini Fest brings films, filmmakers, and audiences together in provocative, insightful and creative experiences that highlight Black culture in the U.S. and abroad. Films for youth and adults span a variety of subjects and will offer post-screening chats with filmmakers and community folk for those who want to take a deeper dive.
The festival is delighted to open with Matthew Cherry’s 9 RIDES starring Dorian Missick. Cherry’s sophomore effort is the first feature film to be shot entirely on the iPhone 6s
, and follows a Black uber driver, played by Missick, whose life is transformed as he works through his busiest night of the year, New Years Eve . The film will be followed by a talkback
with Matt Cherry via skype.
Closing Night features the Seattle premiere of I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, a new documentary by master filmmaker Raoul Peck, that envisions the book that James Baldwin never finished. With only 30 pages from Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into Black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the New York Times’ Manhola Dingus calls this film “One of the best films you will see all year.” Peck’s film is preceded by the latest masterful short film by legendary filmmaker Julie Dash, titled, STANDING AT THE SCRATCH LINE.
Included in the packed weekend is a Saturday lineup of handcrafted indie Black films featuring a youth-themed showcase anchored by the hauntingly beautiful psychological study, THE FITS, starring breakout actor Royalty Hightower, a provocative Documentary Showcase featuring the critically acclaimed TOO BLACK TO BE FRENCH, a critical
examination that peels back the layers of race relations in supposedly institutionally colorblind France. Saturday also features Virtual Reality Experience for free to adults and youth. Saturday night welcomes husband and wife filmmakers Brandon Lewis and Seckita Taylor to host a screening of their award-winning comedy, JERICO. Enjoy a feel-good Saturday night film about a couple of friends who find more than they bargained for when their car breaks down in the Jim Crow south. Lewis and Taylor will be on hand after the film to laugh with audiences and discuss their breakout film.
Advance tix available online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/2370339 | Door – 1 hr before screening
