Wednesday, May 15th
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Wu-Tang Wednesday Party Kickoff at Waterline Brewing Co.
Classic Wu-Tang spins by DJ RizzyBeats + get the insider's guide to this year's NC Black Film Festival such as their opening night film A WU-TANG EXPERIENCE. Wheelz Pizza (food truck) will also be in attendance.
The NC Black Film Festival will give away tickets and other door prizes. This event is free and open to the public.
​
Thursday, May 16th - Thursday
6:00 pm
CineMixer Reception - Opening Film, A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
On August 13, 2021, The Wu-Tang Clan, backed by the 60-piece Colorado Symphony Orchestra, performed at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Roughly 10,000 fans witnessed one of the most extraordinary concerts in Hip-Hop music history. There will also be a post film discussion with Director, Gerald Barclay and Wu-Tang Clan member, Cappadonna.
​
Friday, May 17th - Boseman's Sneakers
6:00 pm
Special Sports Screening - Force of Blue - 1hr 25mins
In 2020 the Minneapolis North High School football team battled to win a championship amid school closures due to the COVID pandemic, the death of George Floyd, and the resulting riots that set a community on edge and their neighborhood on fire. Even though their coaches, a group of dedicated police officers, were considered to be persona non grata in the city of Minneapolis, the Polar players, a team of predominantly African American student-athletes, from a neighborhood that historically has had an antagonistic relationship with the police, were able to look past the badges and refused to let the issues plaguing society stand in their way on their quest for a title.
Friday, May 17th - Jengo's Playhouse
​
4:00 pm
Violet - 17 mins
The story of a young woman dealing with grief and the inner strength she must find. This film is in memory of the director's grandma, Violet Wade.
L’étrangèrs Parfait – 5mins
L’éstrangers Parfait: An experimental film that expands a brief moment of time into 4 minutes. Our mind has thousands of thoughts per day, and as Black Americans, we do have the luxury of separating our identity from politics
Color Karma – 20 mins
A Black Republican attorney opposed to reparations for Black Americans has an out of body experience where his ancestors reveal an untold history that transforms him.
​
5:00 pm
Mosiah – 40 mins
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a Jamaican-born political activist and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), is on trial in New York in 1923. Following the leadership of J. Edger Hoover & the BOI (later, the FBI), the government has charged Garvey with mail fraud in connection with selling stocks for the Black Star Line - a shipping line designed to forge a link between North America and Africa.
​
6:00 pm
Pressure - 23 mins
A young woman on the verge of financial ruin is given the opportunity to change her life at the price of her own moral corruption. Later she must face the consequences and realizes the cost she paid may be too high.
The Word – 10 mins
In THE WORD, billionaires decide to give African American's reparations for slavery...bit there's a catch.
Unkind Cut – 14mins
A vasectomy consultation goes awry as an unsure patient faces a quirky doctor and aggressive medical staff who don't want him to remain intact.
​
7:00 pm
Loyalty – 6mins
Two best friends face a dilemma of devotion on the final night of a fraternity pledge circuit, putting their devotion to each other at odds with their allegiance to the brotherhood.
The Gift – 28 mins
A son is given the opportunity to forgive his father for not being present in his life and is struggling with the idea of forgiveness. However, there isn’t much time left to make a decision. Time is desperately of the essence.
Speak up Brotha – 15 mins
Grad student Ahmad Jones drives for a rideshare company. He receives a request from a mysterious woman — a poet. They connect over music, but she seems to ignore him. When the opportunity arises to see her again, Ahmad must learn how to communicate in ways beyond his understanding to win her heart.
​
8:15 pm
Freaknik: The Wildest Story Never Told (Special Producers Panel) – 1hr 20 mins
Recounts the rise and fall of a small Atlanta HBCU picnic that exploded into an influential street party and spotlighted ATL as a major cultural stage.
​
Saturday, May 18th - Jengo's Playhouse
​
10:00 am-11:45 am
Family/Teen Cinema
Age appropriate films for the whole family.
​
The War Torn Drum -12 mins
In the late 1860’s, a U.S. Marshal bonds with a post-Civil War drummer boy in their search to track down a wanted criminal.
​
Juveniles Interview 9 mins
In this interview, meet the cast of a new web-series, "Juveniles". Believe it or not, our world is full of deception, lies and propaganda. Learn to be perspicacious and watch what you consume in your life and what the government actually puts out for us.
​
​
12:15 pm
​
Harlem Fragments 17 mins
An Afro-futurist scrapbook storytelling of a Harlem Black family's beautiful destruction during the 2008 recession. A natural disaster so mesmerizing you can't look away from the tragedy. Based on true events.
​
To Be Invisible -25 mins
The Child Welfare System has policed the Black woman and the Black family for decades. While people are aware that this entity exists, rarely do we ever question it. This project offers a critical analysis of the Foster System through real experiences of Black families. It is a story of redemption and love. Most importantly, it raises an essential question: What all must the Black woman do to make up for her mistakes?
​
1:15pm
Understanding the Mis Understood - 27 mins
Understanding the Misunderstood takes a deep dive into the history of “squeegee kids” in Baltimore City and how the past parallels with the present. We not only get to see why Corey Thompson, a 13-year-old enterprising entrepreneur, takes to the streets to clean car windows to help support his 28-year-old mother and three younger siblings, but we get to see how Corey and other squeegee kids are able to persevere in a city that has left minorities oppressed for decades
Justice for George Floyd – 20 mins
An impassioned, skeptical digital media scholar filmmaker must overcome generational and cultural bias to uncover why the Justice for George Floyd Protests became a global social movement and propose concrete strategies for social movements to duplicate the movement’s success.
​
2:30 pm
A Heart That Forgives 1hr 30 mins
After being thrust into being a single parent of two young girls, by the unexpected and sudden death of his wife, Emanuel Wilson’s life spirals into darkness. His wife Pamela Wilson was on verge of new-found success with her bakery business when her life was cut short.
​
4:15 pm
Black Barbers – 8 mins
Each week, African American men around the country descend on their beloved Black barbershops not only to be groomed but also to nourish their souls. This community offers a safe haven for support for struggles that only black men can understand.
​
And We Rest on Giants – 15 mins
And We Rest on Giants is an exploration into the lives of people of color aging and long-term survivors of HIV. As stigma continues to ravish communities of color, this short explores the daily walk of those thriving unapologetically and provides a first-hand account of the HIV journey. Layered with spoken word, these stories ignite the importance of honest discussion.
5:00 pm
A Day for Lia -9 mins
A young woman reenters therapy to better manage her feelings of isolation in a hostile work environment.
The Average Black Boy – 13 mins
Nolan and Treyvon, two Black high school students facing two sides of racism from their white teacher, Ms. Hopewell. Nolan is constantly being put in the spotlight due to him always getting good grades and being seen as the “model Black kid”. He feels isolated from his Black peers and longs for more connection. Treyvon is always being judged for his outgoing personality and not always getting the highest scores on his assignments.
Innocence – 11mins
After witnessing several instances of racial bias, a young Black boy's worldview is forever changed.
​
In the Matchbox – 11mins
Uncle Wendell shares a centuries old family secret with his great nephews. If the secret gets out, it can effect and infect the entire world. Literally.
​
6:00 pm
Kill Room – 1hr 38 mins
A hitman, his boss, an art dealer and a money-laundering scheme that accidentally turns the assassin into an overnight avant-garde sensation, one that forces her to play the art world against the underworld. There will be a Fireside chat with producer. BK Fulton
​
8:00 pm
SWAY 1 hr 38 mins
A Black community leader, who has it all, sees his life spiral out of control within hours after his brother goes missing, he is blackmailed by a strange woman, and a murder tests how far he will go to protect the ones he loves.
Saturday, May 18th - Thalian Hall Ruth & Bucky Stein Studio Theater (Black Box Theater, 2nd Floor)
12:30 pm
Interception: Jayne Kennedy – American Sportscaster - 15 mins
When a bronze-skin bombshell rocks the world of Sunday Morning Football, millions tune in... but few know the tumultuous story of Jayne Kennedy, the first Black woman to boldly run interception on the racial lines of American sportscasting.
Echoes Unheard – 8 mins
Entrepreneur Carl Webb and North Carolina Central University Professor Dr. Kimberly Moore unite in this expository film to protect the legacy of N.C. Mutual, the largest Black-owned life insurance company. Together, they champion the company's dream of reshaping perceptions of success through economic progress
​
1:00 pm
Box Brown: A Box Marked Freedom - 1hr 30 mins
BOX BROWN: A Box Marked Freedom is the incredible TRUE story of Henry "Box" Brown, an enslaved man who mailed himself to freedom in 1849.
​
3:00 pm
Duality: A Collection of Afro- Indigenous Perspectives – 54 mins
A collection of personal reflections told by individuals of African and Indigenous ancestry who identify as Afro Indigenous across America. The film gives a historical and present-day account of how Afro Indigenous people are and have been reconnecting with their dual cultures. The journey to understanding can be complicated but it brings forth the question: What does it mean to be Afro Indigenous?
4:45 pm
How to Sue the Klan - 35mins
From Producer Ben Crump. America’s first hate group, the Ku Klux Klan, dealt out hatred and violence for over a century without penalty - until five Black women and a young Black civil rights lawyer finally forced them to pay for their crimes. This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
​
9:00pm - 1:00am
ALL WHITE PARTY
Wilmington Sportsmen's Club
Sunday May 19 – Cameron Art Museum
2:00 pm
Awards Ceremony
2:30 pm
Closing Film
Arts, Beats and Lyrics
Art, Beats + Lyrics, a powerful new documentary brings to life the inspiring story of one of the most influential art and hip-hop shows in the United States. Originating in Atlanta and now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, Art, Beats + Lyrics (AB+L) has evolved from a local art event to a national phenomenon, thanks in part to the support of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey. Directed by Bill Horace and produced by Vox Creative and Cult Creative, in association with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, the film chronicles the lead-up to AB+L’s milestone 20th-anniversary tour, kicking off at Miami Art Week.
