Must-sees at the BlackStar Film Festival
Forty films in four days are a lot to sift through. So here are our must-see picks for the BlackStar Film Festival. (Admission is $8, $5 students.) "Brooklyn Boheme": Nelson George and Diane Paragas look back at the African-American artistic community in 1980s Brooklyn, N.Y. — specifically the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods — that filmmaker Spike Lee equates to the Harlem Renaissance. The scene birthed Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Rosie Perez, poet Saul Williams, Chris Rock and more. African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch St., 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Forty films in four days are a lot to sift through. So here are our must-see picks for the BlackStar Film Festival. (Admission is $8, $5 students.)
"Brooklyn Boheme": Nelson George and Diane Paragas look back at the African-American artistic community in 1980s Brooklyn, N.Y. — specifically the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods — that filmmaker Spike Lee equates to the Harlem Renaissance. The scene birthed Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Rosie Perez, poet Saul Williams, Chris Rock and more. African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch St., 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
"Capoeira: Fly Away Beetle": Three masters of the Brazilian dance-fighting style capoeira tell its story from its birth during slavery to its current uses in aiding troubled youth. International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 1 p.m. Friday.
"Breathe Again": Newly minted Philadelphian (by way of South Africa) Kurt Orderson tells the story of his uncle Derrick, an Olympic-caliber South African swimmer who excelled despite the crippling effects of apartheid. International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 6 p.m. Friday.
"Restless City": A Sundance-approved visual stunner about New Yorker Djibril, who lives for music but falls for a woman who is a prostitute in an African gangster's harem. International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 8 p.m. Friday.
Conversation with Ava DuVernay: Winner of Best U.S. Dramatic Director at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her film "Middle of Nowhere" (an excerpt will be screened at the event), DuVernay will discuss her work and process. International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 2:15 p.m. Saturday.
"FunkJazz Kafe"/"Being Bilal": Like Mike D.'s "Leaked Night at the Five Spot," "FunkJazz Kafé: Diary of a Decade (The Story of a Movement)" details Atlanta's underground-music scene and how it came to prominence, featuring Philly's Jill Scott, Roy Ayers, Cee Lo Green, Andre 3000 and a host of other well-known names.
Paired with "FunkJazz" is a short about Philly artist Bilal. (Speaking of Philly artists, check out "The Res Documentary," a short about Res, the Philly-born rock-soul queen.) International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 8 p.m. Saturday.
"Soul Food Junkies": Warning: Do not watch this on an empty stomach. Even the trailer made our stomachs growl. Byron Hurt's documentary looks at how the soul-food tradition connects with the African-American experience. International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 7:30 p.m. Sunday.