(Black PR Wire) ATLANTA, GA – Black Women Film Network (BWFN) has announced that it will host its annual BWFN Short Film Festival as a virtual experience on Saturday, October 10, 2020 in partnership with black-owned streaming service KweliTV. For 24 hours, viewers will be able to watch the 2020 festival selections online at Kweli.tv or through streaming devices and smart TVs. Tickets to access the virtual festival can be purchased HERE.
“The short films we’ve selected showcase the breadth and depth of Black women’s stories around the world and our storytelling capabilities,” says Jaunice Sills, Chair of BWFN. “Each short was directed by, produced by, written by or starring a black woman. We are excited to present these stories on the Kweli TV platform – a digital space intentionally created by a Black woman, DeShuna Spencer, who wanted to bring truth to power as it relates to content. At this moment in time in our history – it is critical to recognize Black women’s art, influence and our stories that matter.”
The following shorts have been selected to screen at the 2020 BWFN Short Film Festival:
Hit the Road
Director: Maya Table
Dramedy
Based on director Maya Table’s true story, Hit The Road puts a lively spin on the devastating breakup of longtime couple Penny and Stan. Fueled by their competitive nature, Penny and Stan, played by Brianna Butler and Jared Wofford, engage in a battle of the sexes vying for the last word.
Watching the Storm
Documentary
Director – Sheena D. Carter
Following the Baltimore Uprising of 2015, African American Horologist Steven Richardson returns to his hometown to help foster the city’s youth by cultivating the next generation of watchmakers.
The Erasure
Thriller
Director – Akeallah Blair
This thriller film is sort of like ‘The Purge’, and for one weekend out of the year Black women and girls go missing. This fictional film is inspired from a real statistic, that 64,000 Black and brown women and girls go missing in the United States every year and only a fraction of their cases are investigated. The rules for the Erasure weekend is that there cannot be any police involvement or media coverage of the missing women. In this world there is a ‘safe haven’, a neighborhood known as Fontier Hills. This year the audience goes on a journey with three Black women that live in this safe haven and shows what happens to them when The Confederate goes beyond their boundaries to capture them.
Steve
Comedy
Executive Producer/Writer/Star – Amber Iman
If grinding in the bustling streets of NYC isn’t enough for a Broadway actress, an uninvited ‘guest’ in her apartment might be just the thing to put her over the edge.
Home Room
Drama
Director – Tony Fair
Shae, an eighth-grader, prepares for her high school admissions presentation while navigating a night on the street.
Honeymoon
Drama
Director – Amy Aniobi
Honeymoon tells the story of a newlywed couple on their first night together, made all the more awkward, romantic and honest, because they only just met.
Emerger
Documentary
Producer – Rhonda Harper
Khadjou Sambe was the first woman to surf in her hometown of Dakar, Senegal. In doing so, she emerged from a patriarchal system to become an icon for black women surfers everywhere and pave the way for the next generation.
I’m Press
Romantic Comedy
Starring: Antaneise Henderson
Presly Jones, a beautiful yet insecure environmentalist goes on her first date in a very long time. With the help of her best friends, Presly gets two ear fulls of advice during the date and soon realizes the extra assistance may be more problematic than depending on herself alone.
#TransitProblems
Animation
Director – Casby Bias
Witness typical bus and subway/train issues within the city.
Afro
Coming of Age Dramedy
Director – Jenn Shaw
After multiple encounters with her bully and a little academic inspiration, an African-American teen girl finally stands up for herself against classmates that question her cultural identity.
Junebug
Drama
Director – Winter Dunn
At 28, Junie is a writer, obsessed with capturing the essence of her childhood growing up with her musician father, Davis. Davis, an alcoholic drummer with an infectious charm and an unending tenderness for his daughter is proving difficult to put into words. As Junie struggles to articulate Davis in her writing and to her boyfriend Calvin, she’s transported back in time through her own memories of him. How do you explain someone impossible to love and impossible not to? JUNEBUG is an exploration of the fierce love between a daughter and father, the complexities of an absence that words can’t touch, the power of music, and the wonderland of memory.
About Black Women Film Network
Established in 1997, the Black Women Film Network (BWFN) was founded to prepare black women to enter the film and television industries. The organization seeks to preserve the voice of these women through film and educational programs that empower and inform. A 501(c)3 non-profit, BWFN provides student scholarships, hosts screenings and workshops, and honors individuals who have excelled in this difficult industry.
