Is Hamilton, Ontario an inclusive city for creatives in the arts community? How much opportunity is there for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) artists to find success and share their work, especially with the challenges presented by Covid? Do BIPOC people readily see themselves and their stories reflected in film?
The Hamilton Black Film Festival, which is presenting the first film festival for the BIPOC community on May 28th-May 30th at the Westdale Theatre is a concrete step in the right direction to help Hamilton to start walking the walk…and not merely talking the talk.
This is the inaugural year for the film festival and plans are for it to be an annual event that takes on the important work of showcasing cultural, traditional and modern films of African/Caribbean, Indigenous, East and South Asian and Middle Eastern filmmakers and other films from the diaspora.
The Hamilton Black Film Festival will harness the opportunity to showcase to a local audience global talent that is inclusive, diverse and dynamic.
“The HBFF is an accessible platform to showcase films that are made by, for and about People of Colour around the world, focusing on both the challenges and triumphs of everyday life,” explains HBFF founder, author and filmmaker Paize Usiosefe.
The official opening of the film festival is on May 28th at Hamilton’s Westdale Theatre. Due to Covid, screenings will be virtual with captioning (talkbalks) for those with hearing challenges made available for greater accessibility.
The primary purpose of the festival is to:
- Inspire, motivate, encourage and support BIPOC filmmakers
- Listen to and learn from stories as told by diverse communities
- Provide an outlet for entertainment that sustains and improves community mental health
- Nurture and provide support and resources for the creative aspirations of diverse filmmakers
- Provide a channel through which diverse peoples and the BIPOC community will see themselves represented in film in a positive way
The lineup is impressive with films in the genre of comedy, documentary, drama, horror, romance, science-fiction and more! You can view the lineup of films here.
Click here to buy your film festival passes and be part of a truly innovative effort by Hamilton’s BIPOC community.
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For more information please contact: Louise Noel-Ambrose, Publicist, at 905-865-1027; E: eventobepr@gmail.com