Film Festivals often provide audiences a great chance to see movies that don’t make it to first run cinemas or even old movie channels. Usually festivals highlight documentaries, short films and student work that rarely find a wider audience. But at the Black Film Festival, which is offered this weekend at the Parrish Art Museum, it is not the format of the films that have determined the line-up, but rather its focus — African-American themes, lives and issues.
Bonnie Cannon, the executive director of the Bridgehampton Childcare Center and a founder of the African-American Museum of the East End, oversees the festival and, along with Brenda Simmons and Cheryl Buck, selected this year’s films. Cannon explains that the purpose behind the annual festival, which began in 2006, is not only to entertain, but enlighten as well.
“We started four years ago with the Black Film Festival and saw it as an opportunity to share our cultural diversity and to educate people and make them aware of some of the African-American experiences through film,” explains Cannon. “What better way than to actually see it? We can touch on all different facets of African-American life, but also topics black women and all women face such as family issues.”
“The goal of the festival is also to make people in the black community aware of their own potential,” adds Cannon. “When people portrayed in film look like you, it uplifts and empowers the community. We want to educate them, make them aware and teach them about films.”
Cannon says the festival strives to offer something for all, which is why there are films for children and families in the line up. From “The Adventures of Teddy P. Brains: Journey into the Rain Forest,” an animated feature, to Sidney Lumet’s “The Wiz” starring Michael Jackson as the scarecrow and Otto Preminger’s 1954 classic “Carmen Jones” starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, many of Saturday’s offerings are fun and lighthearted.
“This year we thought it was important to do something as a tribute to Michael Jackson,” she says. “And we always have a classic — something from the ‘50s or ‘40s.”
But other films in the festival tackle deeper issues related to the African-American community and, in fact life in general. Among them are “Beauty Lies,” Karen Chapman’s short about her image as a black woman in the face of a media-driven society, “Breaking News” about a young single mother who, one day, becomes overwhelmed by her responsibilities and “American Violet,” Tim Disney’s feature based on the true story of an African-American woman struggling to clear her name after being wrongly arrested for dealing drugs in a small Texas town.
“Throughout the festival, there will always be something that touches upon the issues important in the black community,” says Cannon, who notes that last year’s special focus was about New Orleans and the involvement of young people there in the post-Katrina recovery effort.
This year, the festival looks at the issue of education with a special showing tonight, Thursday, November 5 at 7 p.m. of the short documentary “Beyond the Bricks” at the Parrish. The film explores issues related to the consistently low performance of African-American boys in the public school system and offers possible solutions. A discussion with the film’s director Derek Koen, producer Ouida Washington and a panel of local and regional educators will follow.
“It’s about the disparity of the education of African-American males in the school system,” says Cannon, who explains that although “Beyond the Bricks” focuses on urban schools, there is still much the East End community can take from the film and discussion. “I think the issues are similar and may be more prevalent in the suburban areas, where you don’t have as big a concentration of African-American students attending the public schools. Out here, unless you have money, you’ve got to deal with what the public school’s giving you, which is often not appropriate for African-American males.”
“There will always be some type of issue that we will be addressing and talking about to bring awareness and to open the eyes of others,” says Cannon. “We try to find films people have not seen or heard of.”
And the crowd that turns out to see the films is diverse and from all segments of the community.
“We always get rave reviews,” notes Cannon. “On Saturday, the cost is $5 for the entire day — you can’t get six films for $5 anywhere — then you have food and drink included all day.”
The Fourth Annual East End Black Film Festival is Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 1 to 10 p.m., at the Parrish Art Museum, 25 Job’s Lane, Southampton. Gloria’s of the Hamptons will provide ethnic food between films. A day pass is $5 (free for Parrish members). In connection with the festival, “Spoken Word & Live Jazz” featuring Touché and special guest jazz violinist Krystle Ford, takes place Friday, November 6, at 7:15 p.m., at the Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane. Admission to is $10. More information about all the programs is available from Bonnie Cannon at (631) 766-8642.
Above: a still image of Alfre Woodard and Bill Patton from the film "American Violet."