Greetings and Welcome to Auntyland Film Festival’s first Summer Fest! We changed the pace a little bit this season with the inclusion of student-curated films and a few selected features perfect for summertime.
Three films were selected from the submissions:
It’s The Fuller Brush Man, 0:47:00 minutes, directed by Craigh Barboza, a Harlem-based film director and NYU professor, a tribute to his late father.
Rain: UP Close – a meditation, 0:03:21 minutes, by Louise Fleming.
CityBIRDS, 0:04:00 minutes, by Kristin Reiber Harris.
Screen times and ‘Talk-Back’ interviews with film directors. TBA
Nine films were curated by the summer team with the themes of:
- The Revolution
- For the Love
- Young Fighters
Our student curators were invited to set a theme and choose their top three independent films to offer viewers that were free, easily accessible on the Vimeo platform, and in support of Auntyland’s mission to promote women and Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) storytellers.
Simply click on the film links below and enjoy.
About these divine nine films!
The Beauty President | A Breakwater Original
The Beauty President, (0:10:02) directed by Whitney Skauge, a documentary about drag queen and activist Terrence Alan Smith.
LOST KEYS
LOST KEYS, (0:4:27) directed by Amanda Baraka, documents the life and experiences of her own grandmother during the Newark Rebellions of 1967.
Yokelan, 66
Yokelan, 66, (0:9:34) directed by Tang Yi. In Manhattan’s Chinatown, 66-year-old single woman,Yokelan, attends a dance class in search of love again.
For the Love:
“I chose these three films because while different in their content, they all beautifully explore BIPOC womanhood and belonging.” – Isabel Aragon, curator, Smith College, double major in Study of Women & Gender, Film & Media Studies
Friends Who Remember
Friends Who Remember, (0:9:24) directed by Devon Blackwell, follows Blackwell piecing together the history of her ancestors.
And Then She Kissed Me
And Then She Kissed Me, (0:2:06) is an animation film directed by Alexia Khodanian and set to the song And Then She Kissed Me by St. Vincent, following the story of two young BIPOC girls in love.
to the girl that looks like me
to the girl that looks like me, (0:5:09) directed by Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah is an experimental narrative that celebrates black girls feeling confident in their own skin.
Young Fighters:
“Each of these films in some regard focuses on a child dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up in their community, in their home life or with both. In these times, it’s important for all generations alike to see what the younger generation is going through as although they are the most affected, they are also the most disregarded.” – Jordan Baptiste, Class of ‘25, Performance & Media Arts, Barnard College, New York.
The Elephant Gown
The Elephant Gown (7:34) directed by Rahiem Robinson. A young Harlem boy, 11, is faced with traumas that comes with being Black in America.
Black Sheep
The Black Sheep (26:42) directed by Ed Perkins, Documentary. A day in the life of a black boy, 11, in London whose friend, 11, was killed.
Seashells
Seashells (9:32) directed by Nathalie Christmas, about a fourth grader Valentina who receives her first training bra.