Throughout its history, the International Black Film Festival of Nashville has emphasized thematic diversity, with productions spotlighting multiple aspects of the Black experience, both nationally and abroad. It has also provided an opportunity for independent filmmakers to showcase their offerings. The annual festival presents seminars and workshops, gives audiences access to top productions that aren’t always on the radar of mainstream media, and offers advice, counsel and information about the process and business of filmmaking to newcomers.
This year marks IBFF’s 16th anniversary, and a couple of things are different. Due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s festival has moved from its traditional September launch date. It begins Dec. 2 and continues through Dec. 5, and will be held virtually. Each day IBFF will provide a playlist of not only films, but also live and prerecorded panels. There will also be daily intimate conversations, Q&As after shorts, and expanded interviews following features with directors conducted by festival hosts Andre Minkins, Bryan Kent Wallace and Christie Taylor.
The lineup includes a strong mix of titles, with eight hours of documentaries, including long and short films, and another eight hours of narrative films, also both long and short offerings. “One thing that we wanted to emphasize this year was content diversity as opposed to necessarily picking out a specific theme for the festival,” says IBFF media representative Tana McDonald. “But some areas that are covered by individual films include social justice themes, coming of age, political activism, health, careers, relationships and family.”
100 Years From Mississippi
Among the many notable films being presented are three extraordinary documentaries. Tarabu Betserai Kirkland’s 100 Years From Mississippi documents the return of her mother Mamie Lynn Kirkland to Ellisville, Miss., a century after she and her family were forced to flee due to racist violence that claimed the life of a close family friend. The memories of the 111-year-old matriarch about that night and other experiences living in the early-20th-century Jim Crow South resonate through this 60-minute work.
Mr. Emancipation: The Walter Perry Story is Preston Chase’s cinematic look at Canadian Walter Perry, who spearheaded celebrations of the holiday Juneteenth in Canada decades before it became a federal holiday in America. June 19, 1865, is the date the Emancipation Proclamation finally took effect in Texas thanks to the presence of federal troops, marking the official end of slavery across the nation — even though Lincoln had officially issued the proclamation in January of 1863.
Khadifa Wong’s Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance explores the titular art form’s history, combining vintage footage with recollections from experts in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London and across Canada.
Along with the films, there will be two panels per day — one beginning at 11 and running past noon, and a second from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Some subjects discussed will include dispelling myths about the viability of Black creative projects, new frontiers for independent film distribution and creative possibilities in films for costume design.
Passes may be purchased for single films, panels or the entire festival. Visit ibffevents.com for a complete schedule and more.
