San Francisco Black Film Festival
P.O. Box 15490
San Francisco, CA 94115
For Immediate Release
May
17, 2011
Media
Contact:
Jackie Wright, 415 525 0410
jackiewright@wrightnow.biz
The San Francisco Black Film Festival, June 17-19
Pays Tribute to the Black Family and Fathers During Juneteenth Weekend
San Francisco-It's a family affair! The story of the San Francisco Black Film Festival is the perfect backdrop for this year's theme "The Trajectory of the Black Family Through Film!" The San Francisco Black Film Festival, June 17-19 at various venues in San Francisco in its 13th year has its second year of leadership under Kali Ray and his life partner Katera Crossley. Ray is the son of the founder of the San Francisco Black Film Festival, the late Ave Montague! The legacy of Ave Montague who some called the unofficial Mayor of the Fillmore continues as young Ray learns the ropes of the film festival scene. His foray into this brave new world comes with the community embracing his efforts.
"When I saw the kids (Kali and Katera) putting their heart into something Ave worked so hard to establish, I immediately positioned the Lush Life Gallery and Jazz Heritage Life Center as a partner to help," said Peter Fitzsimmons. "We're all responsible for keeping our history alive and making a way for future generations. I hope all of San Francisco comes on board and helps keep this vital work of Ave moving forward. She sacrificially gave so much of herself to the Fillmore and San Francisco community."
"I am humbled by the gratitude of friends, sponsors and the community overall as they help our young leadership team carry on a great legacy built by my mother and her wonderful network of supporters," said Kali Ray, Executive Director of the San Francisco Black Film Festival. "I am honored to be able to continue my mother's vision of giving a voice to the African Diaspora experience by people of all races holding to the core value of displaying the positive images of the global and local African Diaspora."
Special Event:
The San Francisco Black Film Festival, Landmark Theatres, and Music Box Films present a FREE sneak preview of "Viva Riva," the feature film debut of
writer-director-producer Djo Tunda Wa Munga. The R-rated "Viva Riva" is the first film made in the
Democratic Republic of Congo in over two decades, the first Congolese feature
film in the Lingala language, and the first Congolese feature distributed
in the U.S. The film with English subtitles can be seen Wednesday, May 25, 7:00 p.m. at the Embarcadero Center Cinema, 1 Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level, San Francisco. Writer-director-producer
Djo Munga will be present for Q&A after the film.
The public is invited to the free event but must RSVP to SFBFFVIVARIVA@yahoo.com. Seating is Limited. First Come First Served. Please note, a reservation does not guarantee entrance. Landmark Theatre Engagements begin June 24, 2011. Visit www.sfbff.org for details.
The film festival gets underway June 17th highlighting local filmmaker Kevin Epps with his documentary "Straight Outta Hunter's Point 2," a follow up to his 2002 groundbreaking acclaimed documentary "Straight Outta Hunter's Point." Epps revisits the neighborhood for a look at the current state of the community and the myriad of social and economic issues.
June 15, 2008 Candidate Barack Obama caused a great deal of dialogue by challenging Black men to be better fathers and to take care of their families. Although the now President intimately and compassionately spoke about a harsh reality, this year the San Francisco Black Film Festival gives opportunity for the Black fathers who have always "stepped up to the plate" to be celebrated. The festival has a video and essay contest "My Dad is My Hero." The public is asked to send in their 2-minute or less video or 500 words or less essay to honor their father or the father figure in their life both living or in memoriam. Entries should be sent in no later than June 10th to the San Francisco Film Festival P.O. Box 15490, San Francisco, CA 94115, attn: "My Dad is My Hero." The entries will be judged by a panel of community leaders and the fathers of the winning entries will be honored on Sunday June 19th.
The San Francisco Black Film Festival is open to everyone. It's an opportunity for all multicultural Bay Area residents and visitors to San Francisco to take a glimpse at the Black community from a different perspective than the everyday media that often just display problems and issues. There is much more than meets the eye and the San Francisco Black Film Festival organizers provide a platform for telling diverse stories in the community. The San Francisco Black Film Festival provides the African American Community an opportunity for reflection and affirmation.
To find out more about the Urban Kidz Film Series, the Red Carpet Walk, the Red Carpet VIP Reception, the films, the panels, and the "My Dad is My Hero" contest, visit www.sfbff.org. For organization and corporate sponsorship opportunities contact Kali Ray at 415.400.4602.
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About the San Francisco Black Film Festival
The San Francisco Black Film Festival was founded by Ave Montague with the artistic vision to provide a platform for Black filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors to present their art. As a competitive film festival, SFBFF identifies filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors that are emerging as talents and established artists who are contributing to the cinematic legacy of African Americans. SFBFF conscientiously expands the notions of "Black film-making" to a global perspective.