International Black Women's Film Festival facts for kids

The International Black Women's Film Festival is a special event that celebrates movies made by and about Black women from all over the world. It was started in 2001 by Adrienne M. Anderson in San Francisco, California. The festival is a nonprofit group, which means it's set up to help people and educate them, not to make money.

Festival History

The very first festival happened from November 8 to November 24, 2002, in San Francisco. Adrienne M. Anderson organized it with Robin Bates, who is a business owner. Even famous filmmaker George Lucas helped out by donating to this first festival! The first movies shown were a short film called FUNERAL AT THE SAMBA SCHOOL (2002) by Dandara and a longer movie called NOBODY KNOWS MY NAME (1999) by Rachel Raimist.

Festival Mission

The International Black Women's Film Festival shows films made by or about Black women. These films show Black women in many different and positive ways, not just in old, untrue stereotypes. The festival has shown over 400 films from five continents. These films come from countries like the United States, Brazil, Canada, France, South Africa, and many more. The festival accepts all kinds of films, including short films, documentaries, feature films, animation, and experimental films.

In the News

The festival has been featured in important newspapers. In 2009, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote about it. In 2012, the San Francisco Examiner and the Oakland Post also shared stories about the festival.

Special Events and Discussions

The International Black Women's Film Festival often includes special events. These can be question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers, gala opening nights, and first-time screenings of new movies.

Discussions and Gatherings

• A special gathering and screening of the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild in July 2012.
• A discussion called "Flip the Script: How to Define & Control the Black Image Through Casting." Panelists included Velina Brown and Kathleen Antonia.
• A discussion asking "Can Hip-Hop be an Agent for Positive Change?" Panelists included Sonia McDaniel, Tossie Long, Jason “Trackademics” Valerio, and Naru Kwina.
• "Filtered Lens: Art as Film and the Black Image" was a discussion with Carolina Moraes-Liu and Shy Pacheco Hamilton.
• Filmmaker Q&A for THE NEXT DAY with Al Robbins and DeAnna Dawn.
• Filmmaker Q&A for THE UNFORGIVING MINUTE with Octavia Spencer, Kelly Shipe-Vasconcelos, and Devin Badgett.
• A discussion for SOLILOQUY with Jacques Zanetti and Lillian Benson.
• A discussion for LOVE TAKES TIME with Melvina and Jaylani Roberts.

Special Guests

Many talented people have made special appearances at the festival:

• Josh Penn, a producer for Beasts of the Southern Wild.
• Al Robbins, an actor and director of The Next Day.
• Carolina Moraes Liu, director of Ebony Goddess: Queen of Ilê Aiyê.
• Deanna Dawn, an actor in The Next Day.
• Devin Badgett, an actor in The Unforgiving Minute.
• Jacques Zanetti, director of New York 45 and Soliloquy.
• Jaylani Roberts, an actor in Love Takes Time.
• Jason “Trackademicks” Valerio, a musician and rapper.
• Kathleen Antonia, an actor and director.
• Kelly Shipe Vasconcelos, who worked on The Unforgiving Minute.
• Lillian Benson, a director and editor.
• Melvina, director of Love Takes Time.
• Naru Kwina, a musician and rapper.
• Octavia Spencer, a famous actor and director.
• Shy Pacheco Hamilton, a director.
• Sonia McDaniel, an educator.
• Stacey Larkins, a director.
• Sylvia D. Hamilton, a director from Canada.
• Tossie Long, a singer, dancer, and actress.
• Velina Brown, an actor.
• Venus de Milo Thomas, director of Did I Wake You?.

Films Shown at the Festival

The festival has shown many amazing films. An asterisk (*) means it was the first time the film was shown at a festival (a premiere). Here are some examples of the types of films you might see:

• *A Funeral at the Samba School (Brazil) – A short film.
• *Calypso Rose: Lioness of the Jungle (Trinidad/France/USA) – A feature-length documentary.
• *Dreams of a Life (U.K./Ireland) – A feature film.
• *Duka's Dilemma (Ethiopia) – A feature-length documentary.
• *In Search of Consonance (USA) – A comedy feature film.
• *Portia White: Think on Me (Canada) – A feature-length documentary.
• *The Next Day (USA) – A feature film.
• Black Orpheus (Brazil) – A feature film.
• Ebony Goddess: Queen of Ile Aiye (Brazil) – A feature-length documentary.
• Hollywood Shuffle (USA) – A short film.
• Karmen Gei (Senegal) – A feature musical film.
• Mama Africa (Burkina Faso, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe) – A collection of short films.
• Nobody Knows My Name (USA) – A feature-length documentary.
• Rize (USA) – A documentary.
• Say My Name (USA) – A feature-length documentary.
• The Wiz (USA) – A feature musical film.
• When Spirits Dance Mambo (Puerto Rico/USA) – A short documentary.