AwardsWatch

A partnership between Cucalorus & Working Films, the Works-in-Progress Lab (WiP) supports social justice documentaries being made by Black filmmakers. This immersive program gives artists a chance to engage distinct audiences for feedback and to create strategies for action related to the issues raised in their projects.

 

This year, five projects were selected for the WiP lab. We are beyond excited to share their projects with you! 

 

 

 

Duality: A Collection of Afro Indigenous Perspectives by Fredrick Murphy, Kimberly M. Knight

 

Duality is a collection of experiences by individuals who identify as Afro Indigenous from various tribes across the United States. The film will explore the history of the two ethnic groups individually and as a collective via the institution of slavery, food ways, dance, dress, spirituality, legal challenges, marginalization, resilience, state/federal recognition and much much more. 

 

 

 

Frederick Murphy is the founder of History Before Us, LLC, a project centered on capturing, preserving and advocating influential history. Mr. Murphy is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor who finds joy in helping people achieve and retain an optimum level of functioning by focusing on their holistic health.

 

Kimberly M. Knight is the Co-Founder of HIV Cure Research Day proclaimed by Gov. Roy Cooper, Contributing Writer for Sheen Magazine, the Editor of The Lux Blog NC, and is an active member of multiple Native American organizations. 

  

 

 

 

Humble in the Jungle by Ricky Kelly

 

The Jungle Brothers are known as the pioneers of the fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and house music. Their hip-house club hit single, "I'll House You" changed the course of hip-hop and dance music by expanding it across the globe. With all the fame and success, Michael Small aka "Mike Gee", an unassuming licensed plumber and family man shows humility and astounding work ethic by continuing to work full time as a plumber while performing with The Jungle Brothers.

 

Ricky Kelly is a lifelong lover of documentary film and Hip Hop. He recently completed and released the documentary film Black Beach/White Beach- A Tale of Two Beaches which received distribution with Gravitas Ventures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Sallie Walker by Marta Effinger-Crichlow 

 

Play is a lifeline for Black girls across the generations. Little Sallie Walker tells the story of Patricia, Billie Jean, Raisha, and Kristi, who instinctively understood that coming-of-age in America involved creating and cultivating worlds-of-make-believe through different types of play. Pattycake, dress-up, double dutch, doll-making, and hide-and-seek offered sanctuary from discrimination, violence, and poverty. 

 

 

 

Marta Effinger-Crichlow is an interdisciplinary artist whose projects in the mediums of film, theater, and literature highlight her mission to fuse social issues, culture, and history.  

 

 

 

 

My Mother is an Artist by Maya Horton

 

My Mother is an Artist tracks the impact of one mother's incarceration and follows her journey to get justice, make art and find joy. After serving 30 years in prison for murder, Lajuana Lampkins is now a staple in Wicker Park, Chicago, where she sells her drawings to the late-night crowd.

 

As a freelance video journalist, Maya Horton's documentary work at The Real Chi focused on criminal justice reform in Chicago. Maya currently works as an Associate Producer at Leo Burnett. 

 

 

 

Paradise by Gabby Sumney

 

Paradise is deep dive into a multiracial Caribbean American family history exploring race, immigration, and imperialism. Featuring interviews from Sumney's family, historians, and others and using a variety of stylistic elements to interrogate these issues, the film is a series of five non-linear acts tied together by the central themes of race and national origin. 

 

Gabby Sumney (née Follett) is an Afro-Latinx, queer, nonbinary nonfiction filmmaker with a disability based in Boston, MA. They work in experimental nonfiction with a special emphasis on issues of identity and personal narrative. 

  

 

 

 

 

The next installment of the NC Film Forum, a partnership with the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, takes place next Wednesday, August 11 at 5:30pm. This month's forum takes us into the world of North Carolina Film Festivals. We are joined by organizers from some of the best events in the state including: 

Mary Dossinger: Program Manager at the RiverRun International Film Festival (Winston-Salem)

Sadie Tillery: Interim Festival Director & Artistic Director at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (Durham)

Sally Causey Bloom: Co-director at the Longleaf Film Festival (Raleigh)

Tommy Nichols: Founder at RiverRun International Film Festival (Charlotte) 

The forum is held on Zoom and is free. REGISTER HERE to join us. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL: R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Balancing Power and Care in Doc Filmmaking 

With Natalie Bullock-Brown, Sonya Childress, Michelle Lanier, Twiggy Pucci-Garcon, Poh Si Teng and Dr. Kameelah Rashad

In the face of 2020’s intersectional reckonings, a movement of independent filmmakers and other documentary field stakeholders rose up to reshape the nonfiction industry in profound ways — from dismantling barriers in the field to advancing new, non-extractive, healing-centered approaches to storytelling. Last year, a group of colleagues desiring to activate more concrete change within the documentary field came together to craft a framework for values-based filmmaking. Over 100 stakeholders and film participants have weighed in on that framework. Join the Documentary Accountability Working Group as they share the evolution of their vision alongside a filmmaker, a film participant, a funder and mental health professional, all of whose work embodies the spirit of a liberatory approach to documentary film.

 

Join us during the 2021 BlackStar Film Festival on August 5th at 6pm EDT. Registration for the session is free. More details here.  

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You to Our Kickstarter Backers! 

 

 

 

Aaron, Abrielle, Aby, Alfredo, Alicia, Allen, Amy, Andrew, Ann, Archibald, Arthur, Ashley, Augustine, Barbara & Michael, Becca, Betsy, Bo, Bobby, Briana, Brighid, Burke, Byron, C. A., Caroline, Carolyn, Catherine, CB, Chad, Charlene, Charles, Cheri, Chris, Connie, Courtenay, Dan B., Dan M., Dave, Debra, Donald, DOWNONOURLUCK, Dylan, Ed, Elizabeth G., Elizabeth S., Elizabeth T., Ellen, Eugenio, Frank, Fred, Gillybear Films, Grant, Hannah H., Hannah V., Hill, Hillary, Holly, Ilov, Ingrid, Jack R., Jane K., Jane S., Jason, Jeremy, Jim, JJ, Joanne, John, Johnath, Jonathan, Josephine, Josh, JR, Kaari, Karin, Kate, Kay, Kenneth, Kiersten, Kim, Kristen, Laura A., Laura B.P., Laura H., Lexi P., Linda, Lisa Me., Lisa Mo., Little Pond Caterers, Margie, Marika, Mary, Matt & Alison, Matthew D., Matthew M., Meagan, Megan P., Megan V., Melissa S., Michael R., Michael W., Mike D., Mike M., Mikey, Natalie, Nathan, Nicole, Norman, Norwood, Ornana, Pam, Patrick, Penelope, Penney, Pete, Peter, Phil, Phoebe, Rachel, Renee, Rex, Richard, Rob, Robert L., Robert R., Robin, Rory, Scotty, Sean, Shannon, Stephanie, Sue, Suzanne, Tab, Taylor, Terry, The Creative Fund by BackerKit, Thomas, Tink, Todd, Tony, Tricia, Trip, Zoë, Zoë M. 

 

 

 

Thank You to Our 2021 Sponsors! 

 

 

 

VISIONARY

                          

                     

 

 

 

 

 

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RED CARPET

                

              

      

            

 

 

 

 

 

ANAMORPHIC

         

        

                

       

 

 

 

 

 

ACADEMY

Artless Media

Art in Bloom Gallery

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The Right Bite

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COMMUNITY

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Cucalorus Festival • 815 Princess St • Wilmington, NC 28401-4243 • USA