Description:

A group of Moroccan Hip Hop artists share a single dream: to rock a professional concert for a hometown crowd. Unfortunately, in addition to a lack of resources and freedom of speech, these young artists get virtually no support from their own society or cultural institutions. So, with the help of the American filmmaker, they appeal to the American Embassy for funding for the first Moroccan Hip Hop festival. Although the organizers face roadblocks along the way--diplomatic bureaucracy, disputes over money, unscrupulous stage-builders and general chaos of business in the Third World--they pull it off and the festival plays to massive crowds of young Moroccans in three cities, fulfilling the dream of the artists and catapulting Moroccan Hip Hop from the underground into the spotlight.

In association with the Hip Hop Association
Community Collaborators: hiphopradio.net; Poetess Media

Description:

Lennox Jones, an aspiring novelist, meets and falls hard for Baldwin Wright, a charismatic musician on the rise. A whimsical romance ensues but falls short when high expectations meet discontent. Eventually, time apart forces them to decide whether or not their love was meant to last. Stars Jazz Smollett. Q&A

About the Director:

Nefertite Nguvu is a graduate of New York’s School of Visual Arts, there her Thesis project won the award for Outstanding Screenplay. “I Want You” marks her non-student, directorial debut. This short film made its festival debut at the 10th Annual African American Women in Cinema Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Film.

Description:

A timeless romance, filled with longing, lust and a sincere belief in the possibility that dreams of youth can inspire strength, confidence and beauty in the future. Through her passion for music, and belief in love, a young woman overcomes the restrictions of her upbringing and follows her heart on a quest to find her childhood music teacher and affirm her belief in true love. When she arrives at the teacher's apartment, located in the Heliopolis Flat, a district in Cairo, she finds it has been sublet to a young stockbrocker, who is engaged in a non-emotional affair with a female colleague. Although her belongings remain in the apartment, her teacher has not been seen for several years and her whereabouts are unknown. A story of love infused with the culture, sights and characters of modern-day Egypt—from the urban sophistication of Cairo to the traditional beliefs of rural Upper Egypt. Egypt’s submission for 2007 Academy Award consideration for the Best Foreign Language Film Award.

Description:

The true story of a lost era, when African American filmmakers and studios created "race movies" exclusively for black audiences. Early Black actors and directors are noted.

About the Director:

Brad Osborne is a commercial & film writer, director, producer and editor living in Dallas. His prior work includes the nationally-televised historical documentary Rising from the Rails: the Story of the Pullman Porter (heralded by Booklist as one of the top 10 film titles on African-American history), and Shock, a stirring documentary on Electroconvulsive Therapy based on the book by Kitty Dukakis. Osborne is also producing & editing web video content for Condè Nast Portfolio, directing commercial spots for Subway and Cantoni, and is underway on a new documentary on the late Ray Charles.

Description:

A candid take on the ties that bind a group of African-American and Latina women in Los Angeles. Voices of mothers, sisters, daughters, girlfriends, and lesbian women spanning different generations, shapes, and sizes redefine unity and sisterhood by testing their physical and emotional boundaries that begin at the mountaintop. Q&A

Community Collaborators: Village Health Foundation; Myspace.com/BlackGirlUniversity; TreazureMag.com; Michelle's XXX/Soulful Touch Entertainment

About the Director:

At 30, Jasmyne Cannick is a critic and commentator based in Los Angeles who writes about the worlds of pop culture, race, class, and politics as it relates to the African-American community. She can be reached at www.jasmynecannick.com or www.myspace.com/jasmynecannick.

Description:

Setting out on a 40-day journey across her country, Tanzanian sociologist Mama Lyimo seeks to see for herself why the AIDS pandemic continues to thrive. When she befriends a illuminating AIDS orphan named Suzy, Lyimo's personal journey becomes more urgent and intimate than she could have ever imagined. The film is accompanied by a powerful score from “Tsotsi” composer Paul Hepker and Kenyan artist Ayub Ogada. Q&A

About the Director:

After graduating from Loyola Marymount University's School of Film & TV, Peter Glenn spent 2 years teaching TV production at a university in Tanzania. During that time, he met Mama Lyimo who convinced him to make "Into the Light" to help unearth the human challenges of AIDS in Tanzania. A fluent Swahili speaker, Peter continues to live and work for the empowerment of people in East Africa. "Into the Light" is his first feature documentary.

Description:

After 14 years of a brutal civil war and a government riddled with corruption, Liberia was a nation ready for change. In January 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated President, immediately earning a place in history as the first woman elected president of an African nation. In this unique look behind the scenes, we watch the new president during the first year of her presidency, as she populates her cabinet with strong women, including her Ministers of Finance, Justice and Commerce as well as the Chief of Police. Together, these "iron ladies" tackle a four billion dollar foreign debt, indolent bureaucracy, black markets and the omnipresent threat of violent riots. Expertly straddling the dual public identities of “Old Ma”, and head of state, President Sirleaf teaches generations of Liberians trained to rule and be ruled by violence and fear that the expression “compassion is revolutionary” is far more than a slogan. The stakes are high, and the outcome uncertain, but the commitment of the Iron Ladies will not falter. A joyous, inspirational testimony of the political power of women's leadership and diplomacy. Q&A

About the Director:

Named by “Filmmaker” magazine as one of 25 up-and-coming filmmakers in 2003, Junge had his feature-length directorial debut with Chiefs, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, winning the award for best documentary, and subsequently received national airing on PBS. Also directed by Junge and broadcast nationally on PBS was Reading Your Rights, which documents a 1st Amendment rights battle in Colorado and earned a regional Emmy nomination. Other films by Junge include Big Blue Bear (Australia Broadcasting Company), We Are PHAMALy (Tribeca Film Festival) and the narrative film Road Movie. Junge was born in Sheridan, Wyoming and received his BA in Liberal Arts from Colorado College; he attended film school at New York University. Junge has worked in the Los Angeles, New York, and London film/television industries as an assistant director, assistant editor, researcher, and production assistant. Junge has taught as a guest professor at the Colorado College, and speaks regularly to classes at the University of Colorado.