Newark Black Film Festival Returns To Celebrate Black Filmmakers And Actors

After celebrating 50 years of bringing the Brick City community short films, documentaries, comedies, and dramas, the Newark Black Film Festival returns from July 16 to July 20 at the Newark Museum of Art. 

The annual event, which is the longest-running Black film festival in the country, will feature a curated selection of short films and more while showing off the creativity of both new and already established filmmakers. 

The festival opens with a screening of “Ricky” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by a Q&A with the audience. Directed by Rahsad Frett, “Ricky” follows the titular character as he navigates the realities of life post-incarceration and attempts to gain independence for the first time as an adult. The film stars Stephan James and Sheryl Lee Ralph. A reception will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. before the film’s screening. 

Day Two of the festival will feature a panel discussion called “Films as a Tool of Resistance” at 6:30 p.m. The discussion will take a look at how filmmakers use their movies to challenge injustice, amplify marginalized voices, and inspire social change. 

The panel will be followed by a screening of the film “Akin’s Desert” at 8 p.m. The film chronicles the life of a Cuban doctor, Akin, who operated in Brazil under the Mais Medicos program in 2018. After building a relationship with the local community, Akin is forced to make a decision upon the election of Jair Bolsonaro: return to Cuba and leave behind the relationships he’s built, or stay in Brazil and reinvent himself as he practices medicine. A Q&A will take place after the film screening. 

Day Two will also include two free screenings for the youth: “Mufasa: The Lion King” at 1 p.m. and “Piece by Piece,” which captures the life of singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams through the use of LEGO, at 1 p.m. The screening of “Piece by Piece” will take place at the Newark Public Library, 5 Washington St., Newark. 

Day Three will include the screening of the short film “Ancestral Call” by Sonnia Kennebeck and Tetiana Anderson at 5:30 p.m. The 16-minute film follows Danielle Scott, a Black, Polish-Jewish, and Asian mixed-media artist who, at the cusp of international fame risks her wellbeing by exposing herself to the intergenerational trauma of the Atlantic Slave Trade. The short film will also be accompanied by a screening of Mati Diop’s “Dahomey.” A panel discussion will follow.

Friday will also feature a screening celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1975 film “Cooley High” at 7:30 p.m. with director Michael Schultz in attendance and a special presentation honoring the director before the screening. 

On Day Four, several screenings will take place, including “Love, Brooklyn” at 11 a.m., “Color Book” at 1:30 p.m., “Seeds” at 4 p.m., and “Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story” at 7 p.m. The night will conclude with the Bam Bam Caribbean White Party from 9 to 11:30 p.m. at the Newark Museum of Art Garden. Guests can celebrate the final night of the festival wearing their best all-white attire while mingling with the community and filmmakers. 

The festival will conclude on Day Five, with the documentary “Beyond the Belt – The Legend of Karriem AbdAllah” at noon. The documentary by Troy Thomas follows the contributions by Newark’s own Al-Mu’assis Karriem AbdAllah, a martial arts practitioner who created his own style from many influences beyond the mat and had its own impact on the Black community. A short film showcase will also take place at 2 p.m. with the theme of Identity & Resilience. 

Tickets for the festival, including particular events and screenings, can be found online on Eventbrite. The Newark Museum of Art is located at 49 Washington St., Newark.