ImageNation, and Black Independent Filmmaker App Sponsors BIPOC Films At SR Socially Relevant Film Festival
SR Socially Relevant Film Festival (#SRFF2021) focuses on two sidebar events in August namely, Un-Broken: Memory and Identity in Lebanese Cinema (August 17-21), and Rejoice, Resist: Black Indigenous People of Color Films (August 29-September 2nd); a film series celebrating Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) films and filmmakers, marking the BLM movement and advocating social justice for all oppressed people.
The second of the two events kicks off with a VIP cocktail honoring partners and sponsors followed by a block party on August 29, in-person film screenings, a panel, and film screening at Marcus Garvey Park all in Harlem.
Rejoice, Resist: Black Indigenous People of Color Films is organized by SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York together with festival partners ImageNation and The Black Independent Filmmaker App, created by Justin Thomas, and is sponsored by Black Public Media, and the short-form video platform Rizzle.
As part of the partnership, Rizzle is seeking submissions from BIPOC creators for content that reflects BIPOC and Black Lives Matter stories. Creators are asked to submit a three-episode series through the Rizzle app where each vertical video can be up to 60 seconds in length. Submissions must include the hashtag #SRFF2021 to be considered. The top five submissions will be screened on Sunday, August 29 and the winners will receive cash prizes.
Submissions open today, Wednesday, July 21. The deadline to submit is Monday, August 23, 2021.
Rejoice, Resist in-person events are FREE and include a Block Party, on August 29, with film screenings including the five winning contestants from the Rizzle competition.
On August 30, an in-person panel will discuss the state of activism in the BIPOC cultures, and a FREE outdoor screening of PBS's award-winning film The Neutral Ground - a documentary about memory, monuments, and how to break up with the confederacy will be presented, courtesy of Black Public Media.
Films streaming online on August 31st, September 1st, and 2nd include a slate of award-winning narrative features, documentaries, and shorts by BIPOC filmmakers who have been programmed in previous editions of SRFF (www.ratedsrfilms.org) as well as newcomers dealing with social issues relating to Black and Indigenous People of Color.
SR Film Festival Founder and Artistic Director Nora Armani said,
"This series focuses on stories by and about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and deserve a spotlight of their own in the mainstream. It is important to point out that rich cultural heritage and human interest stories lie behind the lenses of BIPOC filmmakers who have so much to give world cinema and activism."
"ImageNation is thrilled to share resources to express what we have in common that outweighs our differences." -Gregory Gates, Executive Producer of ImageNation Film Festival