WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews the D.C. Black Film Fest (Part 1)

Filmmakers of color are getting a chance to shine this week on Barracks Row in Southeast D.C.

The eighth annual D.C. Black Film Festival returns to the historic Miracle Theatre on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, followed by a virtual festival extension from Aug. 18 to Aug. 25.

“It’s just been awesome to see how the competition [has grown] in terms of the films, oh my goodness, every year it just gets stronger and stronger,” founder and festival director Kevin Sampson told WTOP.

“We’ve definitely had submissions from all over the globe. The only stipulation of submitting to the festival is that one or more of the above-the-line crew is of African descent, so that helps us to be more inclusive, it’s not exclusive.”

The festival kicks off Thursday, Aug. 15 with the narrative feature “Money Game” directed by Julian Lowenthal.

“It’s set during the COVID-19 pandemic where a young widowed father of two struggles to navigate a broken financial system while fighting to give his daughters the life his late wife promised him,” Sampson said.

“It’s a really good, moving feature. It’s interesting because we know that films are going to show us what we lived during the pandemic and the different struggles of it, so it’s a really good film that I think people will really like.”

The festival continues Friday, Aug. 16 with Ilana Trachtman’s feature documentary “Ain’t No Back to the Merri-Go-Round,” narrated by Jeffrey Wright to chronicle a troubling true story at Glen Echo Amusement Park in Maryland in 1960.

“This is really dealing with five Howard University students that sat on a Maryland carousel in the 1960s — that arrest made headlines,” Sampson said. “It’s dealing with segregation, integration and the 1961 Freedom Riders. … It’s information that is not necessarily hidden but maybe it’s just something that you’ve never heard of before.”

Friday also includes the narrative feature “The Novelist” by prolific D.C.-area filmmaker Harold Jackson III.

“Listen, this one is our Friday night feature film and it has everything you want in a film,” Sampson said.

“It’s a thriller, it’s also a dark comedy, it’s a kind of mystery, so you want to find out what’s going to happen to certain characters. Basically it’s about a woman who steals a manuscript from someone else, then out of nowhere his estranged son comes to seek compensation. It’s just a fun ride and I think people will be talking to the screen.”

Saturday, Aug. 17 brings “A Time to Yell: More Than a Statue” by Eric Newman and Daniel Levin about the infamous “Unite the Right” rally around the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, seven years ago.

“We all remember Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, but one thing you don’t know about what kicked that off is there was a certain catalyst to kind of start those events and ‘A Time to Yell’ really covers that,” Sampson said.

Saturday also brings “Running Our Way: The Story of Chocolate City Relay” directed by Jason Taylor.

“It’s a 60-plus-mile relay crafted to go deep into each of D.C.’s wards,” Sampson said. “This is looking at a group of Black women runners who come together — running brings them together — but they’re also running through the District, so you’ll definitely see some spots that you’ve seen all the time and also some people you might know.”

It all wraps up on Saturday with the closing-night film “ToxiCITY” by filmmaker Felix Wayne Jordan.

“That is about an up-and-coming app developer who really struggles with his past, trying to break free from childhood trauma and trying to balance family, work and love,” Sampson said. “It’s a beautifully shot film.”

Attendees can use the promo code “WTOP” for 20% off individual tickets.

Find more information here.

WTOP’s Jason Fraley previews the D.C. Black Film Fest (Part 2)

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