Since its inception more than two decades ago, Wilmington’s North Carolina Black Film Festival has grown into one of the state’s premier film festivals, with people coming from all over to the port city for five days of screenings, parties and discussion.
“It keeps growing and changing and evolving. It keeps ebbing and flowing over the years,” said festival director Charlon Turner Everett. “We’re now seeing a lot of people coming from places like Charlotte and Fayetteville, which is driving a lot of the growth.”
On May 15, the 21st North Carolina Black Film Festival will hold a festival kick-off party at Waterline Brewing. Wilmington DJ RizzyBeats will play classic clips from hip-hop heavyweights Wu-Tang Clan, turning the kick-off party into a ” Wu-Tang Wednesday”. The festival will take place on Sunday, May 19, at six venues in Wilmington.
In the past, the festival has highlighted and honored the work of local (Nakia Hamilton in 2022) and national filmmakers, with past attendees including director Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13 “), Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”, “Wilmington” – filming the show “Revolution”) and Anthony Hemingway (“Red Tails”, “The Wire”).
Last year, the festival celebrated its 20th anniversary by hosting iconic film actress Pam Grier (Jackie Brown, Coffey).
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“I was a little worried after last year,” Everett said. “How do you top Pam Grier? But I’m really happy with this year’s roster.”
In addition to Gerald Barclay, director of the documentary “The Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater,” which will be screened in the CFCC Union Station Auditorium on May 16 at 7 p.m., the festival also invites Wu-Tang members to Cappadonna held a post.
On Saturday at 6 p.m., the festival will screen the 2023 comedy-thriller “Kill Room,” co-starring Sameul L. Jackson. Following the video, we’ll have a discussion with BK Fulton, executive producer, founder and CEO of Soulidifly Productions. Fulton will receive the North Carolina Black Film Festival’s Renaissance Award at the festival’s awards ceremony Sunday at the Cameron Museum of Art.
“He just accomplished something huge,” Everett said of Fulton.
Another honoree from the festival is Wilmington filmmaker Christopher Everett, director of the documentary “Wilmington on Fire” and co-founder of 3 Chambers Fest, a celebration of local hip-hop, anime and martial arts Activity. Everett will receive the 2024 Documentary Trailblazer Award ahead of a screening of “The Wu-Tang Experience” at CFCC Union Station on May 16 at 7 p.m.
Christopher Everett, whose husband is film festival director Charlon Turner Everett, said the decision to honor her husband was a result of the Black Arts Alliance (Black Arts Alliance), the nonprofit organization that hosts the North Carolina Black Film Festival.
Other festival highlights include a screening of the Hulu documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told at Jengo’s Playhouse on Princess Street on Friday at 8.15pm.
See how the Spring Picnic at Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) turned into a major cultural event, with this screening serving as a homecoming for the filmmaker Jay Allen, who graduated at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Nikki Byles, a native of Wilmington. Both men previously worked at Swirl Films, a Wilmington-based production company founded by “Freaks” executive producer Eric Tomosunas.
Highlights of Saturday include a 10 a.m. screening of family movies and several short films at Jengo’s, noon to 8 p.m. in Jengo’s and noon to 6 p.m. in Thalian Hall. “Box Brown,” screening at Thalian on May 18 at 1 p.m., tells the story of a slave who gained freedom by mail in 1849.
The festival will conclude on Sunday, May 19, at the Cameron Museum of Art with an awards ceremony and screening of director Bill Horace’s Art, Beats + Lyrics ), a documentary about visual arts and the hip-hop roadshow. A post-screening discussion will follow.
For a complete festival schedule and film descriptions or to purchase tickets, visit BlackArtsAlliance.org.
Want to go?
journey
May 15: Opening party at Waterline Brewing, 5-8 p.m. May 16: Cinemaxer at CFCC Union Station, screening of “The Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks,” 6-9 p.m. May 17: Short films and student films at Jengo’s Playhouse, May 17, 4-10 p.m.: Blue Power documentary, 6 p.m. at Boseman’s Shoes May 18: Family/teen films, Jengo’s Playhouse, 10 a.m. May 18th: Film screening at Jengo’s Playhouse, noon to 8pm May 18th: Film screening at Thalian Hall Studios, 12pm to 6pm May 19th: Awards ceremony (2pm) and closing film “Art, Beats + Lyrics” (3 p.m.), Cameron Museum of Art
