It’s great to see them really expand their own their brand, their own platform to say ‘No, we’re going to actually take a really unapologetic stance and stand for social justice.’ We’re going to curate a film festival that allows for more people to engage with this type of storytelling.”Įxplaining why she thinks filmmaking and social justice activism go hand in hand, Tometi says, “I think the medium is so immersive - film transports you literally to another time, another place, another person’s perspective. Speaking of the Fridays and their work, Tometi says, “I admire what they’ve done for Black film and for being a space where a lot of filmmakers got their break. “So partnering with them really made sense for us to align ourselves with two people who have been vested in this space for years and believe in change.” “Michael and Opal have been very supportive, and through their own work in film and the Black Lives Matter, have been advocates and activists for the social justice movement,” the Fridays add. “More than 10 organizations have come together to plan the festival including our coalition partners, several impact partners, and our founding sponsor, Sony Pictures Entertainment.” “What makes this festival unique is our focus on collaborative programming,” they said. More than 400 films were submitted for consideration and a jury of entertainment executives and representatives from social organizations narrowed the selections down to 40 narrative films, shorts, documentaries and new media projects. In addition to screening Jordan’s film, the program for the virtual film fest includes conversations and filmmaker talk backs featuring prominent Hollywood figures, civil rights activists and political figures (one example, in an on-demand conversation, actor and producer Nnamdi Asomugha will lead a conversation with “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent” author Isabel Wilkerson, with a special appearance by Kerry Washington). But, after announcing the Social Justice Now event in August, the real test began: “The primary challenge in producing this festival was the time to plan everything.” 21-25, is also testament to innovation, after the Fridays successfully pivoted the American Black Film Festival to a virtual model earlier this year. The inaugural film festival, which runs Oct. The Social Justice Now Film Festival is our way of protesting and amplifying the voices of the marginalized and creating real lasting social and political change.” “We wanted to continue the dialogue in our country around issues that impact Black and Brown communities as well as push the message of voting leading up to the election.
#Opal tometi how to
“After George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, we knew we had to make an impact and the only way we knew how to was use our platform to make change,” the Fridays tell Variety via email.
So, through their Film Life Foundation nonprofit, the Fridays decided to launch a new film festival. It can quite literally change the course of history.”Īnd as Hollywood has pledged to use its influence to help in the fight against racial injustice, industry insiders Jeff and Nicole Friday worked to figure out how they could help promote social change through storytelling. “I think it’s just an important opportunity to share the story of how powerful and impactful storytelling truly can be. “As I look at the trajectory of the movement, and I look at the trajectory of myself as a human rights leader, but also as a person who’s really invested in the production of our stories and of the telling of our stories, it’s powerful to me to be standing alongside him,” Tometi says of representing the film festival with Jordan. 21, at Paramount’s Drive-In Theater, sponsored by Amazon Studios. The 2013 film, which saw Jordan embody the late Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old who was fatally shot by BART police in 2009, and “Just Mercy” will open the film festival with drive-in screenings on Wednesday, Oct. Today, Tometi serves as a co-ambassador for the Social Justice Now Film Festival alongside “Fruitvale Station” star Michael B.
0 kommentar(er)
