Newark Black Film Festival

September 11 - 26

Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts is excited to welcome the Newark Black Film Festival to the Gordon Theater from September 11 through 26.

Since its inception in 1974, the Newark Black Film Festival has become known among its peers as the longest running black film festival in the United States. Throughout the years, it has continued to provide a progressive public forum for hundreds of emerging writers, directors, producers, performers and film buffs who enjoy African American and African Diaspora cinema. Screening in the summer months, the films that are shown reflect the full diversity of the black experience in America, both past and present. Each film selection encompasses a wide range of cinematic forms and formulas, from documentary to the avant-garde. Click here to see film schedule.

The Festival is free of charge to the public and receives funding in the form of special grants from foundations and corporations. The 2008 Festival season is made possible by a grant from Bank of America.

Thursday, September 18
BLACKOUT

Friday, September 19
HALLELUJAH

Thursday, September 25
THE DITCHDIGGERS DAUGHTER

Friday, September 26
2008 Paul Robeson Award Winners

Documentary
Winner: PRINCE AMONG SLAVES

Honorable Mention: BODEGA

Long Narrative
Winner: ALGENY: THE GENETIC FACTOR

Honorable Mention: DEATH OF A B-BOY

Short Narrative
Winner: REFLECTIONS

Honorable Mention: THE MEETING

Experimental
Winner: BIRTHMARKS

Honorable Mention: AMIRI BARAKA'S "SOMETHING IN THE WAY OF THINGS (IN TOWN)"

NEWARK BLACK FILM FESTIVAL ADULT CINEMA CALENDAR

All screenings begin at 7:30pm.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: THE PROMISED LAND

September 11

A segment of the 14-hour documentary series EYES ON THE PRIZE aired by PBS. The series has been heralded as "the principal account of the most important American social justice movement of the 20th century." The Promised Land chronicles the timeframe 1967 and 1968 and focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

BACK TO AFRICA

September 12

The full-length feature telling a poignant story of Sade, a beautiful 24-year-old African-American woman, on a spiritual quest to Nigeria in search for her father who was forced to leave her mother and her when she was two years old.

BLACKOUT

September 18

A captivating film about the summer 2003 blackout, the largest in United States' history, and its impact on the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY.

HALLELUJAH!

September 19

The first sound film created by the famed King Vidor, Hallelujah! was one of the first all-black films shot by a major studio. Produced by MGM in 1929, it was intended for general audiences and won Vidor an Oscar nomination. Click here to see a clip from the film.

THE DITCHDIGGER'S DAUGHTERS

September 25

A Family Channel original movie, the film chronicles ditchdigger Donald Thornton's passionate efforts to motivate his daughters to become well-educated.

PAUL ROBESON AWARDS

September 26

DOCUMENTARY

Winner: Prince Among Slaves
Filmmaker: Andrea Kalin
Prince Among Slaves follows the true life story of Abdul-Rahman Ibrahima Sori, the prince of a large African kingdom, who was captured in a battle in 1788 and sold into the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. 2007






Honorable Mention: Bodega
Filmmakers: D. Penn, R. Kam, C. Nozkowski
A humorous look at the nutritional choices made by people who live in America's urban counties, with a closer look inside the food pyramid. 2001




SHORT NARRATIVE

Winner: Reflections
Filmmaker: Keyana Ray
Three best friends learn to take HIV/AIDS seriously as they navigate romantic relationships in an urban environment. 2007








Honorable Mention: The Meeting
Filmmaker: Jeremiah Jahi
Rodney, a family man goes to meet his father for the first time with the hopes of building a relationship, only to entangle in loss, anger and hurt. 2006





LONG NARRATIVE

Winner: Algeny: The Genetic Factor Filmmaker: Andrew Burroughs
Justin Thomas is a walking mystery – a young man trying to make a life for himself in adulthood. But when he discovers the secrets of his past, his hopes for the future and his life are put in jeopardy. 2007







Honorable Mention: Death of a B-Boy
Filmmaker: Willis L. Petrie
The evolution of an artist. The degradation of a genre. The Death of a B-Boy deals with the death of Hip Hop. 2007





EXPERIMENTAL

Winner: Birthmarks
Filmmaker: Naima Lowe
Naima and Bill Lowe tell the story of how fathers and daughters make beauty out of trauma and art out of living. 2007






Honorable Mention: Amiri Baraka's "Something in the Way of Things (In Town)"
Filmmaker: Bryan Green
Story of a young man falsely incarcerated, and a troubled single mom. 2007