Here’s what to expect at this year’s BlackStar Film Festival

Forty films by independent Black filmmakers from five continents will be screened over a four-day span this summer during the fifth annual BlackStar Film Festival.

As in previous years, the festival follows a theme. This summer’s festival will hone in on migration from the African diaspora in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Great Migration to Philadelphia.

“As we approached our fifth year, the urge to connect our work to larger concerns around migration came to the fore,” said festival founder and Artistic Director Maori Karmael Holmes in a statement. “We are looking forward to presenting quite possibly our strongest program to date, featuring work from filmmakers of color from around the world and centering the narratives of some of our most marginalized communities.”

BlackStar will also honor the work of director and screenwriter Julie Dash this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqT0mcBLdmc

As the festival’s founders mentioned during their Arts + Business Council award speech, BlackStar is not solely for Black people, but rather is inclusive in its celebration of Black culture and film.

The festival will take place August 4 to 7, opening with a reception at Johnny Brenda‘s and culminating with an award ceremony at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts. An official lineup of screenings and events will be announced in late June.