Citizen Screen: PTFF Celebrates Black Voices in Film at Inaugural Mini-Festival
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Each night filmmakers took part in an audience Q&A. Photo courtesy of Ben Wilson. [/caption]
Citizen Screen is a monthly column dedicated to film and film-related topics, sourced and curated by Port Townsend Film Festival. This month’s column is by filmmaker Ben Wilson.
The Port Townsend Film Festival (PTFF) and Color of Sound, the nonprofit I lead, partnered to present "Black Film in the PNW," a three-day (March 14-16) mini-film festival celebrating and exploring films by and about Black people in the Pacific Northwest. The event featured contemporary films that I curated, and highlighted the work of established, emerging and student black filmmakers from the PNW–mostly from Seattle. The event took place at the Rose Theatre in Downtown Port Townsend.
As the MC for the event, I was thrilled as I stood on the stage at the Rose Theatre at the way people in my community fully supported the event by filling almost every seat, which holds over 150 people, every night. Saturday night was completely sold out. Given the press coverage and the advertising done by both The Rose Theatre and PTFF, everyone in town that I spoke to was aware of the event. As I facilitated the Q&A at the end of each night, I realized that I was on a first-name basis with both the filmmakers and almost everyone who asked a question. That was all I hoped for and more.
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It wasn’t just about watching movies; participants in the film festival spent time building community through sharing meals and participating in karaoke. Photo courtesy of Ben Wilson. [/caption]
Personally, I was most thrilled by the prospect of building community with my fellow black filmmakers! The festival included twelve black filmmakers, including three youth filmmakers. Many of them brought their families and filled the streets with culture and melanin, which I called “brown around town.” Besides filling Port Townsend restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights, the filmmakers took Karaoke Night to the next level at the Anchor and then the Uptown. My favorite moment was Saturday karaoke night, and our group rocked the house with a version of Uptown Funk at the Uptown Pub–the Dad joke was not wasted on me!
The first night of the festival featured a diverse mix of films including Black June; Dark and Tender: The Big Island (preview); What Heroes Do; Lioness; and Equity in the Metaverse. Each night the screenings were followed by a discussion, including audience Q&A. All the films were well received, including the film Dark and Tender: The Big Island (preview), which I produced and was a featured actor. Seeing a preview of footage shot in January on the big screen in the Rose was so amazing, and I really appreciated all the positive feedback.
On the second day, we held a Black Filmmaker Panel Discussion in the Cotton Building, which included filmmakers Donte Felder, Nicole Pouchet, Anthony Tackett, and Abie Ekenezar. With standing-room only, the panel entertained the crowd with great insights and witty remarks. Donte and Anthony have known each other for years, and verbally sparred and jokingly tried to best each other’s answers. When responding to a question, Donte received an Amen from the audience and Anthony did not. Donte pointed that out as everyone laughed. After that, at the end of every response from the panel, the crowd yelled, “Amen!” The authentic responses and the ongoing laughter made for a fun and edifying afternoon.
Saturday night, which was completely sold out, featured the centerpiece of the weekend, Abie Ekenezar’s Bad Ass Women Doing Kick Ass Shit. The evening started with a short film directed by two youth filmmakers, called “A Woman’s Role.” One of the youth filmmakers, Aarhyn, took over the Q&A with her very funny and clever remarks and great stage presence. For me, getting to know these young filmmakers gave me so much hope. Each of them had a clear vision of what they wanted to say and how their film might have an impact. I also got to know their families and could see how these parents with limited resources did so much to support their children’s dreams.
Sunday afternoon featured a great mix of films including Caged; Perspectives on Violence; Retch; and Book Banning, Book Extinction. This group of films was more disturbing than those screened on the other two days. Retch, directed by Nicole Pouchet, was the only horror film of the weekend and the audience reacted accordingly with gasps and sighs. One of the youth directors, Jalen, warned us against book banning and the evils of any censorship–a topic very relevant today.
As the organizer and curator of the event, it was personally gratifying to see how much Port Townsend and the black filmmaker community enjoyed this event. Abie Ekenezar, the director of our feature film, said, “This was literally the best time ever!” We plan to keep the party going, so I have created a Black Film in the PNW alumni group and we already have a dinner planned at the Seattle Black Film Festival. Additionally, I received many texts from friends in Port Townsend about the quality of the films and how much they enjoyed the film festival.
My dream is that this event has a future life, that it can help to create an environment here in Jefferson County where people of color feel welcome and can attend events where they can see themselves, gather together and be entertained. I can see this event helping to make the Olympic Peninsula a place where people of color can thrive and want to live. Also, I hope these films help to educate, build empathy, and broaden the perspective of our mostly white population. I want to offer this community a wider cultural experience.
Danielle McClelland, the Executive Director of the Port Townsend Film Festival, agreed that we should call this event the “First Inaugural Port Townsend Black Film Festival!”
So, more to come next year.
We look forward to exploring a variety of film and film-related topics in the months to come. Want to propose a topic? Send your thoughts to: info@ptfilm.org.
