How to View and Celebrate African-American History at the Kravis Center’s Annual Film Festival

Local community leaders are proud to present the seventeenth Annual African-American Film Festival (AAFFat the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, taking place on January th, February th, and March th of this year. Founded by the late James Drayton, a former West Palm Beach city commissioner who was a staunch proponent of equal rights and justice, this festival is dedicated to celebrating African American culture, race relations and social justice, while honoring African American artists through groundbreaking films. Each evening includes an illuminating introduction to the film’s theme, moderated by a knowledgeable individual.

On January , at : PM, join us for a screening of the venerated drama “A Raisin in the Sun” (), directed by Daniel Petrie. Starring Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil, this film follows the Youngers, an African American family living together in an apartment in Chicago, who attempt to determine what to do with their substantial insurance payment following the death of their patriarch. Following the screening, there will be a moderated panel discussion and audience Q&A led by TreaAndrea Russworm, PhD., and featuring William “Bill” Nix, Thomas Parham and Avery Sommers.

On March , at : pm, Dr. Terri Francis will be moderating a panel featuring Eduardo Culmer, Jr., Breion Moses, and Dwayne Taylor. The panel’s discussion focus will center around Ava Duvernay’s documentary TH, which explores the history of racial inequality in the United States and examines the reality of African Americans disproportionately populating the nation’s prisons.
In addition, the panel will recall John Singleton’s film Poetic Justice, in which a mismatched pair – Justice (played by Jacksonand Lucky (Tupac Shakur- reluctantly take a road trip from South Central Los Angeles to Oakland.

The th NALES Festival of Film exposes the systematic racial inequality at its core. The event will be moderated by Nadine White-Boyd, Esq., and panelists Reverend Kevin Jones, James Venable, and Alexis Lockhart shall be present. Preceding the festival, a catered reception will take place in the lobby of the Rinker Playhouse. Previous events have been hosted by James Drayton, AnEta Sewell and William “Bill” Nix, who all worked together to carefully research, vet and curate a series of films that reflect current issues and often act as catalysts for community conversation. Many of the movies featured are nostalgic in nature, among some of the very best.

The American Film Festival proudly presents with the support of WLRN Public Media and Community Support from the Kappa Upsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Tickets for this series may be purchased at the Kravis Centre’s website, www.kravis.org, or by phone at (- or (- for a cost of $ per show, or $ for the series. Student/Educator rush discount tickets are also available for all screenings. Featuring as moderators is TreaAndrea M. Russworm, PhD, an interdisciplinary media scholar specialising in video games and digital media.

Dr. Terri Francis, Associate Professor of Cinematic Arts and Associate Dean of Inclusion and Outreach for over twenty years, has identified and problematized the many ways in which psychoanalytic culture has functioned as a governing racial ideology which is built around a flawed understanding of trying to “recognize” the racial other as human by analyzing a range of popular forms, such as Sidney Poitier’s films, black mother and daughter family melodramas, Black pimp narratives, and cartoon Fat Albert post s American popular fictions.

In Summary

The American Film Festival, proudly supported by WLRN Public Media and the Kappa Upsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., celebrates the best in American filmmaking with a selection of specially curated films. tickets can be purchased for individual screenings or for the whole series at www.kravis.org or by phone at (- or (-. Student/Educator rush discount tickets are available for all screenings, making this event accessible to all fans of American cinema. With TreaAndrea M. Russworm, PhD on hand as moderator, the American Film Festival is sure to be an unforgettable experience.