6th Annual BlackStar Film Festival Returns To Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The sixth annual BlackStar Film Festival will open on Thursday in Philadelphia. With four days of events the festival is attracting some Hollywood heavy hitters.
The festival will feature 62 films from 16 countries that tell the story of the people of the African diaspora.
"Because of our political moment and also because of the national uprisings and protests, we are in a shift globally," said Maori Holmes, founder and director of the Black Star Film Festival on why the theme for this year is resistance. "It seemed just really fitting for those reasons, but also for the work that we were getting."
Because of films like "Whose Streets," a documentary about the uprising in Ferguson or "Emmett Still," a short about a Black man's encounter with police.
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But in additional to screenings, an art exhibit and youth project, the festival will feature special guests like award-winning Selma Director Ava Duvernay, whose work was featured in the inaugural festival.
"A lot of the film makers and also actors and other artists have come to the festival right before they blew up," says Holmes. "We'll also have some premieres, it feels good people trust us with their babies to launch them into the world."
The festival runs August 3 through the 6th, and you can find details on tickets at www.blackstarfest.org.
