Online Screening Info: Available to view 12 am on June 23 through 12 am on June 25.
THE BEAUTY PRESIDENT
Directed by Whitney Skauge. (USA 2020, 09:56)
“If a bad actor can be president, why not a good drag queen?” In 1992, Joan Jett Blakk made a historic bid for the White House as one of the first openly queer write-in candidates. Today, Terence Smith, the man behind the persona, reflects back on his place in gay rights history at the height of the AIDS crisis.
Presented with the Claim It! shorts film program.
ABIGAIL DEVILLE: "LIGHT OF FREEDOM"
Directed by Ian Forster. (USA 2021, 05:49)
Sculptor and installation artist Abigail DeVille reveals the ideas and inspirations behind the making of her public art commission, "Light of Freedom" (2020). The large sculpture of a scaffolded torch, with flames composed of dozens of blue mannequin arms, was motivated by the Black Lives Matter marches of summer 2020, when waves of demonstrators hooked arm-in-arm to rally against racial injustice amidst the threat of a global pandemic.
Presented with the Claim It! shorts film program.
THE HEARTLAND
Directed by Marquise Mays. (USA 2020, 24:10)
Highlighting both the joys and trials of growing up Black in the Midwest, three Black Milwaukee residents confront & reconcile the unrequited love between them and their city.
Presented with the Claim It! shorts film program.
THE NORTH STAR: FINDING BLACK MECCA
Directed by Angel Panag & Torrin Blades. (Canada 2020, 22:21)
Once called ‘The Black Mecca’ and ‘A Colored Man’s Paris’ – Chatham-Kent is a region in Canada with a long history of Black settlement. In spite of hardships, the community has thrived. The North Star is an independent film that documents the past and the present of a people who have helped shape this country, but are often left out of its textbooks.
Presented with the Claim It! shorts film program.
WADE IN THE WATER: DROWNING IN RACISM 2021
Directed by Cathleen Dean. (USA 2020, 15:10)
From seaweed to lost beach balls, sun-seekers bump into all sorts of surprises swimming along Florida’s iconic beaches. For black swimmers however, there’s a complex history floating off Florida’s blue waters—one of segregation and violence, but also one of protest and resistance.
Presented with the Claim It! shorts film program.