San Diego Black Film Festival

The San Diego Black Film Festival was established in 2002 by the Black Historical Society of San Diego, and is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of African American and African Diaspora cinema as well as the education of media arts.

Held each year in late January, the San Diego Black Film Festival is one of the largest black film festivals in the country.

As the San Diego Black Film Festival enters its 11th year, we're more excited than ever. The event continues to experience tremendous growth and is now one of the largest black film festivals in the country and second largest on the west coast. Our motto is "Spotlight on African American and African Diaspora Cinema." We screen over 100 films each year: Comedy, Drama, Documentaries, Animation, GLBT, Horror, Religious, Foreign/African Diaspora, Shorts, Feature Films and music videos.

The San Diego Black Film Festival also includes many special events and functions (check website for special events and times)

Admission/Cost: $10 - $75

Day 3 Screenings (check event website for start times):

• Black History Month Film Series featuring:
  Battle (Change From Within) Documentary, Feature, 56 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Michael Hicks. A look at Eliot Battle's pivotal role in desegregating schools and housing in Columbia, Missouri.
  
  with:
  
• Lakeview, Booker & Johnson (The Hallowed Halls) Documentary, Feature, 107 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Eugene Washington. The story of how three Columbia, South Carolina segregation-era institutions produced model citizens.
  
  
• Unearthing the Dream Documentary, Short, 53 mins., USA, 2012: Dir. Pamela Uzzell. A small-town African American community forced to accept second-class materials refuses to accept a second-class education for its children.
  
  with:
  MLK (A Living Legacy) Documentary, Short, 9 mins., USA, 2011. Dir. David Pepper. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions and his legacy continues to change the world today.
  
  
• Sacred Ground (The Battle for Mt. Auburn Cemetery) Documentary, Feature, 77 mins., USA, 2011; Dir. David H, Butler. A Community battles a Methodist church for control of a historically black cemetery.
  
  
• Letters to my Sister Documentary, feature, 72 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Rhasaan Nichol. A young woman living with multiple disabilities influenced her brother in ways he has come to appreciate.
  
  
• Elephant in the Room Documentary, Feature, 59 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Justin Ervin. A former female boxing champion and her coach mentor two girls for success.
  
  with:
  The Bedroom Drama, Short, 13 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Sonya Dunn. A couple's everlasting love ends in the bedroom.
  
  
• The Quilted Conscience Documentary, Feature, 55 mins., USA, 2012: Dir. John Sorensen. A group of Sudanese refugees discover the art of quilting in an old fashioned American town.
  
  with:
  Portrait of a Nation - Ghana
  Documentary, Short, 28 mins., Ghana, 2012; Dir. Sabrina Heineke. A look at the nation of Ghana and how it has evolved into a world economic force.
  
  
• GLBT Meet-Up featuring:
  The Untimely Concurrence Drama, Short, 33 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Angela Mantemotja. A gay son rejected by his father spirals into a world of drugs.
  
  with:
  You Are What I Want Drama, Short, 20 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Brian Jordan Alvarez. A hook-up turns into an obsession.
  
  and:
  Thirteen Percent Documentary, Feature, 85 mins., USA, 2012: Dir. Art Jones. A provocative perspective on how and why African-Americans account for a disproportionate percentage of new HIV/AIDS cases.
  
  
• Cass (World premiere) Drama, Feature, 105 mins,, USA, 2012; Dir. Hugh Schulze. The lives of a single father and his children are changed forever when a mysterious artist moves into an abandoned house next door.
  
  with:
  Zero Drama, Short, 18 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Kimberly Townes. An introverted teen is teased for having a crush on her math teacher.
  
  
• The Test of Freedom (Muslim Americans Struggle Against Prejudice) Documentary, Feature, 71 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Khaliff A. Watkins. In the face of bias and hysteria, Muslim Americans confront discrimination.
  
  with:
  American Imam Documentary, Short, 20 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Donya Ravasani. A prominent Islamic cleric leads a Muslim community in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
  
  
• Children of the Wind Documentary, Feature, 95 mins., Bonaire, 2012; Dir. Daphne Schmon. Three young men from the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire become three of the best freestyle windsurfers in the world.
  
  with:
  And I On The Opposite Shore Drama, Short, 13 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Mozell Miley-Bailey. A mystery surrounding two sets of Haitian couples?one adrift on a boat in the middle of the ocean while another is vacationing on a beach resort in Florida.
  
  and:
  Mirror 21 Drama, Short, 13 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Rachel Byrd. An isolated girl is forced to experience the real world on her 21st birthday.
  
  
• Interludes Drama, Feature, 134 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Christopher Dorrah. A collage of dramas featuring love, friendship and betrayal.
  
  with:
  Games of Love Comedy, Short, 5 mins. USA, 2011; Dir. Mercy Smith. A friend tries to cheer up Brandon after a breakup with his girlfriend.
  
  and:
  Seafood Tester Drama, Short, 10 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Darious Britt. A son resorts to extreme measures to confront his mother with the truth.
  
  
• Gospel Good, Gospel Bad, Gospel Ugly Docu-drama, Feature, 100 mins., USA, 2012: Dir. James A. House. The trials and tribulations of a gospel quartet trying to break into the music industry.
  
  with:
  NIGGA Comedy, Short, 17 mins., USA, 2012: Dir. Michael Blevins. A young man loses his college scholarship when he angers an old-school church lady who insisted he watch his language.
  
  
• The Trial of Ben Barry Drama, Short, 33 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Shea E. Butler. An estranged son returns home to help his elderly father confront the mistakes of his past.
  
  with:
  Elegy for a Revolutionary Drama, Short, 23 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Paul van Zyl. Two friends oppose South Africa?s apartheid-era government with use of violence.
  
  and:
  First Date Drama, Short, 15 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Kristen V. Carter. A young woman encounters a familiar stranger.
  
  and:
  In Between Life Drama, Short, 13 mins., Canada, 2011: Dir. Sharon Lewis. A woman's desperate act is interrupted when two friends drop by for a surprise girl's night out.
  
  and:
  Hope Drama, Short, 24 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Tyjon Tom. An unwanted child of rape struggles to survive.
  
  
• Turn the Mics On Documentary, Feature, 40 mins., USA, 2011: Dir. Matt Ritvo. In the world of jazz, six musicians strive to survive.
  
  with:
  One Decision Away Drama, Short, 23 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Allen Maldonado. A young father?s dream of taking care of his family becomes a nightmare when he's unable to find a job.
  
  and:
  Choices Drama, Short, 20 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Kathy Payton. A daughter is torn when her estranged father shows up unannounced.
  
  and:
  The N-Word Drama, Short, 33 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Todd Reed. A mother and son deal with the effects of the use of a controversial word.
  
  and:
  Letters From Arnold Documentary, Short, 8 mins., USA, 2012: Dir. Arthur Thrower. The spoken word reflects the inner thoughts of Arnold's life.
  
  
• The Story Man Documentary, Feature, 60 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Erik Hudson. A California storyteller rises to the level of ambassador of Los Angeles storytelling.
  
  with:
  The Donut Shop Comedy, Short, 27 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Brad Mays. Supreme Donuts is going broke so the owner decides to risk everything on a totally new concept.
  
  and:
  Saudade Drama, Short, 6 mins., USA, 2012: Dir. Evita Castine. A woman has a vision of a lost love.
  
  and:
  They Lost It Drama, Short, 28 mins., USA, 2012; Dir. Harrell Williams. A son is upset over the news that his father plans to marry a woman from his past.
  

Location:
Reading Cinemas
Gaslamp Quarter
701 5th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101

Saturday, February 2 - All Day

For more information, please visit: www.sdbff.com