June 30 – August 4, 2010
Wednesdays, 7 pm (Adult)
(Youth 1 pm starting July 7)

Overview      2010 Paul Robeson Awards      Film Inquiries      Schedule      Sponsors

2010 Schedule

The Newark Black Film Festival (NBFF), celebrating its 36th Anniversary as one of the nation's defining voices on behalf of independent film, opens in Newark with adult screenings beginning on Wednesday, June 30, with a six-week run ending on August 4.

Youth Cinema will be held on Mondays at the Newark Public Library starting on July 12, and at the Newark Museum on Wednesday beginning July 7.

The festival is a showcase for films that focus on the experiences and concerns of contemporary African Americans, as well as an outlet for films about the African American experience from earlier eras.  The six-week festival is free to the public and provides emerging filmmakers, writers, directors and producers with a high profile outlet for their work.

The festival features the Paul Robeson Awards in 2010, a biennial competition established in 1985.  The Robeson Awards honor the spirit of Paul Robeson—renowned activist, scholar, performer and athlete.  Winning films will be shown on August 4 at Newark Screens on Springfield Ave., Newark, NJ.

The Newark Black Film Festival also repeats in Trenton, NJ, Thursdays at 6 pm:
New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ—609.292.6464.

Travel Partner         Media Sponsor
      

Adult Cinema

OPENING RECEPTION
June 30, 5 pm
RSVP to 973.596.6550

June 30, 7 pm—Newark Museum 
AMERICAN VIOLET
Based on Regina Kelly's true story, American Violet tells the astonishing story of a 24-year-old African-American mother living in a small Texas town.  Wrongly accused, and with no prior record, she chooses not to plead guilty and fights an unjust criminal system risking her freedom and the custody of her children.
2009, 103 minutes

Speakers:
Regina Kelly
Deborah Jacobs, Ex. Dir., ACLU

July 7, 7 pm—NJ Institute of Technology
NO!  THE RAPE DOCUMENTARY
Eleven years in the making, this groundbreaking documentary feature riveting testimonials from rape survivors who defy victimization.  You also hear leading scholars and human rights activists provide an interdisciplinary context with which to examine sexual violence and healing in the African-American communities.
2006, 94 minutes



Speakers:
Aishah Shadidah Simmons, Director
Byron Hurt, Anti-violence Activist

July 14, 7 pm—Newark Museum
GOOD HAIR
This Chris Rock and Jeff Stilson documentary examines black America’s hair obsession and the danger it reveals in the pursuit of “straight hair.”  The film was inspired by a question asked by Rock’s daughter: “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?”
2009, 95 minutes

HAIR PIECE: A FILM FOR NAPPY-HEADED PEOPLE
An animated satire, the film addresses the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that “blows in the wind.”
1985, 10 minutes


Speakers:
Ayoka Chenzira, Filmmaker
Noliwe Rooks, Assoc. Dir. of AFAM Studies, Princeton
Bill Gaskins, Parsons School of Design

July 21, 7 pm—Newark Museum
STILL BILL
This film offers a rare look inside the world and life of soul singer Bill Withers through concert footage and interviews with music legends, family and friends.  Withers is best known for "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean on Me," and "Just the Two of Us" to name a few classics.
2009, 76 minutes


Speaker: Damani Baker, Director

July 28, 7 pm—Newark Museum

Speakers:
Frank Guridy, University of Texas
Carolyn Memnom, Esq.

2010 Newark Black Film Festival
Paul Robeson Award Winners

Wednesday, August 4

5 pm–AWARD CEREMONY & RECEPTION at the Newark Museum
RSVP to 973.596.6550 or send an e-mail to rsvp@newarkmuseum.org

7:30 pm–FILM SCREENINGS at Newark Screens on Springfield Ave. 


 

Youth Cinema

July 7    10:30 am     The Newark Public Library
July 7    1 pm             Newark Museum
Ages 4-12
65 minutes

	DUKE ELLINGTON Duke Ellington was hailed as the "King of the Keys." This is a most fitting tribute to a great man who proudly celebrated the history of African-Americans from slavery to civil rights struggles. Narrated by Forest Whitaker.
	ELLA FITZGERALD: THE TALE OF A VOCAL VIRTUOSA Told in the voice of a cool cat named Scat, this dramatic story tells how Ella got her sound on the way to a most remarkable and inspiring career. Innovative animation and jazzy narration will resonate with audiences long after the music stops. Narrated by Billy Dee Williams.
	ALEJANDRO'S GIFT  From the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning PBS children's series, Reading Rainbow, this program presents the book by Richard E. Albert. The book follows Alejandro as he gives the "gift" of water to various desert animals. In this episode, host LeVar Burton explores how important water is for all living things. He visits a California oasis and talks with a naturalist about the importance of this water source for the Cahuilla, a Native American tribe of the past, as well as for animals. Viewers visit Niagara Falls and find out how water power can provide electricity.

July 12     10:30 am     The Newark Public Library
July 14     1 pm             Newark Museum
Ages 4-12
49 minutes

	NOT SO FAST, SONGOLOLO Malusi, affectionately nicknamed Songololo by his grandmother Gogo, goes to the city to go shopping with her. Set in South Africa, Daly’s warm text is enhanced by expressive illustrations that capture the warmth and tenderness shared by grandmother and child.
	ELIZABETI’S DOLL When her new baby brother arrives, Elizabeti, a young Tanzanian girl, longs for a baby of her own to hold and bathe and kiss and burp. One day she finds the perfect baby - a rock she names Eva - just the right size for holding and bathing and kissing and burping. Narrated by Lynn Whitfield, with music by Crystal Taliefero.
	FAMILIES OF GHANA, WEST AFRICA This live-action program explores the daily lives of urban and rural households in Ghana, West Africa, from a child's point of view. Looks at the life of eight-year-old Deborah, a young girl living in a rural village in southern Ghana with 12 extended family members. Follows Deborah as she awakes at 5:30 in the morning in order to wash dishes, sweep the floor and carry water before going to school. After school, Deborah makes fufu with her sister and visits the local market. The program also looks at the life of ten-year-old Emmanuel, a young boy living in the capital city of Accra with his mother, father, sister and aunt. Follows Emmanuel to school and to a funeral, where his parents sing in the choir.

July 19      10:30 am     The Newark Public Library
July 21      1 pm             Newark Museum
Ages 4-12
74 minutes

THE JOURNEY OF HENRY BOX BROWN Narrated by Alfre Woodard, this animated program presents a magical look at the historic true story of slave Henry Box Brown. Children will learn the heroic tale of how Brown mailed himself to freedom in a wooden box from a plantation in Richmond, Virginia, to freedom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1848. Illustrated by Mark Page and featuring music by Kid Creole & the Coconuts, the program tells the historic tale with the help of fun characters, including Bird, Horse, Cricket and Cat.

The Anansi DVD Collection: ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK Anansi uses a magical rock to dupe his neighbors. ANANSI AND THE TALKING MELON Elephant, Hippo and Warthog are fooled by Anansi into believing in a talking melon. ANANSI GOES FISHING Anansi tries to trick Turtle into catching his dinner for him. ANANSI AND THE MAGIC STICK Anansi steals Hyena's magic stick to do his chores while he naps.

July 26        10:30 am      The Newark Public Library
July 28        1 pm              Newark Museum
Ages 4-12
67 minutes

	THE DOT Scholastic presents a collection of inspirational stories based on award-winning children's books. The Dot is an animated tale about a young girl who learns to appreciate her own talents, based on the book by Peter H. Reynolds and narrated by Thora Birch.
	AMAZING GRACE Alfre Woodard narrates the iconographic presentation of Mary Hoffman's book about overcoming self-doubts.
	BRAVE IRENE A young girl proves that where there is a will, there is a way in.
	CHICKEN SUNDAY After her grandmother dies, a young Ukrainian-American girl becomes attached to her African-American neighbor in this animated presentation of the book by Patricia Polacco, narrated by the author. Despite their differences in religion and race, Winston and Stewart Washington have become young Patricia's best friends, and their gramma Miss Eula has become like her own. When Easter rolls around, the children try to find a way to earn the money to buy Miss Eula a new hat to thank her for her wonderful Sunday dinners.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG Set in New Orleans’ French Quarter, this return to hand-drawn animation is a modern twist on a classic tale. A beautiful girl named Tina finds a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again and with a fateful kiss, leads them on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.