Black Lens – MFF26
With a singular focus on spotlighting fiction and documentary films by emerging and established Black storytellers, the Black Lens program explores stories and topics from across the Black diaspora and relevant to all in order to inspire conversation, celebration, and community.
Sponsored by: Radio Milwaukee: HYFIN; WNOV 860am/106.5 fm “The Voice”
The Films
Black Lens Doc Shorts: It Takes a Village
Shorts Program
Documentary
This collection of non-fiction shorts depicts a powerful and grounding look at the real world. From forests filled with camping…
This collection of non-fiction shorts depicts a powerful and grounding look at the real world. From forests filled with camping teenagers and vital bee-keeping lessons, to a drive-thru in Gainesville, FL, these films offer sincere bite-sized looks at some of the many realities and lived experiences that come with being Black in America.This program includes the following short films:One Last Order | Sam Soko, Lauren DeFilippoThe Boys and the Bees | Arielle KnightThey Put Us in The Woods | Cristin Stephens
Black Lens Fiction Shorts: For the Dreamers
Shorts Program
Drama
This program of short fiction films created by exemplary Black filmmakers offers a look into the many emotions that encapsulate…
This program of short fiction films created by exemplary Black filmmakers offers a look into the many emotions that encapsulate the Black experience by utilizing the framework of fictional storytelling. Featuring dreamy landscapes and frantic struggles, this program oozes with depictions of yearning and what it really means to "dream."This program includes the following short films:Bailey’s Blues | Shiloh Tumo WashingtonBirdie | Praise Odigie PaigeFirecracker | Jovan BrooksJazz Infernal | Will NiavaTrife | Christian Yosef
Black Zombie
Documentary
Cult
From the flickering screens of Hollywood horror, to the haunted cane fields of colonial Haiti, BLACK ZOMBIE unearths the buried…
From the flickering screens of Hollywood horror, to the haunted cane fields of colonial Haiti, BLACK ZOMBIE unearths the buried origins of the zombie, reclaiming it as a symbol of survival and spiritual resistance. This documentary is for all walks of life, horror fans or not, as it digs into common misconceptions around one of fiction's most popular tropes and leaves you with a firm grasp on what "zombies" are and represent outside of fiction.
Misan Harriman: Shoot the People
Documentary
Featuring conversations with Rep. Ilhan Omar and Martin Luther King III, this urgent and compelling documentary follows Nigerian-born British image-maker…
Featuring conversations with Rep. Ilhan Omar and Martin Luther King III, this urgent and compelling documentary follows Nigerian-born British image-maker Misan Harriman, best known for his powerful photographs of grassroots protests against climate change inaction, Gaza atrocities, George Floyd’s murder, and more. However, even as his images provoke palpable reactions, as a self-described person of privilege, Harriman shares his doubts about his work’s effectiveness while reflecting on his life's work.
The Fisherman
Comedy
Atta Oko is a retired traditional fisherman from Ghana whose life takes a whimsical turn when he is forced into…
Atta Oko is a retired traditional fisherman from Ghana whose life takes a whimsical turn when he is forced into retirement and acquires a talking fish with a bougie attitude, leading him on an adventure to Accra. Joined by his three quirky “associates” with a dream of owning a boat, they navigate the chaos of the modern world. Filled with laughter, magic, and vibrant Ghanaian culture, this feature is sure to make you laugh, cry, or both.
The Travel Companion
Comedy
Struggling documentarian Simon (Tristan Turner) relies on the unique perk of his roommate and best friend Bruce’s (Anthony Oberbeck) airline…
Struggling documentarian Simon (Tristan Turner) relies on the unique perk of his roommate and best friend Bruce’s (Anthony Oberbeck) airline job: free flights as his travel companion, which he indulges in frequently to shoot footage for his films. When Beatrice (Naomi Asa), a charming fellow up-and-coming filmmaker, enters their lives and starts to date Bruce, Simon fears his one advantage in the harsh world of the film industry may disappear before his eyes.
#WHILEBLACK
Documentary
#WHILEBLACK is a powerful documentary that centers on one of the most viral videos of our time: George Floyd’s murder,…
#WHILEBLACK is a powerful documentary that centers on one of the most viral videos of our time: George Floyd’s murder, seen 1.4 billion times in 12 days, sparking protests in over 2,000 cities worldwide. Darnella Frazier and others like Diamond Reynolds, who livestreamed Philando Castile’s killing, reveal how social platforms and corporations profit from viral Black trauma, while survivors endure lasting psychological and physical danger. A necessary meditation on modern witnessing, exposing the human cost of viral footage.
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