The 17th annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival opens on Thursday, November 7th, through Sunday, November 17th. You are invited to experience films that inspire thought, spark conversation, and reflect the richness of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander experience. Over 100 films from 25 countries across Asia, U.S. and Canada. There is something [...]
When five Black college students sat on a segregated Maryland carousel in 1960, their arrests made headlines. When the Jewish community near Glen Echo Amusement Park joined the protest, a history-making interracial demonstration was born. The cause, and the collaboration, provoked counterprotests by the American Nazi party, and brought Congressmen and national leaders to the picket line. Picketing together led to partying together, union bosses mentored student activists, and [...]
GENOA is a surrealist take on fatherhood and family. Shot in Italy, Philadelphia, and Chicago, and currently in post-production, the film was written and co-directed by, and stars Neal Dhand, a Philadelphian and Temple University professor. GENOA follows Alphonso, who flees to the eponymous city with his daughter in tow, and meets a strange cast [...]
Chestnut is a story about Annie who just graduated college and decides to stay behind in Philadelphia for the summer. She has a good job lined up in L.A. come fall and is seemingly ready to make the leap, but things still feel unfinished. During this aimless in-between period, Annie finds herself getting entangled with [...]
Bilal Motley, a filmmaker and actor from Chester, PA, made his mark with "Midnight Oil," a BlackStar Film Festival Official Selection and Doc Society NYC grantee, now with Black Public Media. This documentary film delves into the complex relationship between South Philadelphia oil refinery workers and the neighboring fenceline community. His animated short, "Quarantine Kids," [...]
Philadelphia filmmakers Atif Lanier and Mike A. Pender are at it again, this time with their feature film: Swing. Storyline- Trip, is an aspiring musician with one foot in the streets and the other in his music. A lifetime of poor decisions has placed him between the police and a mysterious gangster named Mississippi Black [...]
Shameka Sawyer is a visionary and influential figure in the world of film and community activism. As the founder and executive director of the 5 Shorts Project, she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to fostering creativity and addressing social issues through the medium of film. A proud graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Sawyer has [...]
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their in ward significance.”– Aristotle Before an airplane is built, it is first a drawing of an airplane, which is why it’s fitting that much of the history of aviation has been told largely through the eyes of artists. It’s also [...]
The Civil War marked the birth of modern medicine. New, efficient weapons technology challenged medical treatments and techniques in use since the Middle Ages. A small number of physicians faced one million casualties. They created solutions to the lack of ambulances, skilled nursing care, surgical techniques and record-keeping. A huge, unprecedented civilian volunteer effort helped to heal the physical and spiritual wounds [...]
End of the Line is an intelligent, character-driven urban TV drama. The show has a unique never-been-attempted perspective and contains thought-provoking dialogue, characters, and stories performed by a rising talented cast. Check it out! The show is about LeRoy “Roy” Downs, a nurse psychologist (and seminary dropout) who has, for the past two years, been [...]
