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BlackStar Festival 2024 - August 1st to 4th BlackStar Festival 2024 - August 1st to 4th

People

Festival Staff

headshot of Akili Davis

Akili Z. Davis

Senior Program Associate

A headshot of Akua Maat. She is wearing a white shirt and in front of a salmon colored backdrop, looking directly at the camera.

Akua Maat

Operations Associate

A headshot of Amina. She is a young Black woman. She is wearing a hijab and glasses. She is smiling at the camera.

Amina Ibrahim

Digital Content Assistant

An image shows a portrait of Lo Lloyd.

Lo Lloyd

Onsite Technical Production Coordinator

Autumn Faith Valdez

Business Director

An image shows a portrait of Tomarra Sankara-Kilombo.

Tomarra Sankara-Kilombo

Merchandise Coordinator

An image shows a portrait of Antonio Wooten.

Antonio Wooten

Merchandise Manager

An image shows a portrait of Shaakira DeLoatch.

Shaakira DeLoatch

Press Coordinator

An image shows a portrait of Shanti Mayers.

Shanti Mayers

Host, Bazaar curator

Renée Colbert

Web Manager

Program Committee

Alia Ayman

Experimental, Chair

Wally Fall

Experimental

Willi White

Experimental

Jamal Batts

Feature Documentary

Janaína Oliveira

Feature Documentary, Chair

Melissa Bisagni

Feature Documentary

Jemma Desai

Feature Narrative, Chair

Kate Gondwe

Feature Narrative

Lyse Nsengiyumva

Feature Narrative

asinnajaq

Short Documentary

Chloe Walters-Wallace

Short Documentary

Nyambura M. Waruingi

Short Documentary, Chair

Tzutzumatzin Soto

Short Documentary

Filmmakers

Ivy MacDonald

Director

A black-and-white picture of a woman named Maame Adjei. She stands against a plain white background, wearing a dark long-sleeved blouse with intricate, light-colored line patterns and high-waisted black pants. The blouse has a deep V-neck and is adorned with buttons. Her hair is styled in a low, neat bun. She has her left hand resting on her right arm, and her right hand gently touching her face while smiling warmly.

Maame Adjei

Director

A picture of a man named Kyhynngy Oyuur. He is outdoors wearing a rust-colored hat, sitting under a concrete structure by a calm body of water. He has long curly hair and a mustache, and he is wearing a dark gray hoodie and olive-green overalls. He is holding a camcorder in his hand and is looking directly at the camera with a gentle smile.

Kyhynngy Oyuur

Director

A picture of Jalena Keane-Lee in a serene and contemplative pose against a backdrop of soft, flowing purple fabric. Her long, black hair frames her face, and she is wearing a pair of gold, abstract face-shaped earrings. Her expression is calm and thoughtful, with a slight smile on her lips. She has a nose ring, and her hands are gently clasped under her chin, revealing a small tattoo of moon phases on her forearm.

Jalena Keane-Lee

Director

A picture of a man named Laman Time. He is outdoors and is positioned in front of a background filled with large, green, spiky leaves of tropical plants. He is wearing a white T-shirt and a black baseball cap with an emblem that reads "Stampede City Calgary, Alta." The man has a neutral expression, with his eyes squinting.

Laman Time

Director

A picture of a woman named Bea Hesselbart. She is standing outdoors with a softly blurred background of greenery and a red brick building. Bea has shoulder-length straight black hair and is wearing a black top that blends seamlessly with her dark hair. Her expression is calm and composed, with a faint, gentle smile.

Bea Hesselbart

Director

A picture of a woman named Alia Haju. She is standing indoors against a background of wooden planks with alternating shades of brown. Alia has dark, curly hair pulled up into a bun and wears large, intricate silver earrings. She is dressed in a shiny, silver sequin jacket over a black T-shirt that reads "ARABS FOR BLACK POWER" in bold white letters, along with a line of Arabic text beneath.

Alia Haju

Director

A picture of a young woman named Jazmin Renée Jones against a warm, soft, brownish-orange background. She has curly, medium-length hair that transitions from dark brown at the roots to a vivid orange midway down, adorned with several small hairpins. She is looking directly at the camera with a calm yet slightly intense expression. She wears large, thin, gold hoop earrings, and a deep red garment draped around her right shoulder.

Jazmin Renée Jones

Director

A picture of a man named Nelson Makengo. His head is tilted slightly upwards, and he is happily looking up towards the upper left corner of the image. He is smiling against a solid, yellow color background. He is wearing a high-collared, dark garment. The texture of the skin is clearly visible, with a short, trimmed beard along the jawline and chin, and a mustache. The hair is styled in short twists or locks.

Nelson Makengo

Director

A black-and- white picture of a woman named K. Nicole Mills. She has tightly coiled, shoulder-length locks cascading down the right side of her face. She is smiling brightly, revealing straight, white teeth against a solid black background.

K. Nicole Mills

Director

Panelists & Moderators

JT Takagi

Zeba Blay

Eman

JJ’88

Amber Espinosa-Jones

Bashir Salahuddin

Sarah J Jackson

Neema Githere Siphone

Chica Andrade

Jason L Asenap

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