Press release from Reel Sisters

Reel Sisters Panels: Colorful Dialogues with Directors
9th Annual Women’s Film Festival Addresses Issues & Images

Brooklyn, NY (February 2006) ¯ Independent film-lovers from across the tri-state area will gather to witness stimulating panel discussions on March 10 and 11th, when Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival and Lecture Series celebrates nine years as an outlet for women of color filmmakers from around the world. The Brooklyn-based showcase returns to Long Island University, with screenings at the beautifully renovated Kumble Theater, the Spike Lee Screening Room and the Alumni Theater. (Enter the campus at Dekalb and Flatbush Avenues.) This year’s theme is “Jump at de Sun: A Cinematic Tribute to Zora Neale Hurston.”

Along with a roster of more than 30 features and shorts, the Festival, co-sponsored by African Voices magazine and LIU’s Media Arts Department, will offer opportunities to dialogue with directors and network with other film enthusiasts while enjoying a roster of panels comprised of industry and indie veterans, critics and film scholars.

SATURDAY, MARCH 11

“Moving Images: The Shifting Image of Black Women in Film”

This year’s Power Panel reflects Zora's ability to view the past and present in a cyclical manner. Women of color have been exploitatively portrayed since the dawn of American cinema. There was a supposed improvement in this portrayal with the new wave of Black filmmaking in the ‘80s and ‘90s. But was progress really made or was there merely a reinforcement of old images, i.e., the “video ho,” sex kittens and “castrating Black female”? This panel will explore the ways in which women of color have been portrayed in the past and focus a critical lens on the present.

Jacquie Jones (Moderator),
Panel Members: Thulani Davis, Julie Dash, Joan Morgan


“Revisiting Eatonville: Translating Zora’s Images to Film”

A prominent panel of filmmakers, scholars and writers will discuss the impact of Zora Neale Hurston’s work on film and literature. The conversation will explore the “value” of Oprah Winfrey’s world premiere of “Their Eyes Were Watching God” and how future filmmakers can elevate and translate Zora’s artistry to a film audience.


Reel Sisters Panels ¯ page 2


Dr. Cheryl A. Wall (Moderator),
Panel Members: Elaine Charnov, Kristy Andersen, Booker T. Mattison


SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 2006

“Writing in a Cultural Context”

Many characters portrayed by actors of color are only incidentally Black/Latino/Asian because there is nothing that culturally defines them. They exist in a vacuum devoid of familial ties and friendships that ground them in race, creed or color. To create characters without cultural context is engaging merely in non-traditional casting. Stock characters are palatable to "mainstream" audiences because they don' t challenge their perspectives or sensibilities. ‘Sure he's Black, but not really Black…’ – the Will Smith syndrome. Or inversely, the characters are so stereotypically depicted that they're two-dimensional archetypes that are easily referenced i.e., the hot-tempered Latino/a, the “brainiac” Asian and the Black mama on the couch types. The challenge is to write three-dimensional characters with full-fledged lives, but is that commercially viable?

Panel Members: Esther Iverem, Tina Andrews, Greg Tate


“Supporting Your Dream: Where are the Arts Patrons Today?”

Presented by: Independent Television Video Service (ITVS) & Women Make Movies

Zora Neale Hurston died broke, but she had a few patrons who sponsored her writings, research and education throughout her career. This Reel Sisters workshop will identify some of the public and private funding available to filmmakers. Guests will include foundation leaders, grant-makers and other funders.

Moderator: Michelle Coe

The Lecture Series is just a part of a power-packed weekend of film and film-related events, including a Gala Awards Ceremony honoring filmmaker Julie dash (Daughters of the Dust) and biographer Lucy Anne Hurston (Zora’s niece), a Screenplay Competition Reading, and a “Hattitude” millinery fashion show and audience event in Hurston’s honor. Visit www.reelsisters.org or call 718.488.1052 or 212.865.2982 for information or tickets. Weekend or single –day passes are available (a full day of screenings is only $20), as are student, senior and group prices. To get to the LIU campus, take the B,M, Q or R trains to Dekalb Ave. or the 2,3,4 or 5 trains to Nevins Street.

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