(BPRW) Denton Black Film Festival Wraps Up Ninth Year, Eclipsing 10,000 Attendees
Festival featured 98 films, dozens of workshops, spoken word, art exhibits and a youth hackathon
(Black PR Wire) The Denton Black Film Festival wrapped up its ninth year, topping 10,000 attendees and recognizing some of the nation’s top filmmakers.
The festival also featured its first-ever youth-centered event with the DFW Metro NAACP Youth Hackathon hosting nearly 75 students in collaboration with the NAACP DFW Branch. Students learned about the diverse career opportunities in technology, and provide an engaging experience immersed in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, including learning how to fly drones.
Attendees from around the nation attended 98 films, three art exhibits, a technology expo, live music, spoken word poetry slam, and master classes, workshops, and panels to help creatives hone their craft.
“We’re really thrilled at our attendance this year, particularly after two years of a virtual festival,” said Harry Eaddy, the festival director. “We’ve got a passionate team of volunteers who make this one of the best-run events year-after-year, and we’re continuing to attract outstanding filmmakers who want to share their work with us.”
The festival today took place, in person – January 25th – 29th, in several Denton locations, and virtually January 29-February 6, 2023. This year’s sponsors included The Village Giving Circle at Texas Women’s. Panavision provided more than $20,000 camera packages each for the Best Narrative and Documentary films. Additional support came from the City of Denton, Denton County Transportation Authority and our media partner, NBC5.
Sy Smith, a widely acclaimed and long renowned as the “Queen of Underground Soul” for her edgy, progressive mix of funk, neo-soul and R&B, had an enthusiastic crowd clapping, finger-snapping and singing along at TWU’s Margo Jones Performing Arts Theater. Comedienne Angelia Walker, and a host of several other local comedians, including Mary Boyce, one of the festival’s longtime partners, packed the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center.
The TEC Expo highlighted the next generation of technology & innovation in Film, AI, VR, XR, immersive technologies along with a keynote presentation by David C. Williams, assistant vice president, automation at AT&T. Participating exhibitors include companies Peterbilt, UNT, TWU, NCTC, AMP Creative, Orant Charities, EarthX, Texas Film Commission and the City of Denton.
Here’s a list of this year’s film winners who were recognized at a special ceremony at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Denton:
Best Narrative Feature: Butterscotch Chocolate, Director DuJuan Paxton
RUNNER UP: The Long Way Up, Director Delante Sealey
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WINNER: BLACK MOTHERS LOVE & RESIST, Director De’bora Souza Silva
TIE – RUNNER – UP
Blurring the Color Line, Director Crystal Lee Kwok
This is My Black, Director Stephen Adetumbi, Jarrett Roseborough
BEST NARRATIVE SHORTS
WINNER: Don’t You Go Nowhere, Director Bryan Poyser
RUNNER UP: Shoebox, Director David Fortune
Shoebox Director David Fortune
HONORABLE MENTION: Jac on the Come Up, Director Gene Graham
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
WINNER: Camp Yoishi, Director Faith E Briggs
RUNNER UP: Prolyfyck, Director Faith Briggs, Tim Kemple
BEST EPISODIC/WEB SERIES
WINNER: FOUR WALLS – EPISODE 1, Director Kgosana Monchusi, Menzi Mzimela, Juvais’ Dunn
RUNNER UP: Regular Negroes – Overnight Dishes, Director Reggie Williams
BEST COLLEGE SHORTS
WINNER: Leave A Message, Director Justin Carmichael Hollis
RUNNER-UP: Rules Are Rules, Director Claude J Hills III
BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC VIDEOS
WINNER: Dollar 2 The Rich, Director Lewis T Powell
RUNNERS-UP: SunShine On Yo Face Feat. Anne Harris, Director BIGLLOU Johnson
BEST SCREENDANCE FILM
WINNER: Sheila, Director Gabri Christa
RUNNER-UP: Promise Me You’ll Sing My Song, Director Jirard, Adam W. McKinney
BEST TEXAS NARRATIVE SHORTS
WINNER: Don’t You Go Nowhere, Director Bryan Poyser
RUNNER UP: Meta CareDirector Jerold B. Couch
BEST TEXAS DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
WINNER:The Artful Dream Fulfilled: The African American Museum of Dallas, Director Shane Reitzammer
RUNNER-UP: 150 Years of Resiliency; A Joppa Documentary, Director Curshion Royal Jones, Joslyn Madu
BEST TEXAS COLLEGE SHORTS
WINNER: Revenge of the Relaxer, Director Ashley “Tweety” Mason
RUNNER-UP: In My Artform, Director Lakeisha Nicole Hayes
2023 DENTON BLACK FILM FESTIVAL VIRTUAL PEOPLE’S CHOICE AUDIENCE AWARDS
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE – BEAUTY’S KEEPER, Director Eric Rice
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – 3 Way Statistical Tie,
Blurring the Color Line, Director Crystal Lee Kwok
Invented Before You Were Born, Director Jonathan Knight
Kumina Queen, Director Nyasha Laing
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT – Dick Control, Director Shequeta L. Smith
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT – Black in Hollywood: Carlton Jordan -‘Trials of Tokenism’, Director Brandon Miree
BEST EPISODIC/WEB SERIES – FOUR WALLS EPISODE 1, Directors Kgosana Monchusi, Menzi Mzimela, and Juvais’ Dunn
BEST COLLEGE SHORT-TIE
Restless, Director Emmanuel Wilson
Pandemic Proposal, Director Michael E. Melvin
BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC VIDEO – Spotlight, Director Vivian D. Payton
BEST SCREENDANCE FILM – No Votes Recorded
BEST TEXAS SHORT – 150 Years of Resiliency: A Joppa Documentary, Directors Curshion Royal Jones and Joslyn Madu
BEST TEXAS COLLEGE SHORT – Restless, Director Emmanuel Wilson
BEST TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORT – Life Support, Director Stanley Turner
To learn more, go to DentonBFF.com and follow the festival on social: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
About the Denton Black Film Festival
The Denton Black Film Festival is an annual cultural event, featuring the works of emerging filmmakers, creatives from around the country and talented college students, musicians, artists and spoken word poets. Held each January, thousands attend the celebration of storytelling in various art forms, which takes place in venues in Denton, Texas.
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