Black Films Matter: The Black Film Industry's  Impact on the  World Economy

Over the course of 23 years,Creatively Speakinghas become the leading, curated film series offering a diverse forum that highlights independent film by and about women and people of color. Working outside the mainstream, often with limited resources, the filmmakers represented in the Creatively Speaking Film Series provide a model for working within and around a historically underrepresented system that continues to this day. Our mission is to change the cultural narrative, one image at a time, and to expand audiences for independent film and video artists of color through community screenings, followed by lively and thoughtful discussions about the subject matter, as well as the art and craft of filmmaking.The Institute on Race, Power and Political Economyadvances research to understand structural inequalities and works to identify groundbreaking ways to promote equity. A premier cross-disciplinary hub, the Institute draws on faculty across The New School in New York City, which has long fostered innovative thinking about power, structure, design, politics, economics, and society. The Institute engages with researchers and practitioners, including community and business leaders, policymakers, philanthropists and journalists, across the nation and around the world.

Creatively Speaking x IRPPE

#BlackFilmsMatter explores the  economic impact of the Black film industry on the US and world economy.

#BlackFilmsMatter: The Black Film Industry’s Impact on the World EconomyCreatively Speaking and The Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy (IRPPE) are pleased to present #BlackFilmsMatter, a screening and panel exploring how the Black film industry has impacted the US and world economy while also raising awareness around the economic setbacks that Black filmmakers face.African American and Caribbean American films are often criticized and marginalized for not being appealing nor relatable enough to a broader audience to deserve funding/support while those same stories and ideas are often then taken forward with a white narrative as successful business models.But with an annual output of nearly 2,500 films, Nigeria&#x27;s “Nollywood” has surpassed Hollywood as the world&#x27;s second-largest film industry in the world, second only to India&#x27;s “Bollywood.” In the 1970’s according to Ed Guerrero’s work on Blaxploitation films, the profits from Blaxploitation films, “literally saved Hollywood from total bankruptcy.” From the Oscar Micheaux era to Gordon Parks’ films, “The Learning Tree,” and “Superfly” to Marvel’s Black Panther – which smashed box office records with its release – to Nollywood, this panel looks at how Black Diaspora films continue to rewrite the rules about what sells in the movie marketplace and their amazing economic impact worldwide._﻿______________________________________________________________________________________Films available to Prescreen before the program:(To access the prescreened films, click on the orange &quot;View the event&quot; button in your registration confirmation email and sign into your Eventbrite account.)“Forward Home: The Power of the Caribbean Diaspora” reveals the economic impact of 9 Caribbean countries on the U.S and internationally. (Keith Nurse - Director) &quot;The Evolution of a Criminal&quot; relays a day in the life of a man faced with the economic pressures of being Black in the US, and the dangerous decisions that must be made to survive. (Darius Clark Monroe - Director)TRAILER: “Consequences of the Trade,” Michelle Materre’s last (work-in-progress) documentary trailer, is a look into her African American family’s ancestry and roots in the slave trade._﻿______________________________________________________________________________________Live Films Screened during the Program followed by a panel with the filmmakers:Black 14 (Darius Clark Monroe, 2015, 15 min) is a story of fourteen black student-athletes from the 1969 University of Wyoming (UW) football team who were unfairly kicked off the team for requesting to participate in a peaceful protest planned by the Black Students&#x27; Alliance (BSA) during an upcoming game versus Brigham Young University (BYU).A Girl Like Me (Kiri Davis, 2005, 5 min) follows Kiri Davis, a 17 year old Harlem student, who recreates the famous doll experiment of the 1940&#x27;s by psychologist Dr. Kenneth Clark.Short version: Forward Home: The Power of the Caribbean Diaspora (Keith Nurse, 2011, 10 min) reveals the economic impact of 9 Caribbean countries on the U.S and internationally._﻿______________________________________________________________________________________Guest panelists include:Introduction by Darrick Hamilton, Executive Director of IRPPE Marcus Turner - Moderator, Director of Undergraduate Media Studies Programs &amp; Assistant Professor of Filmmaking - The New School, Media StudiesDarius Clark Monroe, Acclaimed Director of Evolution of a Criminal and Black 14. Keith Nurse, Executive Producer of Forward Home: Principal/President, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, St. Lucia; Senior Advisor, OECD Development Centre; and Member, UN Committee for Development Policy.Kiri Davis, Award winning Director of “A Girl Like Me,” and named by Essence Magazine as one of “The 25 Most Influential African-Americans.”

Darius Clark Monroe is a writer, producer, and director from Houston living and working in Brooklyn. Monroe is known for a range of works, both documentary and fiction, that delve into the interior spaces of our existence. His films grapple with the innumerable experiences and environments that shape our psyche and behavior, oftentimes investigating fear, vulnerability, spirituality, and media (archival and present-day) through varied visual techniques and instruments.

Kiri Davis, Director of A Girl Like me, is an international award-winning filmmaker with a strong background in social justice advocacy &amp; community organizing. Davis was named by Essence Magazine as one of “The 25 Most Influential African-Americans” &amp; featured on Ebony Magazine “Power 150” list.

Dr. Keith Nurse is the Principal of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, Saint Lucia and the President designate for the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts Trinidad and Tobago. He has worked as Senior Economist and Advisor on Structural Policies and Innovation at the OECD Development Centre in Paris. He is the former World Trade Organization Chair at the University of the West Indies. He is serving his third term as an expert member of the UN Committee for Development Policy. Dr. Nurse is the chair of CaribbeanTales World-wide Distribution Inc. and co- founder of the CaribbeanTales Incubator. He is the executive producer of the docudrama “Forward Home: The Power of the Caribbean Diaspora.”

Program Producers @ The Institute on Race, Power &amp; Political Economy: Michelle Materre, Curator - Founder of Creatively Speaking, Professor Emeritus-The New SchoolSavanna Washington, Creative Programming Director - Creatively Speaking @ The InstituteMaria-Elena Grant, Associate Program Director – IRPPECreatively Speaking Team: Cate Pierson – Production Coordinator, Sneha Menon &amp; Isaiah Alexander - Graphics &amp; Media Assets

Black Films Matter: The Black Film Industry's Impact on the World Economy

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Black Films Matter: The Black Film Industry's Impact on the World Economy

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