A scene from the 2016 Movies & Mimosas event (Photo by Ishine Photography)
Bringing the community together for food and fellowship, the Afrikana Independent Film Festival, in partnership with Feast RVA, is hosting its annual Movies & Mimosas film series. On Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, there will be a screening of the film “Soundtrack for a Revolution” followed by a discussion. The film, directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman and executive produced by Danny Glover, highlights the importance of music during the civil rights movement. Contemporary artists including The Roots, Wyclef Jean and John Legend perform renditions of iconic freedom songs sung by protestors and those standing up for their civil rights.
“It’s really a great documentary with lots of great footage of the civil rights movement,” says Enjoli Moon, Afrikana’s founder and creative director. “There are even a few clips that I’ve never seen before, which is always nice.”
Tickets have already sold out for the event, scheduled for 11 a.m. on Jan. 15 at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, but the Afrikana Independent Film Festival is also partnering with Fire, Flour & Fork and The Art of Noise to promote two other events being held the same day. Head to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for Fire, Flour & Fork’s “Break It Down Talk and Panel Discussion With Questlove” event at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $30 to $60 at fireflourandfork.com. Then The Art of Noise is holding a special RVA MLK Weekend event at 9 p.m. at Mansion 534. Tickets are available at theartofnoiserva.com.
“Working with Fire, Flour & Fork and The Art of Noise is an example of what working together in the community can look like, which is the entire mission of Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” says Moon. “We are giving people three opportunities to go out and engage with people they may not know in their own community.”
Afrikana's second annual Evening With an Icon event will be held Feb. 24. Presented during Black History Month, the event brings a cultural icon to Richmond. Visit afrikanafilmfestival.org on Jan. 15 to view the announcement of this year’s icon.
