The Afrikana Film Festival was started by founder and creative director Enjoli Moon in 2014. (Photo courtesy Afrikana Film Festival)
The Afrikana Independent Film Festival returns next week. The festival, which screens cinematic works of black indie filmmakers, opens Thursday at 6 p.m. at The Valentine museum, with a performance by local jazz and R&B artist Calvin Presents. Afterward is a screening of the short film “Interference,” the story of an interracial couple who encounter the aftermath of a fatal incident between a police officer and an African-American man. A panel discussion and Q&A session follows.
On Friday, Sept. 14, director Boots Riley, known previously as the frontman for rap group "The Coup," will attend a screening of his comedic science-fiction film “Sorry to Bother You” at the VCU Institute for Contemporary Art at 7:30 p.m. The Oakland, California, resident will participate in a panel discussion after the film. The evening ends with a party at the Hofheimer Building at 10:30 p.m.
On Saturday, myriad film screenings, panels, workshops and youth programming are scheduled at several venues. Local filmmakers Praheme and B.K. Fulton will premiere their respective films, “Stuck” and “1 Angry Black Man,” on Saturday, Sept. 15. More information can be found on the festival website.
