Friday, August 4-Sunday, August 6, starts 7pm Friday night
Black representation is important to the Columbus artistic scene and filmmaking community, however, there is a large gap in representation of Black artists in the theater and film being showcased in the city. Columbus is rapidly becoming an important place for film on the national level and there are many Black filmmakers in the city who are underrepresented. Having a film festival that caters to the stories being told by African-American and African Diaspora communities provides an opportunity to change the lack of artistic diversity in Central Ohio.

The primary objective of the festival is to showcase Black filmmakers locally, nationally and internationally, while creating an opportunity to network with various people in the filmmaking
community. CBIFF will highlight a spectrum of stories told by people of the African Diaspora. Filmmakers will have access to workshops and panels discussions during the film festival. 

***FULL SCHEDULE***

FRI. AUG 4 – CBIFF OPENING NIGHT! AT WEXNER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

KEYNOTE: MARK A. CUMMINGS SR.
Local filmmaker Mark Cummings Sr., director of “Premeditated” and “Holy Hustle,” will be our keynote speaker, discussing the importance of Black film and why Black narrative is important to how he tells his stories. Producer and Founder of Awalkonwater Entertainment was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. He is the writer, director, and producer of three award-winning feature films: Best Supporting Daddy 2010, The Buyout 2011 and Premeditated, now titled, Profiled 2014, which was released on Redbox in 2015. Premeditated (Profiled) was an Official Selection in three film festivals while bringing home several awards for Best Dramatic Feature Film. Mark has recently written, directed, and produced Awalkonwater’s fourth feature film, Holy Hustle, which is scheduled for release Summer 2017.

Following the keynote address we will screen…

Heroes of Color: Harlem Hellfighters
dir. David Heredia 
The story of the 369th U.S Army Regiment, one of many segregated military units in 1918 sent to France during Word War I. 

Dr. Race: Practicing While Black 
dir. Micah Autry
Chronicles the 20 year fight for justice by African-American physician Dr. Dralves Edwards, his private practice was unjustly ran out of business due to denial of claims by the Medicare program.

Holy Hustle 
dir. Mark Cummings Sr. 
Two brothers, on the run from gangsters, scheme their way into pastoring a rural church to hideaway while hustling the congregation to scrape up the money they owe.

CBIFF Opening Night Reception
Join us after program for a filmmakers network reception.

SAT. AUG 5 – PART 1 AT COLUMBUS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

DOCUMENTARY FILMS – 9 AM

The 30th of May 28:44
dir. James Theres and Chris Windfield 
Since the end of the Civil War, African Americans in Vidalia, La., and Natchez, Ms. have come together to celebrate black military service on Memorial Day.

Panomundo Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan 42:03
dir. Keith Musaman Morton
Slavery may have been the catalyst, but culture and passion formed this sound in Trinidad & Tobago. The steelpan can take the claim of being the only acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century.

Gospel Man Radio 26:10
dir. Bruce Nelson
For forty-five years Fred Larkins Slow Train Radio Gospel Musical Review has made an indelible impact on the Black community in the Greater Phoenix Area, Los Angeles, and in the state of Arizona.

Blaxploitalian 1:00:00
dir. Fred Kuwornu 
A diasporic, hybrid, critical, and cosmopolitan dimension documentary that uncovers the careers of a population of entertainers seldom heard from before: Black actors in Italian cinema. 

FEATURE PRESENTATION: "KING NO CROWN" – NOON

Edge of Harmony 5:19
dir. Shashone Lambert
The Story about a forgotten Jazz Legend. Edge of Harmony highlights the life of Harmony Bessler, a struggling female jazz singer in 1933.

Kounterclockwise 22:13
dir. Deacon Burns
"The Great Adventures of Kounterclockwise," is about a husband and wife alternative hip hop duo called Kounterclockwise. They live in a small apartment building in Cleveland Heights Ohio with Deacon's Mother and her 7 cat’s.

King No Crown 1:15:00
dir. Al “Blueprint” Shepard)
A look behind the curtain into the life of independent hip-hop MC and producer Blueprint (Rhymesayers Entertainment) reveals the ups and downs of being successful but unsung artist during the release of his album, “King No Crown.”

CBIFF FILMMAKERS WORKSHOP - 2 PM

By Any Means Necessary: Make Your Short Film! 
CBIFF Filmmaking Workshop by Celia C. Peters

Do you have a point of view and a story to tell on the big screen? If you’re ready to start making movies, this workshop will give you the nuts and bolts of making your short film. (No prior experience is necessary; just come ready to learn.) You don’t need a million dollars, but you DO need vision, commitment, organization and know-how. We’ve got the knowledge ---- the rest is up to you! 
Get ready to learn guerrilla filmmaking at its finest. Let’s get it!

DRAMA SHORTS – 3 PM

Silent Cries: The Prelude 15:30
dir. Shauntay Cherry
An underemployed construction worker begins to buckle under the pressures of fatherhood as his son's 7th birthday approaches. 

Prisoner of the Mind 6:02
dir. Tia Patrick
After a restless night Time receives an unpleasant visit from his sinister psyche, Tyrone. 

Blood Water and Blues (in 4 Chapters) 11:00
dir. Jos Duncun
This experimental short film is a poetic exploration of the filmmakers' existential crisis at the ensue of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Rolling in the Deep 12:20
dir. Marcellus Cox
A Young African American Male travels home to South Carolina looking to achieve a goal for his late Father by having a meal at an locally famous Whites Only Diner.

Aftermath 12:25
dir. Roxie Wilson and Marshall Woodworth
Desiree Miles, a sophisticated and focused, young lawyer must detach from a world that is highly emotional the day after the 2016 election in order to win a very important case, however, she finds herself constantly in the middle of unwanted madness.

SAT. AUG 5 – PART 2 AT DREXEL THEATER 

MUSIC FILMS - 3 PM

Show Off - C-10 5:07
Dir. Mario Hensley
Inspired by Grindhouse horror movies with a twist of The Purge. The story takes place in a warehouse on the East side of Columbus, OH, where 4 people find themselves kidnapped and trapped by people who consider them nothing more than game.

Dance With Your Heart 10:21
dir. Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi
Jennyselt is a dancer of Afro Cuban Folklore, with great prestige within Cuba and internationally and currently dances with the group Yoruba Andabo. She seeks her successor to keep the legacy of Afro-Cuban culture, dance and religion alive.

Making Skybreak 57:00
dir. Donnie Seals Jr.
Making SkyBreak' is a behind the scenes look at the creation of Zo!'s latest soul album. We not only travel the country talking to the artists behind the music, but we delve deep into the beginnings of Zo!'s music career.

FEATURE PRESENTATION: THE QPOC BLOCK - 4:30 pm

Bottom dir. Chinonye Chukwu 11:18
A sexually charged power struggle between two lovers reveals more than just who wants to be on top.

ParTy Boi: Black Diamonds in Ice Castles (Ohio Premiere) 90:00
dir. Micheal Rice
A new documentary from filmmaker Michael Rice that takes a provocative look inside the African American and Latino LGBT communities that are being ravaged by crystal meth addiction.

CBIFF PANEL DISCUSSION - 6:30 PM

BLACK MEDIA MATTERS PANEL DISCUSSION featuring....
Debra Shade – Writer, Shade Media
Justen Turner – Director, Psuedo
Julian Turner – Director/Writer, Psuedo
Micheal Rice – Director, ParTyBoi: Black Kings in Ice Castles
Keya Crenshaw – Black Chick Media
Whamae Boayue – Writer/Producer, ABOLITIONIST 
Moderated by award-winning journalist Dwayne A. Steward 

HOMEGROWN SHORTS PRESENTATION – 7:30 PM

Heavy Chain 1:19
dir Cameron Granger
BLACK LIVES MATTER. Part 1 of 3 of a series of films based on the abstracted retelling of stories of people from Cleveland, Ohio.

Stolen Dreams 10:09
dir. Al Battle
A star high school basketball player who was raised in a single parent household. On the verge of going away to college, he reconnects with his estranged older brother who gets him caught up in a situation that changed his life forever.

Psuedo 7:21
dir. Julien Turner and Justen Turner
A short film that contrasts the parallel experiences and outcomes of two unrelated chance encounters for two male teenagers. 

Mission 13:51
dir. Celia C. Peters
A newly arrived extraterrestrial is saved from loneliness when he encounters another one of his species on Earth. He soon discovers they are more connected than he thought.

Abolitionist 6:31
dir. Aaron Hollingsworth and Al Battle 
The past confronts the now through a moving narrative of the words of Harriet Tubman that confronts and inspires a continued legacy.

SUN. AUG 6 – CBIFF AWARDS BRUNCH AND CLOSING CEREMONY

August 6, 2017 at 11am 
CBIFF Awards Brunch & Closing Ceremony
INVITE ONLY EVENT 
Location: TBA

For more information visit http://www.columbusbiff.com/