Black Filmmakers And Entertainment Elite Support BLACKHOUSE® Foundation 2013 Sundance Programming

Feb. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The Blackhouse® exploded on the scene at the 2013 Sundance Festival with a variety of unique programming offerings for filmmakers, industry executives and festival goers visiting Park City during opening weekend. Over the course of 5 days, The Blackhouse® was their home away from home.

A pair of panels kicked off the weekend’s programming. Grab Media and AOL/Huff Post Black Voices sponsored a session entitled “Digital Disruption” -- a conversation around monetizing digital content.  FOX Audience Strategy, Fox Broadcasting and FOX Searchlight came together with Blackhouse and the Sundance Institute to discuss Casting in a New America.  Moderated by Elvis Mitchell, this dynamic panel featured executives from across Fox platforms and provided a unique view into the thinking of the producers behind the Fox Searchlight hit “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”  

Drawing over 50 elite filmmakers and celebrity guests, Hennessy V.S. and The Blackhouse® Foundation closed out Friday night by hosting “Dinner with Bevy” in honor of award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay and ground breaking TV host-turned-filmmaker Sal Masekela. The evening concluded with the honorees and guests enjoying specialty drinks presented by Hennessy V.S. and The Blackhouse® opening night celebration featuring Grammy-award nominee DJ Vikter Duplaix. Notables in attendance included Jesse Williams (Actor, Grey’s Anatomy and former honoree), Tonya Pinkins (Tony Award Winning Actress), Colman Domingo (Tony Award Nominated Actor), George Tillman Jr. (Director-Producer, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete), Charles King (Partner, WME), Ben Lyons (Entertainment Journalist), and Amber Rasberry (Director of Development 34th St. Films).

Saturday brought a full day of special programming including an Innovating New Models of Opportunity & Success panel moderated by Franklin Leonard (Creator of The Black List), featuring expert voices including that of cutting edge writer-director-producer Issa Rae sponsored by BET & HBO.  Following was a Conversation with power producer Will Packer (Think Like A Man) sponsored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which led into a presentation by Academy senior staff and member Stephanie Allain (Producer, Hustle and Flow) addressing the Academy 364 initiatives. Even Oscar® made an appearance. Actor and celebrity DJ, Dorian Missick aka “DJ Tailwind Turner” closed out the evening.

TV One returned to the Blackhouse to sponsor Sunday’s Soul Food Brunch, It was immediately followed by “The Multi-Hyphenate” panel, which unveiled the experience of artists shifting from roles in front of, behind and all around the camera, featuring panelists: Stanley Nelson (Director-Producer-Writer), Isaiah Washington (Actor-Producer), Gbenga Akkinagbe (Actor-Writer-Producer), Dorian Missick (Actor-Director-Celebrity DJ), Roger Bobb (Producer-Writer); moderated by Karen Horne (Vice President, Programming Talent Development -NBC Universal).  The day was capped off with a great music in film panel featuring music composers Gingger Shankar (Composer for the film Home), Dawn Porter (Director-Producer, Gideon’s Army), Jono Oliver (Director-Writer, Home), Jon McHugh (Music Supervisor, West of Memphis), moderated by: Reza Safinia (Composer, Filly Brown) and ended with a live evening performance by Gingger Shankar and Vikter Duplaix.

Many other notables were in attendance over the weekend including: Al Thompson (Actor-Director-Producer, Lenox Avenue), Anita Hill (Attorney-Author-Professor), Anthony Hemingway (Director, Red Tails) Dermot Mulroney (Actor) Mekhi Phifer (Actor), Re'Shaun Frear (Producer, Home) and Ron Simons, (Producer, Blue Caprice, Mother of George).

The Blackhouse® Foundation is proud of the 29 black films accepted and featured at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. It is the reward for their efforts over the past six years to bring more awareness to Black stories created for the big screen. A special congratulations goes out to Ryan Coogler whose directorial debut, “Fruitvale” took home U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Audience Awards. The Blackhouse® celebrates these accomplishments with the winners and appreciates the support of Keri Putnam (Executive Director Sundance Institute), Shari Frilot (Senior Programmer, Sundance Film Festival) and the entire Sundance Institute staff for their support of Black film and filmmakers.

Blackhouse at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival was proudly sponsored by TV One, Fox Audience Strategy, FOX, Fox Searchlight, CAA, Hennessy, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, HBO, POV, Black Public Media, GRAB Media, AOL/Huff Post Black Voices, Mississippi Film Office, Firelight Media, Stella Artois, IFP, and Ciroc.

For additional information, log onto http://www.theblackhouse.org or contact Lisa Humphrey, Premier Concepts for media interest at media@premierconceptspr.com or by calling 310.293.4154

About The Blackhouse Foundation

The Blackhouse Foundation was created in 2006 by a group of dedicated individuals interested in preserving and furthering the legacy of black cinema. The Blackhouse® works to provide a platform for African-American filmmakers, encouraging them to use their divergent voices to tell stories by and about people of African descent through independent film. The Blackhouse Foundation works to expand opportunities for black filmmakers by providing a physical gathering venue for our constituents at the world’s most prominent film festivals, encouraging the inclusion of black filmmakers with films selected by the festival, and creating a nucleus for continuing support, community, education and knowledge.

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