Junteenth, Father's Day Weekend All Wrapped Up in San Francisco Black Film Festival XV

SAN FRANCISCO - May 28, 2013 - PRLog -- You can almost hear the deep crooning of Sly Stone singing “It’s a Family Affair,” when considering the San Francisco Black Film Festival as the son of late Arts Impresario, Ave Montague, Kali O’Ray with wife Katera Crossley, continues Montague’s San Francisco Black Film Festival, June 13-16. As a matter of fact, a documentary on the life of Sly Stone will be among the offerings in this fifteenth year.

Montague began the festival as a way to get Hollywood film industry experts and emerging and local filmmakers together in a diverse environ. That theme continues today, as films such as Showtime's “Soul Food” series star, Hollywood director, choreographer and actor Darrin Henson’s “Hotel” will be among the line up during the Juneteenth Celebration and Father’s Day Weekend. “Hotel” has a multicultural cast including: Henson, Indian celebrity Amrapali Ambegaokar, Carlos Korotana, and Mona Sishodia. As a choreographer, Henson has worked with the King of Pop Michael Jackson and his former Bronx neighbor, Jennifer Lopez. German documentary that aired on German public television,

“Brown Babies: Germany’s Lost Children” by Michaela Kirst is scheduled to be screened on “Father’s Day.” George Lucas’ popular “Red Tails” gave a glimpse of romance between Black U.S. World War II Soldiers and European women with the Romance between characters Joe “Lightning” Little played by David Oyelowo and Sofia played by Daniela Ruah. “Brown Babies” gives an enlightening look at the realities of the offspring of thousands of those relationships. Veteran actress Peggy Blow, who performed in “Hat Lady” Ruth Dewson’s production of “Crowns” and the title role of “Bricktop” at the Lorraine Hansberry a few years ago and just guest starred in the season finale of ABC’s Castle, is one of the subjects in the documentary. After decades of not knowing her heritage, a fellow “Brown Baby” and high school alumna, genealogist Henriette Hood Cain, helped Peggy find a sister and two nieces in Germany and unbelievably, a sister in California.

“The story lines of the films are incredible and it is so interesting to see how the universal themes of humanity weave truths and experiences we can all relate to,” said Kali O’Ray, Executive Director, San Francisco Black Film Festival. “We’re excited about the celebrities that are trying to clear their calendars to join our festivities and those who have helped in the past like Comedian, Actor, Producer and Humanitarian Robert Townsend who joined us last year to promote his film "In the Hive." Most of all we’re really excited about the growing audience of the San Francisco Black Film Festival. “

We’ve been fortunate to have celebrities like the Bay Area’s own Shabaka Henley who has done a number of films with prolific director Michael Mann join us for the festival,” said Katera Crossly, Co-Director. “We always try to make it family fun as we did a couple of years ago when we celebrated families in the film industry honoring Henley and his wife Paulina Sahagun for their “90404 Changing” and the Lange Family celebrating Ted Lange of “Love Boat” fame, director Michael Lange and their mother Jerri Lange, the first Black Community Affairs Director and TV Host for San Francisco’s KBHK (now the CW Bay Area TV). As an added note, Ms. Lange will be an honoree along with Barbara Rodgers, Ray Taliaferro, Valerie Coleman Morris, and Jan Hutchins as Arif Khatib’s Multi Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame pays tribute to “Black Journalism Pioneers” on June 22nd at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle in Oakland.”

O’Ray went on to say that one of the reasons he believes Hollywood connected celebrities such as Darrin Henson who submitted his film for SFBFF XV and others who have been so helpful to the festival is because they see its growing brand and have an understanding that one of the goals is to strengthen the festival to the point that it will employ and train youth and transitioning adults. Being virtually volunteer-driven, the San Francisco Black Film Festival provides a great deal of opportunity for service learning that can be translated into paid positions within and outside of the festival.

Returning attractions to the festival include the Urban Gaming Suite, that will give youth a look at developing video games and the “My Dad is My Hero” Video and Essay Contest. Last year’s winner was Tiffany Armstrong Gorman who won a weekend stay for two at the InterContinental Hotel San Francisco for her father Lionel Armstrong. The InterContinental has again agreed to provide the top prize for “San Francisco Black Film Festival XV.” For more information about the San Francisco Black Film Festival XV visit www.sfbff.org.

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Related SFBFF Articles

In The Hive 2012 http://sfbayview.com/2012/champion-karim-mayfield-and-director-robert-townsend-bring-knockout-power-and-star-power-to-san-francisco-black-film-festival/

http://www.postnewsgroup.com/publishedcontent/2012/06/02/black-film-festival-features-over-100-films/

Mario Van Peebles' "Black White and Blues" (Redemption Road) 2011 http://www.sfweekly.com/2011-06-15/calendar/strong-second-act/full/

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/SF-Black-Film-Festival-Kicks-Off-124085869.html

http://events.sfgate.com/san_francisco_ca/events/show/189348305-50-cent-mario-van-peebles-lynn-whitfield-ray-liotta-shabaka-henley-kiele-sanchez-stars-line-up-for-san-francisco-black-film

Gaming and Animation for Youth
http://www.urbangamesuite.com/

San Francisco Black Film Festival P.O. Box 1549 San Francisco, CA 94115 Media Contact: Jackie Wright 415 525 0410, jackiewright@wrightnow.biz

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