LANGSTON Seattle in partnership with Living Arts Cultural Heritage is proud to bring its Seattle Black Film Festival to BIMA for an afternoon of thought provoking short films, one feature length film, and a post screening discussion.

ABOUT LANGSTON

LANGSTON is a non-profit arts organization, established in 2016 to lead programming within the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute.

LANGSTON guides generative programs and community partnerships that center Black art, artists, and audiences that honor the ongoing legacy of Seattle’s Black Central Area. This reflects community recommendations from a three-year stakeholder engagement process led by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture with the vision of transforming the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute into an independent and thriving arts organization. LANGSTON, the culmination of that process, is envisioned as strong stewardship for a Black arts and cultural hub in Seattle. For more information visit langstonseattle.org

ABOUT SEATTLE BLACK FILM FESTIVAL

Formerly Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, Seattle Black Film Festival was established in 2003 by Artistic Director Jacqueline Moscou. The first Langston Hughes African American Film Festival was a production of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. From the start, the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival (LHAAFF) sought to give audiences access to underrepresented perspectives and emerging filmmakers from across the African diaspora. Curator Zola Mumford researched and programmed films from many different countries and genres.

Mumford invited Karen Toering, a media producer and a leader in nonprofit arts and funding organizations, to join the festival in 2004. With Toering as Program Director, the festival grew from three days of films and discussions to nine.

Over the years, guests and participating filmmakers included Charles Burnett; Ava DuVernay; St. Clair Bourne; Zeinabu Irene Davis; Katherine Cheairs; Danny Glover; Brazilian director Joel Zito Araujo; Jayne Cortez; James Spooner (Afropunk); Tionna McClodden; David Walker; and many others. The festival has shown early films by Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Tchaiko Omawale, and dozens of other filmmakers now working in film, television, comics, and other creative forms.

Filmmaker and organizer Andrea Stuart-Lehalle joined the team in 2015, returning to the United States after almost 15 years working in the Czech Republic, France, Morocco and other countries, shooting and presenting films and video. Following changes to the administrative structure of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI), the festival became a production of LANGSTON, and scaled to the current 4 day-long event. In 2019, Langston Hughes African American Film Festival changed its name to Seattle Black Film Festival, to be more inclusive and representative of the festivals goals.

LANGSTONS Seattle Black Film Festival will bring together filmmakers, community members and creative leaders for a celebration of Black brilliance at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in Seattles Central District, keep your eye out for 2024 dates at https://www.langstonseattle.org/sbff/