Howard University officials recently announced the first-ever HBCU festival focused on film.
Known as the HBCU First LOOK Film Festival, the new event focuses on showcasing the work of burgeoning filmmakers who are currently studying at an HBCU. Through submissions running from now up until July 30, six HBCU filmmakers will have the ability to have their movies played on the big screen in public at the festival held at Howard University in October.
The winner of the festival’s competition will also receive $5,000 in funds for their next project.
.The festival will also be supported with a college tour that will provide one-day workshops for students on things such as producing and directing.
Amongst the categories that the festival is looking to feature are documentaries, animations, shorts, as well as health and wellness films, amongst others.
To begin the initiative, a special panel featuring Oscar-winning and Grammy-nominated actor Mo’Nique and rising filmmaker Courtney Glaude was already held at Howard University.
Supported by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and HBCUGO.TV, the main creator of the inaugural HBCU film festival, is Sheila Eldridge. Eldridge is the CEO and founder of Miles Ahead Entertainment & Broadcasting, one of the few women and Black-led broadcast companies.
“As an HBCU graduate myself, I am excited to launch The HBCU First LOOK Film Festival this fall,” said Eldridge in a statement. “This is a first-of-its-kind event that will not only connect but develop HBCU students with an interest in film and TV. Ours is to provide training and development for participating students while also connecting them with HBCU graduates in the industry to create a network and pipeline for new talent.”
As of now, representation in film still isn’t at an adequate level. Change, however, is being made, particularly when it comes to on-screen representation.
According to the latest information released in a 2021 Variety study, representation has increased since before 2020. Looking at a time frame from 2018 to March 2020, only 65.8% of TV series featured a Black actor; meanwhile, from April 2020 to October 2021, there were 70.5% TV series featured a Black actor. There was also an increase in roles for Black actors when it came to film, increasing from 56% to nearly 59%.
Behind the camera, however, the statistics reflect a stark difference. According to the latest information released by McKinsey in 2021, Black representation in positions such as writers, directors and producers of US-based totaled up to just six percent. In comparison, 92% of these positions were held by white filmmakers.
With the new film festival, HBCU leaders are hoping to make the path into film and TV easier for talented students.
“Our distinguished alumni have gone on to produce and direct award-winning films,” said Jami Ramberan, an associate professor of media at Howard University, per a statement. “We are committed to bringing opportunities to our students and the broader HBCU community that will support their development and increase their opportunities post graduate.”
