From left, producer Jillian Taylor, co-directors Aysia Lane and Crislyn Fayson and assistant director Shara Jeyarajah watch the outtakes of their film “#BlackAtSMU” during an outdoor screening in 2021. Their film, which documents five Black students’ encounters with racism at Southern Methodist University, will screen Saturday during the Denton Black Film Festival.
A documentary examining the pioneering work of filmmaker William Greaves will make its debut Saturday evening during the Denton Black Film Festival. “William Greaves: Remembering an American Filmmaker” starts at 6 p.m. at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Denton.
Opal Lee, shown in a 2021 portrait at her home in Fort Worth, is a retired teacher, counselor and activist. She’s part of the documentary “Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom,” which screens for free Sunday at Alamo Drafthouse.
A documentary examining the pioneering work of filmmaker William Greaves will make its debut Saturday evening during the Denton Black Film Festival. “William Greaves: Remembering an American Filmmaker” starts at 6 p.m. at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Denton.
The fest will screen films back-to-back in film blocks categorized by themes and topics at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Denton in the Rayzor Ranch area and the Campus Theater off the downtown Square.
Filmmakers will be available for question-and-answer sessions following some screenings — about two-thirds of the screenings, according to Harry Eaddy, the festival’s executive director.
The festival is making its return to in-person events after two years of presenting virtual events. The festival will be in-person through Sunday and will extend virtually from Sunday through Feb. 5. A complete guide to the films is available on the festival website.
From left, producer Jillian Taylor, co-directors Aysia Lane and Crislyn Fayson and assistant director Shara Jeyarajah watch the outtakes of their film “#BlackAtSMU” during an outdoor screening in 2021. Their film, which documents five Black students’ encounters with racism at Southern Methodist University, will screen Saturday during the Denton Black Film Festival.
Juan Figueroa/Dallas Morning News file photo
HBCU vs. PWI
What:Hampton University: One of the Wonders of the World and #BlackAtSMU
When: 12:10 p.m. Saturday
Where: Campus Theater
The selections for this block contrast historically Black colleges and universities with predominantly white institutions.
#BlackAtSMU looks at five Black students’ encounters with racism at Southern Methodist University, a private university in Dallas. The film originated from the hashtag “#BlackAtSMU,” which trended on Twitter in the summer of 2020 following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
Hampton University: One of the Wonders of the World will show the impact of educator William R. Harvey’s legacy as president of Hampton University, a historically Black institution in Alabama.
What:William Greaves: Remembering an American Filmmaker
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Alamo Drafthouse
The festival presents the world premiere of William Greaves: Remembering an American Filmmaker, about the pioneer filmmaker who has produced over 200 documentaries and has more than 70 international film festival awards and accolades.
Eaddy said Greaves’ son, David Mark Greaves, will be in attendance, and Saturday’s red-carpet event will include a Q&A session with the filmmakers.
William Greaves pioneered filmmaking techniques that many aren’t aware of, Eaddy said.
“It’s really kind of a shoutout to someone that had, I think, a tremendous impact on the film industry, particularly on the documentary side, that most people just never knew about,” Eaddy said.
Films that’ll leave you thinking
What:America Gone Viral and Being X in America
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Alamo Drafthouse
The “This Will Make You Think” block will feature America Gone Viral, an anthology of the veiled realities of postmodern Black America, exposing race, culture and society.
Being X in America is a short film about an Arab American trying to help a Black man to solve the complex equation of being in America.
Needing love
When:Black Rainbow Love and shorts “The Black ChristS. Far From Justice,” “If You Really Love Me: Shedrach Rowry,” “Where Is America the Beautiful,” “Freedom Day” and “In My Artform”
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Alamo Drafthouse
The block titled “What We Need Is Love” features Black Rainbow Love, which features interviews with 28 lovers that include discussions of intimacy, spirituality, marriage, self-care and community.
“The Black ChristS. Far From Justice” is a poem meditating on the worst massacre of racial violence in American history in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921, against the Black community of Greenwood.
Two music videos, “If You Really Love Me” and “Where Is America the Beautiful,” touch on the subject of shootings and killings being carried out against Americans.
“Freedom Day” follows the three founders of the Freedom Day Foundation, a small grassroots organization that fights for racial and social equality, and “In My Artform” explores the minds and creations of two Dallas artists.
For the family
What:The Long Way Up, “Ancestors” and “SunShine on Yo Face”
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: Campus Theater
This film block of family-friendly films features The Long Way Up, about an astronaut returning home from an exploration mission in space. After being away for some time, he returns to his family only to realize everything isn’t the same.
“Ancestors” is a short about a young man going for his dream job and getting help from his ancestors along the way. In the music video “SunShine on Yo Face,” Big Llou Johnson and Anne Harris encourage the audience to enjoy a burst of sunshine.
Celebrating Juneteenth
What: Free screening of Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Alamo Drafthouse Denton, 3220 Town Center Trail
Opal Lee, shown in a 2021 portrait at her home in Fort Worth, is a retired teacher, counselor and activist. She’s part of the documentary “Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom,” which screens for free Sunday at Alamo Drafthouse.
Lola Gomez/Dallas Morning News file photo
Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom, presented in a free community screening on Sunday, follows Rasool Berry as he travels through Texas and discovers how Juneteenth reveals faith and a fight for freedom in an unjust society. Berry will discuss the film with the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” Fort Worth’s Opal Lee.
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JUAN BETANCOURT can be reached via Twitter at @jbetancourt_15.
