The Social Justice Now Film Festival, which is launching this year with the support of co-ambassadors Michael B. Jordan and Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi, has on Monday unveiled its inaugural lineup of film selections.
Headlining the festival will be the documentaries “40 Years a Prisoner” and “Freedia Got a Gun” and narrative features “Us Kids,” “REEFA” and “SNCC,” among others.
The films will all be available for free to stream virtually through a new platform at abffplay.com powered by Endeavor Streaming between October 21-25. And the festival will kick off with two films screened at the Paramount Drive-In Theater, “Just Mercy” and “Fruitvale Station,” both starring Jordan and sponsored by Amazon Studios.
The Social Justice Now Film Festival is organized by the Film Life Foundation, and some of the other films screened include the narrative features “The Obituary of Tunde Johnson,” “Even In Darkness, Cities of Dreams Are Born,” “Raise Your Hand” and “Riding With Sugar.” The festival will also showcase other documentary films, shorts and new media that are all focused on themes pertaining to social justice.
“Through these films, we hope to advance the dialogue and help to reshape the narrative of racial and social justice in this country. The festival’s mission is to encourage people to recognize the fierce urgency of now–to watch, reflect, and take action,” SJNFF creators Jeff and Nicole Friday said in a statement.
Additional films to screen at the festival include the documentaries “Big Chief, Black Hawk,” “Growing Up Milwaukee,” “HBCU Storytellers: Confederate Monuments – Heritage or Hatred?,” “Hope Village,” “Negros,” “Public Enemy Number One,” “PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools,” “The Prison Within,” “Sankofa,” “Unlearning Sex,” “When Liberty Burns,” and “Writing on the Wall.” Short films at the festival will include “A Million Eyes,” “Augustus,” “Backwards God,” “Black Unscripted,” “Black.Matters,” “Broken,” “Catch A Girl,” “Eavesdropping on the Elders,” “First Day Back,” “Four Women,” “Free To Be,” “Hermanos,” “In Hollywoodland,” “Man Down,” “Promise Me,” “WBLS,” “Who Will Survive America,” and “White Noise.” In the new media category, “All Things Undone” podcast will be showcased.
The slate of films were selected by a jury of industry executives including Endeavor, the parent company of Endeavor Content, which is a Coalition Partner on the event.
More about the festival and details on screening information can be accessed at its website here.
Film Life Foundation is the festival organizer, with Coalition Partners to include ABFF Ventures, Endeavor Content, One Community, and Outlier Society. Sony Pictures Entertainment is the Founding Sponsor, with Principal Sponsors being ShivHans Pictures and K Period Media. The Official Sponsors are Advancing Black Pathways – JP Morgan Chase & Co., Amazon Studios, Peacock, vHEINEKEN USA Inc. and Amazon Alexa. Impact Partners include the Advancement Project, Color of Change, GoldHouse, Higher Heights for America, IllumiNative, LA Collab and When We Vote. BlackLove.com and Black Information Network are Marketing Partners.
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