African American Women In Cinema

The AAWIC Film Collective Series is a compelling anthology of short films that amplify the voices of women of color through powerful, authentic storytelling. Each film in the series explores themes of identity, resilience, love, and transformation, offering a raw and intimate look into the diverse experiences that shape their lives. Curated by the African American Women in Cinema (AAWIC) organization, this series celebrates the artistry and vision of emerging and established female filmmakers of color, creating space for narratives that are often overlooked yet deeply impactful. 

 This unique event will feature the screening of "Blues Born of Fire"

Blues Born of Fire is a love offering to the Black women who carry blues in their bones and fire in their spirit. Inspired by Nina Simone’s Four Women, this poetic documentary unfolds in three acts: Reckoning, Reimagined, and Remembrance.

 The project started as a music concert produced by Courtney Carey of Courtney's Stars of Tomorrow, focusing on African American spirituals. Initially intended as a live performance in uptown Manhattan, the pandemic forced the concert's cancellation; instead it became a live stream and later a dance film. Like so many other artists during the pandemic, the film's choreographer, dancer, and musicians worked separately in different parts of the country to create their contributions, which only came together on the editing table. (A year later, most of the still haven't met face to face!) The film's multiple layers of references and comments to the history of BIPOC and particularly Black people in this country are obvious. However, while almost all of the film's visible, audible, and behind-the-scenes collaborators are members of the African Diaspora, the circumstances and timelines of their arrival on this continent are quite disparate, adding additional viewpoints to a narrative that still hasn't divulged all its secrets. 

Filmed on location at a renovated historic mill, Bernard Brown/bbmoves’ latest short film uses the lens of sugar to illuminate some of the lasting effects of colonialism on women of color. With support from a strong community, a young black woman guides us toward ascension, releasing the vestiges of oppression scattered.