Preview: The 18th Annual The Roxbury International Film Festival
The Roxbury International Film Festival — New England’s largest festival celebrating stories by and about people of color — returns for its eighteenth year this week (Wed 6.22 thru Fri 7.1) at the Museum of Fine Arts. Produced by the Color of Film Collaborative, a Boston-based non-profit that, as described on its website, “works to support media makers of color and others who have an interest in creating and developing new, diverse images of people of color in film, video and performing arts.”
This year’s festival sets an ambitious, energetic, and defiant tone with its opening night featuring two films, the inspiring documentary The Amazing Nina Simone (Wed 6.22 5pm) as well as the disarming Driving While Black (Wed 6.22 8pm) from the soon-to-be-famous duo of director Paul Sapiano and star Dominique Purdy, both of whom co-wrote. A razor-sharp dark comedy with a refreshingly breezy charm despite — or perhaps because of — its weighty subject matter, Driving While Black tells the story of Dimitri, an artist and pizza delivery man in Los Angeles with a lifetime of constant police harassment due to nothing more than his race. Purdy brings every ounce of his seemingly effortless charisma to the role as he strikes a confident balance between finding humor in the absurdity of Dimitri’s situation while recognizing and depicting the seriousness of the issue. Sapiano and Purdy make a bold decision to depict the lives of the police who harass as well, including officers of color who face racism within the force and in their daily off-duty lives. A real revelation of talent, Driving While Black is a must-see satire.
Also on this year’s slate is closing night film 9 Rides by Matthew Cherry (Fri 7.1 8pm), shot entirely on an iPhone 6S. Cherry made waves in 2007 when he left an NFL career to pursue filmmaking, releasing his first film The Last Fall in 2012 and signing with ICM Partners earlier this year. 9 Rides fresh off of a successful exhibition at SXSW, follows an Uber driver in Los Angeles who gets life-changing news. Boston Reel has not yet had the opportunity to see 9 Rides, but we have been interested in Cherry for quite some time and are greatly looking forward to the film.
As always, local voices are present and prominent at RIFF. Documentary short The Bay State Banner: Unity, Progress and 50 Years of Advocating Change by Tracy Strain and Randall McLowry (Thu 6.30 4pm, preceding A Ferguson Story) highlights the noted periodical that has served Boston’s African-American community since 1965. Narrative films by Boston filmmakers include drama/romance Confused By Love from Crosby Tatum (Fri 6.24 6pm), youth sports drama Press Break from Dan Gessner (Wed 6.29 5pm), Bona Vida Skool by Anthony “BonVida” Flores (Sat 6.25 12:30pm), and sci-fi parable Ancestry by Nerissa Williams (Sat 6.25 3pm).
This does not even begin to scratch the surface of everything RIFF has to offer (click here for full listings). Though Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may not appear to think so, the independent film world is brimming with talented, energetic artists of color of all ages, levels of experience, and points of view. Check out the Roxbury International Film Festival and experience art that is truly reflective of our society.
THE ROXBURY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. WED 6.22 thru FRI 7.1, MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, 465 HUNTINGTON AVE., BOSTON.
CLICK HERE FOR SHOWTIMES AND TICKETS.
