African American Women in Cinema 2011 Film Festival

Please join us this Friday at 6PM for a screening of DCTV/PRO-TV youth work as part of the African-American Women in Cinema 2011 Film Festival! Works produced by young, African American women of the PRO-TV program, past and present, will be presented at the Antigua House followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, hosted by Ralph Scott. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is co-sponsored by DCTV; Social Media; and Antigua & Barbuda Tourism.

The Antigua House, 12 West 122nd Street, NYC
Friday, 11/18/11, 6:30-9PM

Films to be screened:

Words Behind the Bars
by Summer Media Intensive 2011
An experimental video poem exploring the isolation a teenager often feels.

E Pluribus Unum: Diary of a Dollar
by Summer Media Intensive 2011
The Diary of a Dollar follows the course of a single dollar throughout the day as it connects the various stories of the American experience.

The Price of Beauty
by Summer Media Intensive 2011
Two young women share their experiences with the American obsession with modification: One young woman’s desire to ‘go natural’ with her hair against her mother’s objections and another young woman’s wish to go ‘unmodified,’ despite her father’s urgings following a life-altering surgery.

On the Shoulders of Giants: Women in Science
by Stephanie Adams
A 17-year-old girl who wants to pursue a career in science sets out to learn more about female scientists in the world.

Me, Myself, and Yolette
by Sushana Dubreil
Sushana’s mom has Rheumatoid Arthritis. Between medications, doctor visits, and several jobs, she often seems absent to her children, but she still only wishes the best for them. This is Sushana’s story of getting to know Yolette, the woman who’s been there all along – her mother.

Across the Platform
by Natalie Setoute
On his way to work one morning, a young man is instantly attracted to the girl across the platform and commits to spending the rest of his week trying to capture her attention from afar.

Melody June Cooper: Actress for Hire
by Alinca Hamilton
An actress, trained at the finest institutions, dreams of becoming a highly respected performer in her community. She showcases her talents in this satiric calling card for African American actresses in Hollywood.

Homecoming
by Sandra Appiah
The filmmaker, Sandra, explores her African roots in a ‘homecoming,’ during her college study abroad in Ghana. She draws a poignant view of her world as she explores coming to terms with disowning her African heritage and learning how to love Ghana again, after her trip.

Katrina Sisters
by Shannon Sonenstein
featuring Sade Falebita, Suprena Levy, Briceshanay Gresham, and Rodneka Shelbia
An inspiring story of teens using cameras to make a difference in their community, Katrina Sisters, a DCTV documentary, captures the intimate behind-the-scenes story of four youth filmmakers. With cameras following them, the girls set out to investigate post-Katrina New Orleans searching for stories with the hope of making their own video project, and exploring resilience, community, and the power of the individual to make a difference after a natural disaster. Over the course of their project, the girls learn the power - to understand, to be heard, and to heal - of expression through art.

Moderated by:

Ralph Scott
Independent Film Promoter, Program Consultant and Co-Founder of Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center; Co-Founder of - Visual AIDS: A cinematic look at the HIV/AIDS epidemic; and Executive Producer of Lens on Talent – A Filmmakers Challenge along with Scene Stealers, a 48 Hour film competition for BET and Centric.

For more than 18 years Ralph has been very instrumental in the promotion and exhibition of non-stereotypical African American images. He has taken it on as his mission to exploit filmmakers that have a very non -"Hollywood" approach to Black life on film. So much so, he even has a world-wide email list of Black Filmmakers to further unify their strength.

As well as his post as Executive Producer for BET 's newest short film showcase; He has developed The Social Cinema Project. He will delve into showcasing films that fill a social need; the first project being "Visual AIDS" a short film showcase and dialog surrounding HIV/AIDS awareness. He is currently in production on his first short, Barbasol. A film that looks at the not so intimate father and son relationship further complicated by a touch of dementia. The film will be used to spread awareness for mental health issues.

A graduate of West Virginia State College, Mr. Scott began his film career working with Haile Gerima at Howard University on his world-renowned film Sankofa. After moving back to Los Angeles, he has lent his talents to Steven Spielberg's production of Amistad as the Head Researcher for visual development. He was also a researcher for the Motown 40 documentary as well as the film nominee coordinator for the NAACP Image Awards, all the while working towards building a better audience for independent Black Film and filmmakers. After being told he should become an agent, Ralph went on to become an assistant to the Vice President of Motion Picture Business Affairs at the William Morris Agency. This is where he gained much of his inside knowledge of the industry. He now lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife Jocelyn and daughter Carter Alexandria.