National Association of Black Journalists

NABJ Presents...The #NABJ14 Film Festival

  

The National Association of Black Journalists is pleased to present the #NABJ14 Film Festival! Here is a sneak peak of what to look forward to at the 2014 NABJ Convention & Career Fair in Boston, July 30- August 3, 2014.

 

Information on how to sign up for showtimes will be emailed to #NABJ14 Registrants.

 

Wednesday, July 30 - 9:30 p.m.

Get on Up

 

Based on the incredible life story of the Godfather of Soul, the film will give a fearless look inside the music, moves and moods of James Brown (Chadwick Boseman), taking audiences on the journey from his impoverished childhood to his evolution into one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.

View Trailer Here.

 

Friday, August 1 - 5:00  p.m.

Documentary: Finding Samuel Lowe- From Harlem to China

 

 

 

Three successful black siblings from Harlem discover their heritage by searching for clues about their long-lost Chinese grandfather, Samuel Lowe.

Retired NBC Universal executive Paula Williams Madison and her brothers, Elrick and Howard Williams, were raised in Harlem by their Chinese Jamaican mother, Nell Vera Lowe. Nell encouraged them to realize the rags-to-riches American dream, resulting in their growth from welfare recipients to wealthy entrepreneurs. In order to fulfill a promise to their mother to connect to her estranged father's people, they embark on journey to uncover their ancestral roots.

The three travel to the Toronto Hakka Chinese Conference where they connect to members of the Chinese Jamaican community. As the mystery of their grandfather's life unfolds, the trio travels to Jamaica, learning that their grandfather had a life there similar to their own, starting with humble beginnings in Mocho, Clarendon Parish, and ending with successful business ownership in the affluent St. Ann's Bay. But in 1933, he left Jamaica, returning to China for good.

 

Taking family tree research to an epic proportion, the siblings and 16 of their family members travel to two Chinese cities, ShenZhen and GuangZhou. Together, they visit their family's ancestral village, finding documented lineage that dates their family back 3,000 years to 1006 BC. The trip culminates in an emotional and unforgettable family reunion with 300 of their grandfather's Chinese descendants.

At its heart, this is a story about familial love and devotion that transcends race, space and time.

 

 View Trailer Here.



Saturday, August 1 - 1:00 p.m.

Documentary: Contradiction- A Question of Faith

  

  
Contradiction takes a historical look at how Christianity was used as a tool of oppression during slavery as well as outlining the methods contemporary ministers and prosperity preachers use in the pulpit to intoxicate their flocks.

 

Camara crafted the film particularly for African-American viewers because he considers them "the most churchgoing group in America and the least likely to question their faith." But he attempts to explore the topic with a sense of objectivity and respect that challenges viewers without condemning their beliefs.
 

View Trailer Here.

 

 

Saturday, August 2

Black and White- 3:00 p.m.

 

 

Elliot Anderson (Kevin Costner) is widowed after the car crash death of his wife. Elliot has raised his granddaughter Eloise (Jillian Estell) since his daughter died in childbirth. As he struggles with his grief, Elliot's world is turned upside-down when the child's African American grandmother Rowena (Octavia Spencer) demands that Eloise be brought under the care of her father Reggie, a drug addict who Elliot blames for the negligence that led to the death of his own daughter. Elliot finds himself deeply entrenched in a custody battle and will stop at nothing to keep his granddaughter from coming under the watch of his reckless son-in-law."

A grieving widower is drawn into a custody battle over his granddaughter, whom he helped raise her entire life.
 

View Trailer Here.

 

Saturday, August 2

Dear White People- 3:00 p.m.
 
 

Dear White People is a 2014 American satire drama film written and directed by Justin Simien. The film focuses on African American students attending Ivy League college in America and stars Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon P Bell, Kyle Gallner, Brittany Curran and Dennis Haysbert.

The film premiered in-competition in the US Dramatic Category at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January   2014.

 

 

View Trailer Here.