Actors Regina Hall, David Oyelowo and Yvette Nicole Brown will share their creative journeys as they headline the 10th BronzeLens Film Festival (BronzeLens), taking placeAugust 21 to 25, 2019.
“Over the years we have remained committed to exposing the community to business opportunities and career paths in the industry. BronzeLens values the authentic voices of people of color and celebrates those whose work represents filmmaking at its best”, said Kathleen Bertrand, BronzeLens Film Festival Founder and Executive Producer.
Festival programming includes industry specific panels, master classes conducted by leading professionals and its signature events, BronzeLens Women SuperStars Luncheon, First Glance Friday Screening, BronzeLens Awards Show, Sunday Brunch with the Brothers, and Cinema and Social Justice Sunday.
Over the course of five days a total of 100 films will be screened in the Shorts, Features, Documentaries, Short Documentaries, International Films, Webisodes, Student Films, and Music Video categories. Selected films include the work of filmmakers representing the United States, Canada, Peru, Jamaica, Australia, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Nigeria, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
BronzeLens Opening Night Feature is the highly anticipated supernatural thriller Don’t Let Go, starring David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Mykelti Williamson and Brian Tyree Henry. Don’t Let Go is produced by Blumhouse, the producers of Get Out. Oyelowo will be present for a post screening talk back that will be moderated by Gil Robertson, Co-Founder of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA). Actor Angelo Diaz (“ATL Homicide”) will host the Bronze Carpet.
All Shorts All Day and All Shorts All Night presented by BET Networks will showcase Film Shorts from sun up to sundown. Evening screenings will feature the top five nominated Short Films for the Best Short Award. BronzeLens is an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences qualifying festival for the Short Film category. The short film that receives the BronzeLens Best Short Award is eligible to enter the Academy’s Short Subject competition for the concurrent season.
Key to generating financial support of the festival is the BronzeLens Women Superstars Luncheon (WSSL) sponsored byBETHer. Since its inception, 48 of the brightest women of color in the film and television industry have been honored. The 2019 BronzeLens Women SuperStar honorees are veteran actress Regina Hall (Little, The Hate You Give, Girls Trip and Scary Movie), star of screen and stage, actress Angela Robinson (“The Haves and The Have Nots”, The Color Purple), and Academy Award®–nominated Producer Lisa Cortés (Precious; The Woodsman; and Shadowboxer). Actress Kim Coles will serve as mistress of ceremonies and A Conversation with Regina Hall presented by AARP – Georgia will be moderated by comedienne Myra J. The Bronze Carpet will be hosted by author and motivational speaker Stacii Jae.
Sunday Brunch with the Brothers featured guests are Yusef Salaamand Raymond Santana, Jr. who were exonerated of all charges from the Central Park Jogger Case and portrayed in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Series “When They See Us”. The event will be moderated by Civil Rights Attorney Mawuli Mel Davis.
Cinema and Social Justice Sunday will be a double feature screening. Illegal Rose, a short directed by Deborah Riley Draper will open Cinema and Social Justice Sunday. Post screening talk back includes cast member Lucca Rodriguez-Pedraza and Deborah Riley Draper. Rapper Kap G will perform his hit song A Day without a Mexican and vocalist Nina White will also perform.
Jodi Gomes’ highly anticipated documentary One Child Left Behind: the Untold Atlanta Cheating Scandal is the Cinema and Social Justice Sunday feature film.
BronzeLens Closing Night Feature is the world premiere of director Trey Haley’s romantic comedy, Always a Bridesmaid, written by actress Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community”,Avengers Endgame), and starring Javicia Leslie and Jordan Callaway. Brown will participate in the post screening talk back.