aGLIFF to Present BEEN HERE: QUEER, BLACK & PROUD - An Evening Celebrating Queer Black Voices In Film

Austin's oldest film festival, aGLIFF will present a Black History Month community collaboration with aGLIFF's Queer Black Voices, _OFCOLOR, Beyond Brotha, JAT Creative, and the George Washington Carver Museum with four special screenings and events on February 16, 2023, at The George Washington Carver Museum.

The evening will also include a pre-screening reception and a performance by Austin Drag performer Amber Nicole Davenport. Tickets are available for purchase now at agliff.org/qbv.

aGLIFF's Queer Black Voices will present a special screening of "All Boys Aren't Blue" based on the NY Times Bestselling Memoir by George M. Johnson. Director Nathan Hale Williams (QBV 2021 Mentor) will be LIVE in-person for a post screening discussion with various community leaders.

Guests will also be treated to three award-winning short films by Queer Black filmmakers including The Funnel by writer/director/activist Charlene A. Carruthers (QBV Awardee, 2022), How Not to Date While Trans by writer/director/actress Nyala Moon (QBV Awardee, 2022), and Buffalo by writer/actor/activist Paul Oakley Stoval.

BEEN HERE: QUEER, BLACK & PROUD

An Evening Celebrating Queer Black Voice in Film

agliff.org/qbv

February 16, 2023 | 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

George Washington Carver Museum | 1165 Angelina St. | Austin 78702

Pre-screening reception; performances by Amber Nicole Davenport; with a post screening discussion moderated by aGLIFF Queer Black Voices Chair, Jeremey Teel including community leaders.

Community Partners: aGLIFF, _OFCOLOR, Beyond Brotha, JAT Creative, and the George Washington Carver Museum

ALL BOYS AREN'T BLUE | USA | 2021 | 40 minutes

Director: Nathan Hale Williams | Writer: George M. Johnson | Cast: Dyllon Burnside, Jenifer Lewis, Bernard David Jones, Thomas Hobson

Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, journalist and activist George M. Johnson's memoir covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. With four actors representing Johnson at different stages of their life, Nathan Hale Williams captures a dramatic reading that serves as a firsthand account of trials, tribulations, and triumphs that have made Johnson into the person they are today.

THE FUNNEL | USA | 2022 | 16 minutes

Writer and Director: Charlene A. Carruthers | Producer: Elizah Turner | Cast: Cat Christmas, Vena Howard, Wriply Bennet, Martin Davis, Laketa Caston

Trina lives on the South Side of Chicago with her mother amidst an escalating housing crisis. After falling into an intimate recollection of her family's history, she awakes in a world with people, sounds, and possibilities she's never known. An encounter with a familiar spirit opens Trina's eyes and heart to a new gift.

HOW NOT TO DATE WHILE TRANS | USA | 2022 | 12 minutes

Writer and Director: Nyala Moon | Producers: Eileen Makak, Chien-Yu Wang | Cast: Nyala Moon, Malachi Beasley, Patrick John Boyle, Tyler Brooks

How Not to Date While Trans is a break-the-fourth-wall, dark comedy that follows the dating life of a black trans woman and the problematic men she meets along the way. Andie searches for romance and self-love but ends with heartbreak.

BUFFALO | USA | 2019 | 12 minutes | English

Writer, Producer and Star: Paul Oakley Stovall | Director: Freddie Paull | Cast: Paul Oakley Stovall, James Andrew Fraser

Struggling with writer's block after the death of a loved one, author Zeke experiences a mid-life sexual awakening with the arrival of a handsome delivery guy who brings him his regular order of sushi.

TICKETS: Early bird tickets are available through the end of January for $20; regular price tickets are available for $25 beginning February 1; day of event tickets will be $30. Tickets are available now at agliff.org/qbv.

QUEER BLACK VOICES FUND

aGLIFF created the Queer Black Voices Fund in 2020 in response to the events surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Javier Ambler, among other incidents between police officers and African Americans. The fund has been set up to ensure that queer Black filmmakers, directors, writers, and actors are represented as part of aGLIFF programming every year. The organization began awarding grants in 2021 to cover costs associated with submitting and showing qualified films as part of PRISM 34 and aGLIFF's year-round programming. The fund is also used to cover travel expenses to bring filmmakers to Austin for special events surrounding the festival when possible.

Former aGLIFF Board member, Lenore Shefman of Shefman Law gave the fund a jump start by pledging to match donations made to the Queer Black Voices Fund up to $5,000, which was matched during the 2020 festival. The fund has raised nearly $20,000 to date. aGLIFF continues to fundraise as part of its ongoing commitment to future Queer Black filmmakers.

aGLIFF MEMBERSHIP: Members get the best access, support aGLIFF's year-round programming, and receive festival badges and an array of other perks depending on the level. Memberships start for as low as $25 a month and are available for purchase now at agliff.org/members.

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About aGLIFF:

Founded in 1987, aGLIFF is Austin's oldest film festival and became a 501(c)3 in 1995. The festival began as a four-day event with just four films primarily focused on coming out and the AIDS epidemic. It has grown into a multifaceted nonprofit organization with year-round community programs and events culminating each year in the annual PRISM film festival. Originally named the Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival (1987) the organization changed its name in 2018 to All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival to reflect the changing landscape of how queer people identify and now just goes by aGLIFF. In 2019, the Board of Directors selected PRISM as the festival theme to highlight the way the festival can refract a single beam of art into multiple viewpoints, showcasing all the voices in the spectrum of our LGBTQIA+ community through film.

The organization's mission is to create positive and visible film programs relevant to the lives of LGBTQIA+ identified people, to educate the community about LGBTQIA+ issues, to produce and promote the best in LGBTQIA+ community building events, and to support and partner with other organizations to enlighten the public.

About _OFCOLOR:

_OFCOLOR is an emerging arts alliance dedicated to cultivating a community of creatives and launching inclusive spaces for artists of color to showcase their craft and talents. Established out of a need to spotlight underrepresented communities in Austin, the organization devotes its efforts to uplifting the work of BIPOC artists, initiating visibility and forging opportunities.

About THE GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER MUSEUM:

Through the preservation and exhibition of African American material culture, history, and aesthetic expression, the Carver Museum works to create a space where the global contributions of all Black people are celebrated. It accomplishes this by telling stories about the local community and by connecting those histories to larger narratives about Blackness. The Carver Museum is open to the public. Entrance is free and walk-ins are available.

About BEYOND BROTHA:

Beyond Brotha is an organization focused on creating safe and affirming spaces for men of color of all identities through meaningful collaboration and skill-sharing with a focus on the challenges they experience. Beyond Brotha produces and designs educational events and resources focused on mental and physical health and wellness. Beyond Brotha respects, curates, and archives the history of art, and lived experiences of and for men of color.