Continuing our focus on providing Brooklyn audiences continuous access to independent Black cinema, The Luminal Theater is transforming one block on Tompkins Avenue during the 9th annual TAMA Summerfest Weekend Walks into a cinematic home, under tents to block out the sun, showcasing curated Black films with a focus on talent from Brooklyn-based creatives.
These films will be presented free and open to the community from 12 noon until nighttime.
The day starts at 12 noon on Tompkins Avenue & Madison Street with:
Young Adult films
Indie films from Bed-Stuy and Brooklyn-based creatives, including Darius Clark Monroe’s “BLACK 14”, Okema T. Moore’s “Shh..” and Christopher D. Williams’ anthology horror series “Tales from Da ‘Ville”
“Sistas in Cinema” - films from Black women filmmakers, including Sewra G. Kidane’s “Proclamation Punctuation”
Virtual/Augmented Reality presentation by artist Emir Fils-Aime
Then we take the fun over to Potomac Playground (on Halsey & Tompkins) for an 8pm closing presentation of “72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story?” from local filmmaker Raafi Rivero
RSVP for Free
FILM SCHEDULE
12pm noon - Tent 1
Films for Young Adults
WATERMELON by Toryn Seabrooks
Set in the early 00's, frumpy and uncoordinated 12 year old Clark Diaz desperately aspires to be an elite Lemon Girl cheerleader, but her Mom tells her that they can't afford it. So Clark comes up with a creative side hustle, determined to earn her lemon glory.
COLD SWEAT - by Wi-Moto Nyoka
the kids of COLD SWEAT
A coming-of-age anthology series following tween protagonists as they overcome supernatural hurdles in order to make it to high school in one piece. Chapter 1: "Wham!" Aquila and Sadiquah are two of the best students at 362 MLK Middle School. But when the school begins to break out into mysterious rage episodes, the uninfected will have to find the courage to save their school. And their future.
1:15pm - Tent 2
Local Filmmaker Showcase 1 - URBAN POETICS
AN ODE, TO US by Jalessa Montaque
An homage to black women and Nina Simone
TRAPPED FREEDOM by Allegra Earle
Living amongst their virus stricken community, two siblings work to escape their environment, while changing the lives of those around them. The secret they carry is enough to alter the condition of the world - or permanently stop them in their tracks.
SHH… by Patrick Coker, produced by Okema T. Moore
When he sees things in black and white, and she sees through rose-colored lenses, what is the true color of love...and is it enough?
Partick Coker and Okema T. Moore’s SHH…
PERCEPTION - by KarynRose Bruyning
Perception is everything.
JUSTICE FOR ALL by Ephraim Kirkwood
Using Frederick Douglass’ famous July 5th, 1852 speech as a way of providing context to Colin Kaepernick’s NFL protest, and employing collages of recent protests of police brutality found on the web, the struggle for justice puts the reality that many Black Americans face today centerstage.
2:30-4:00pm - Tent 1
SISTAS IN CINEMA showcase - curated and hosted by Kissa Starr
PROCLAMATION PUNCTUATION by Sewra G. Kidane
Sewra G. Kidane’s PROCLAMATION PUNCTUATION
An enthralling fashion film centered on a fabulously fascinating woman reciting a short soliloquy paying homage to her love for using exclamation points in her missives. Periods are so period, whereas an exclamation point livens up a sentence! There is simply nothing worse than a long dragged out sentence ending in an uninspiring dull dot! So when exclamation points are your philosophy on life, one must always keep it on the upbeat!!
NO TRAVELER RETURNS by Ellie Foumbi
A young African immigrant's struggles to adjust to life in America push him towards an existential crisis.
DANA by Toryn Seabrooks
After a bad trick, 16 year old prostitute Dana, easily manipulated and exploited by her boyfriend, Kut, goes off on her own to collect herself at a nearby gas station, but soon thereafter hears a man catcalling her from behind. The fear of returning to Kut empty handed is worse than taking on another customer, so Dana turns around to accept the trick, only to find a familiar face that inserts Dana in a place she never expected
I WILL NOT FORGET YOU by Laila Petrone
Still struggling with loss, a caring father and his kind-hearted daughter are inspired by the Christmas spirit.
Dominga Martin’s YELLOW
YELLOW by Dominga Martin
In this classic short film, an awkward first date heats up quickly. (English with Creole Subtitles)
3:30-5:00pm - Tent 2
VR/Augmented Reality (interactive)
PEER by Emir Fils-Aime
In an attempt to step away from the dynamics of his present environment, a young man seeks solitude. As he traverses the landscape of his mind, troubling questions surrounding his identity emerge. Oddly, he finds solace in his newfound frustration…
4:30-5:40pm - Tent 1
Local Filmmaker Showcase 2 - REMIXED
BLACK 14 by Darius Clark Monroe
Black 14 is an archival social study examining white pathology and cognitive dissonance via media coverage of a 1969 racial protest at the University of Wyoming.
THE LET OUT (excerpt) by Ayanna Long
A trace of the collective memories of DMV natives to tell the cultural story of how go-go music emerged in the early 2000's - the bounce beat - and how that plays in Washington D.C.’s changing landscape. These traditions become central with the rise and fall of go-go venues throughout D.C., and the role of black gathering spaces in facilitating community connections.
TALES FROM THE ‘VILLE by Chris D. Williams
Episode 3: "The Purging" - A corrupt policeman learns the error of his ways...the hard way
BIG WIGS by Francis Agyapong
"Here's our problematic take on gentrification in Brooklyn."
The Ville’s HERE COMES A STRANGER
HERE COMES A STRANGER by Seun Aladese & The Ville
Based on the book A Stranger's Pose, this is a short film and visual poem on distance and desire, place and the placeless, and the world formed during the course of a journey.
8pm-10pm FEATURE FILM PRESENTATION
at Potomac Playground — Halsey St & Tompkins Ave
72 HOURS: A BROOKLYN LOVE STORY
By Raafi Rivero
Filmed in Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, and Weeksville, this 2016 film festival hit centers on 18-year-old Caesar Winslow, who has exactly three days to decide between attending a prestigious university or staying in Brooklyn with his girlfriend and his homies.
First ever public screening in Brooklyn!
post-screening Q&A with the filmmaker
TAMA Summerfest is organized by the Tompkins Avenue Merchants Association and Bridge Street Development Corporation. It is sponsored by NYC Weekend Walks, the NYC Dept. of Transportation, Coca-Cola, and ModernMD.
The Cinema Block Party is sponsored, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
The Luminal Theater is a sponsored organization of the New York Foundation for the Arts.