The 1st Annual Houston Black Film Festival Wrapped Up Sunday June 26th, With Distribution and Option Deals On the Table
The 1st Annual Houston Black Film Festival wrapped up Sunday June 26th, with a gospel jam featuring the award-winning author and Christian comedienne Pat Gorge-Walker as “Sister Betty.” Another award winning performer was Penny Diamond, winner of Gold City Television’s Annual Gospel Artist Award of the yea 2004. Tinika Hampton, top female Ebony Fashion Fair model was on hand to host the filmmakers, and producer’s reception at The Vault night club downtown Houston with live entertainment by Harmone, whose performance netted them an impending deal with film soundtrack and music video producer, Frank C. Cleveland III, with Dunamis Productions Studio.
(PRWEB) July 5, 2005 -- The 1st Annual Houston Black Film Festival wrapped up
Sunday June 26th, with a gospel jam featuring the award-winning author and
Christian comedienne Pat Gorge-Walker as “Sister Betty.” Another award winning
performer was Penny Diamond, winner of Gold City Television’s Annual Gospel
Artist Award of the yea 2004. Tinika Hampton, top female Ebony Fashion Fair
model was on hand to host the filmmakers, and producer’s reception at The Vault
night club downtown Houston with live entertainment by Harmone, whose
performance netted them an impending deal with film soundtrack and music video
producer, Frank C. Cleveland III, with Dunamis Productions
Studio.
Featured screening event, Kiddy film day was a highlight for kids
out of school. Winning film, “My Purple Fur Coat,” was an instant favorite even
to big kids as the festival executive director, Vanessa Morman who commented
about the winning piece, “The film and the lead character are adorable; a
definite sitcom in the making for Disney, TV1 or the Nickelodeon TV. I would
welcome it in my household weekly.”
The festival also consisted of two
days of panels and informative workshops. Don Kizzee, of the Producers Summit
astounded attendees with his vast knowledge of the inner workings of TV and
film. The festival merged film, music, game technologies, and authors together
as they celebrated the quality and emergence of independent black films,
filmmakers and producers. One of the main objectives of the festival was to
provide a forum for published authors to dialogue with producers about adapting
their book into a film which resulted in talks with attending author, Bill
Butler, author of “My Silent Hurt is Over,” following a pitch with Greeneback
Productions and Reel Action Entertainment. Observing the pitch was film finance
guru Brenda Doby. Ms. Doby is one of the premier finance professionals in the
entertainment industry. She has utilized her expertise to finance over 50 films
during the last ten years, that have ranged from independent ventures such as
director Peter Bunches’s “Butter” and “Behind the Red Door” staring Keifer
Sutherland to blockbusters such as “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. She has also
financed studio Negative Pick-up transactions with all of the major
studios.
Attendees were delighted at how Doby who is slated to return to
the festival in February 06, was so accessible to filmmakers, producers and
attendees, sitting in on ongoing panels and a couple of pitch sessions. During
the awards gala, Doby detailed the inner workings of the film finance business
followed by a Q&A session. Doby confessed openly to gala attendees, “After
seeing “Love Trap,” I knew I had to make a call.” Festival director, Kaye P.
Brooks stated, “We are pleased with the first showcasing and networking
opportunities afforded festival attendees. We expect to see solid deals
completed within the next few weeks from at least two of the films showcased at
the festival. To my knowledge, Audience Award winner, “Love Trap” has several
major distribution deal offerings in the works.” You can hear more of Ms.
Brooks’ comments on the festival wrap up during the newscast airing of her radio
interview with Tyrone Campbell on 90.1 FM KPFT at 5:45pm. Tuesday, Jul 5th 2005.
You can also see more on the festival in the featured article in the Houston
Chronicle dated June 24th 2005.
Another highlight was the awesome and
unique look at blacks in video gaming panel facilitated by William Morgan of
Revelations Interactive which took attendees inside the world of technology and
ancillary product development of book and film characters into video
games.
Winning films Jury Awards are Best Film-Love Trap, Producer, Frank
B. Goodin, Audience Award-Love Trap, Frank B. Goodin, Best Director Award- Frank
B. Goodin for Love Trap,Best Short,(Tie) Something for Nothing Montae
Russell,Best Short,Tie) Black Leather soles, Gordon Green, Co-producer, Howard
Greene, Urban/Hip Hop, Michael Wangugu, Hip Hop Colony, Best Documentary-
Endangered Species, Robert Nixon ,Best Documentary Honorable Mention-Black
Theatre Today, Thea Marie Perkins, Action Suspense, Lost in Plain View, Eric
Chambers, Music Video, Hard Times, Kofi Oliver, Best Animation- Ciscos's
Journey. Family/Children - My Purple Fur Coat, Kathryn Busby,Stunt Coordinator,
BG Films, Eric Blaze, Star achievement Award-Julius Golden, Best up & coming
actor in an independent film. The festival also honored Book to Film
Pioneer-Jacqulyn Thomas-"Hidden Blessings." Other honorees were actor Hill
Harper, Best actor for consistently choosing projects that reflect positively on
blacks. Also, Honoree-Director, (The Visit, Constellation) Jordon Walker
Pearlman.
Local honorees, I’m Ready Productions founders, Je’Caryous
Johnson and Gary Guidry, Houston Walk of Fame Award for their film documentary
Interpretation, Heaven's Child In loving Memory of Mamie Till- Mobley on Emmett
Till.
The forty seven films showcased were screened at one of the finest
cultural arts museums and bookstores in Houston, The Shrine of Black Madonna
Bookstore & Culture Arts Museum. The event showcased of diverse talent and
skill with a high concentration on quality and craft as seen in several of the
films from Houston and around the world such as Africa including winner, Urban
Documentary, Hip Hop Colony. "Hip Hop Colony is an educational well-paced gem
which should be included in high school and college campus curriculums across
the globe in an effort to dispel stereotypes about our kinship to Kenya, and
about African Diaspora,” Morman added.
Plans are underway for the
February 2006 festival which will return the festival to its regular month since
its postponement due to a conflict in its previous scheduling around the
Conoco-Phillips Race during the Rodeo at Minute Maid Park last February coupled
with the festival’s film’s being rescheduled in order for the ‘Ocsar’ films to
be showcased at the Angelika Film Center & Café. The upcoming festival will
include a tribute to the nostalgia era with films starring such greats as Lena
Horne, Dorothy Dandridge and Eartha Kitt, encompassing a nostalgia themed attire
awards gala and a classic film presentation along with a brief tribute to Oscar
Micheaux, and Imitation of Life’s, Hattie McDaniel. Also, a special screening
and planned cast meet and greet of “Contradictions of the Heart” produced by
February 06 panelist Dawn Carter of Fox Pictures and of Doneyln Productions,
which just wrapped principle filming. An element not included this year festival
attendees can look forward to in February is the screenwriters/script contest
and award.
If you are interested in helping filmmakers, screenwriters,
video gamers, authors and music producers make an impact on Hollywood, feel free
to contact the festival coordinators for additional information on future
festival related events as the book to film tv reality show pilot (www.booktofilm.com, www.booktofilmtv.com.
For information on sponsorships
visit www.houstonblackfilmfestival.org or call 888-898-9297 ext
84.
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