Black Film Festival Outdoors at the Parrish

The Parrish Art Museum and the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center (BHCCRC) continue their history of partnership with a new, two-day Black Film Festival, which will be offered outdoors at the museum, on two consecutive Fridays — August 14 and 21, from 8 to 11 p.m. both nights.

Selected by a committee representing both organizations, the films — documentaries, features and shorts — depict systemic inequality, personal stories of hope, and connections between historical civil rights movements and today’s events that have sparked protests nationally and globally.

“I am grateful for our ongoing partnership with BHCCRC to present this mini festival that is meant to educate, entertain, and inspire so that we all can become part of the conversation about racial inequality and social justice,” said Corinne Erni, senior curator of Arts Reach and special projects at the museum. “Films are a perfect conduit to connect us emotionally and intellectually to these issues and encourage action.”

“The festival is an opportunity to shed light on different cultures and their life experiences,” added Bonnie Michelle Cannon, BHCCRC executive director. “The only way that we are going to come together is to learn more about each other and to spend time with each other.

“Please come out and support this event. I promise you it will be enlightening, thought-provoking, life changing, and just a great time for all.”

The films, outlined below, will be shown on the Parrish’s terrace with possible use of the event lawn if weather permits. Guests are required to register online in advance, wear masks to the event, and bring their own chairs.

BLACK FILM FESTIVAL PART I

Friday, August 14, 8 p.m.

“’63 Boycott” (Documentary, 2016, 31 minutes, director: Gordon Quinn)

On October 22, 1963, more than 250,000 students boycotted the Chicago Public Schools to protest racial segregation. Many marched through the city calling for the resignation of School Superintendent Benjamin Willis, who placed trailers, dubbed “Willis Wagons,” on playgrounds and parking lots of overcrowded black schools rather than allowing students to enroll in nearby white schools.

Blending unseen 16mm footage of the march, shot by Kartemquin Film founder Gordon Quinn, along with the participants’ reflections today, the film tells the forgotten story of one of the largest northern Civil Rights demonstrations to today’s issues concerning race, education, school closings, and youth activism.

“I Am Not Your Negro” (Documentary, 2016, 95 minutes, director: Raoul Peck)

Based on James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript “Remember this House,” this film explores the history of racism in the United States through Baldwin’s reminiscences of Civil Rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his personal observations of American history. Narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, the film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards and won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary.

BLACK FILM FESTIVAL PART II

Friday, August 21, 8 p.m.

“Other” (Short, 2018, 6 min 20 seconds, director: Xavier Burgin)

This is a short film about a Black woman who struggles with her feelings as she navigates white spaces in the aftermath of the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. As a Black woman, mother, and wife, she must face unconcerned neighbors, unaware colleagues, and clueless strangers who make containing her hurt, rage, and sorrow almost unbearable. A chance meeting with a barista offers her only respite.

“The Hate U Give” (Feature, 2018, 132 minutes, 20th Century Studios, director: George Tillman Jr.)

Based on the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller by Angie Thomas, the film features Amandla Stenberg in the leading role of Starr Carter, with Russell Hornsby, Regina Hall, Common, Anthony Mackie and Issa Rae. Starr is caught between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives — and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil by a police officer.

The Parrish Art Museum is at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. To reserve for the festival, visit parrishart.org.