Listen Live
St Jude banner
CLOSE

HelloBeautiful’s co-founder Ava DuVernay is a filmmaker and publicist who hopes to spread the distribution of black-themed films with her new organization, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM). In March, black film festivals based in New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle and Los Angeles will be the first backers of the movement to collectively get behind and promote the best independent Black films.

The films will not run as part of normal festival programs, but will instead screen in all cities simultaneously in a deal DuVernay secured with AMC Theatres as part of their independent film program.

“No one is ever going to care about their film except the people it’s made for, which is, black folks.”

DuVernay told the New York Times (full story) that she imagines a time when black-theme pictures will flourish in places where African-American film festivals have already found eager viewers.

Her new film, “I Will Follow”, which she wrote and directed, stars Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Omari Hardwick, will be the first film coming out of the AFFRM. A remarkable piece, “I Will Follow” has been overwhelmingly lauded by critics since its initial release last fall.  BET’s lead film critic Clay Cane called it 2010’s Best Picture.

“Black film could soon become an extinct species if we don’t stand together and do something! AFFRM is a community effort. So if you love black film, please participate. All you have to do is come to the movies when we’re in your town. It’s a simple, but revolutionary act.”

Read more about Ava DuVernay’s new movement here.

Take a look at the “I Will Follow” trailer below:

Check out this teaser for DuVernay-directed BET documentary “My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women in Hip-Hop,” that explored the history and the legacy of the women who helped invent and nurture the Hip-Hop genre:

The official trailer for her award-winning documentary, “This Is The Life:”

Follow Ava Duvernay on Twitter and check out her DVA website.

BET Screens First Music Documentary On Women In Hip-Hop