| Over the years Angel L. Brown kept seeing the same thing happen: she'd go to see the few queer black films included in film festivals and there would be a line around the block and only a single screening. The demand was clearly there. So she decided to launch Queer Black Cinema, a standing series dedicated to increasing visibility and screening films by emerging U.S. and international LGBTQ independent filmmakers of African descent.
“Queer Black Cinema—the name itself is so powerful,” says Brown. “We're just trying to live up to it.” People have been giving her enthusiastic feedback about the series and audience members have come to the screenings from as far as two hours away. Brown has done a lot of research and still hasn't heard of anything else like her project.
Brown is a screenwriter and filmmaker and has worked as a director of photography and an assistant director on several films. She has also taught video/film production to elementary, middle and high schoolers. In addition to her, Queer Black Cinema's all-volunteer staff includes two other “full-timers” (who find the time to help out in addition to holding down paying jobs) and several interns. Brown also credits producer Kawana Bullock as the backbone of Queer Black Cinema.
The first Queer Black Cinema screening was a sold-out affair in January of this year. For the time being at least, the series is a monthly event that takes place at various theaters in New York City. The organization's website keeps attendees in the loop.
One of the organization's goals is to be to filmmakers what the Apollo is to musicians: “If you're a singer and you go to Apollo you know you made it. You showed it to your people and they appreciated it and you're a part of that whole pioneer thing.”
Brown hopes to inspire black LGBTQ filmmakers to create works with Queer Black Cinema—a venue specially created to display their work—in mind. The goal is to showcase new work, first—something she is already doing in several cases.
“We want this to be an establishment where if you are a black gay filmmaker, you definitely want to submit your stuff here first.” In the future Brown hopes to enhance Queer Black Cinema with a grant program so she can help filmmakers in more ways than providing a venue to screen their work. She also hopes to offer more frequent screenings and establish a permanent space for the organization.
Queer Black Cinema isn't just about queer black cinema. Brown incorporates her passion for music and her commitment to public health issues into the series. And she emphasizes that she welcomes everybody, including those who aren't black or aren't queer, to attend the screenings.
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