Neon hosts Dayton Black Women’s Film Festival
The inaugural Dayton Black Women’s Film Festival, dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories of Black women in cinema, will be held Thursday at The Neon.
Conceived and curated by Neon team member Angelina Mitchell, a Dayton native, the festival celebrates diversity, creativity, connection and empowerment. Most importantly it provides a space for inclusivity and representation.
“After working at the Neon for a few months and (noticing) all the film festivals that were (happening), I began to wonder why there were no film festivals for Black women, specifically Black people to showcase their talents,” said Mitchell, a junior in Wright State University’s motion pictures program. “There are so many Black filmmakers in Dayton and so many that are influential that have come from Dayton or graduated from Wright State’s (film) program.”
The festival lineup includes powerful dramas, thought-provoking documentaries and engaging animated films all aiming to highlight the talent and artistry within the Black community.
“I want the audience to see how multifaceted Black women are,” Mitchell said. “We all have different experiences and tell stories in different ways. Every film offers different perspectives from stories of Black mothers to stories of Black women in the LGBT community.”
Mitchell is particularly excited to showcase the animated selections, which she hopes will appeal in a unique fashion.
“More than anything, Black women are often (overlooked) when it comes to animation in the industry,” she said. “I think it’ll be incredible for people to see that Black women can create animated films and do so in an extremely original way.”
A highlight of the festival will be the presentation of the Bloom Award, which celebrates emerging artists and encourages their continued growth and success. The award will be presented to budding filmmaker Aisha Ford, a graduate of Wright State’s motion picture program and recent graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. While at NYU, Ford, born in Cincinnati but raised in Dayton, was the recipient of the Dean’s Fellowship, the Spike Lee Film Production Grant and the NYU Wasserman Award for her second year short film “Royal.” She was also the recipient of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts HBO Scholarship.
In 2019, she was chosen as one of the fellow MFAs to attend the Sundance Film Festival, on behalf of the BET Blackhouse Foundation. She followed with her short film, “Cherry Lemonade,” premiering at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.
In addition, Ford’s latest film, “Brownies,” will be screened this month at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Diversity in Cannes Short Film & Webseries Showcase.
“Aisha is the very first mentor I ever had within the film industry,” Mitchell explained. “She has been the most phenomenal mentor. When creating and curating this festival, I knew I wanted to create an award that honored Black women in the industry who hadn’t received their flowers but who are still creating the work and making connections for other Black women to be a part of the industry.”
For more information, visit daytonbwff.org.