The HBCU First Look Film & TV Festival returns to Howard University for its fourth year Nov. 5-7, highlighting aspiring filmmakers connected to historically Black colleges and universities.
Starz is a major sponsor of this year’s fest, and P-Valley stars Nico Annan and Shannon Thornton will be on hand to discuss the show’s third and final season, which drops on Starz Dec. 3.
They’ll be joined by iconic producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Tony Award winner Myles Frost (MJ The Musical), and Howard alumni and A Different World cast members Kennedi Reece, Jade Johnson and Jadah Clay, who will also participate in panels. This year’s theme is “How To Be The Next,” and the three-day fest will focus on helping aspiring actors, writers and filmmakers break into Hollywood.
One HBCU student is getting a serious leg up. The winner of the HBCU First Look Challenge, selected from more than 450 applicants, will be announced at an awards luncheon and receive an $8,500 prize and an internship opportunity.
“Being named a finalist has affirmed my belief that social advocacy has a place in film and television, particularly in fictional storytelling,” finalist Jada Evans, a Florida A&M graduate student nominee, told Cassiuslife.com. Her film, Rooted in Resilience: Black Farmer Perspectives on Land, Loss, and Legacy, is up for Best Feature Film.
She added, “Beyond entertainment, these mediums have the power to be radically honest and transformative. HBCU First LOOK has given a couple of social workers from the South a platform to demonstrate how FAMU’s Department of Social Work is preparing us to confront disparities and broaden perspectives through storytelling. And we intend to deliver.”
You can check out Evans’ film here.
The luncheon will also honor several HBCU alumni, including Eva Marcille, Michael Strahan and Tone Bell.
Panels include “Do the Right Thing,” which will help filmmakers navigate the legal side of the business; “Hidden Figures,” highlighting women working behind the scenes; and “School Daze,” focused on Black storytelling. The festival will also offer master classes with industry figures, including actress and filmmaker Nikki Micheaux.
Rotimi will screen clips and discuss his new film God with Us, which opens Nov. 13, while Bentley Kyle Evans will introduce New State of Mind, an HBCU-focused series headed to AspireTV.
On Saturday, the fest celebrates the 10th anniversary of Andscape, ESPN’s platform dedicated to Black sports stories, with a panel discussion and closing-night gala.