December 9, 2020  

Cast & Crew of Feature Film, Residue at NOIR FEST 2020

Written by Nahiyan Khan

Washington, DC Filmmaker and Director of Critically Acclaimed Feature Film Residue Merawi Gerima Announced as Featured Speaker, Along With Residue Cast Members  at NOIR FEST

New York, NY – December 9, 2020 – NOIR FEST (December 5-12, 2020) has announced Featured Speakers for its event, which celebrates Black life, creativity, and healing. 

On Thursday, December 10th, NOIR FEST will be hosting a roundtable with the Director, Cast, and Crew of Director Merawi Gerima’s first feature-length film Residue, which tells the story of a failed screenwriter who returns home to Washington, DC, only to find it overrun by gentrification. 

Merawi Gerima is originally from Washington, DC and his origin has a heavy influence on his work, as well as his community-centered orientation. Residue, a community endeavor made possible primarily by the efforts of the people it attempts to portray, was picked up by ARRAY, Ava DuVernay’s film company and can now be streamed on Netflix after receiving rave reviews in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and more. The NOIR FEST team calls Residue“a masterclass in effortless storytelling”.

NOIR FEST was founded in 2019 by Lolade Siyonbola to transform the way Blackness is viewed and understood globally through visually stunning, aspirational films centered on believable Black heroes. Converted to a virtual festival due to COVID-19, this December’s NOIR FEST will be the first of its kind film festival featuring healing experiences like yoga, reiki, and meditation and will be held online from December 5-12. For more information, please visit https://noirfest.co/. To purchase tickets for the event, go here. 

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Press Contacts

Sabrina Ashworth

sabrina@noirfest.co

December 4, 2020  

OFFICIAL NOIR FEST SCHEDULE

DAY 1: Radical Self-Love (Sat, Dec 5th) *All times listed in EST

  • 11:30-11:45am: Global Black Meditation — Dora Kamau
  • 12:00-12:15pm: Invocation — Hanifa Nayo Washington
  • 12:15-12:50pm: Community Welcome (10 mins) — Lolade Siyonbola, NOIR Labs Founder
  • 1:00-2:00pm: Keynote: Sonya Renee Taylor  on Alchemy, Radical Self-Love & Blackness as Technology
  • 2:00-2:45pm: Community Dialogue
  • 2:45-3:00pm: What’s Up Next 
  • 3:00-3:15pm: Music 

DAY 2: Raise Your Voice (Sun, Dec 6th)

  • 11:30-11:45am: Global Black Meditation 
  • 12:00-1:15pm: Healing Movement Community Yoga w Essence of Movement Studio — Yvette Willis-Duff
  • (IG Live): Coming together to script the Future 

DAY 3: We Come to Work (Mon, Dec 7)

  • 11:30-11:45am: Global Black Meditation — Justin Michael Williams
  • 12:00-1:00pm: Community Connection
  • 1:00-2:15pm: New Nigeria, New World — What can we learn from #EndSARS to prompt liberation globally?

DAY 4: Treasury of Black Art (Tues, Dec 8)

  • 11:30-11:45am: Global Black Meditation
  • 12:00-2:00pm: Treasury of Black Art Roundtable
    • Dom Chambers, visual artist, recently inducted into Forbes 30 Under 30 this year, Dom Chambers Studio
    • Faustin Adeniran, Nigerian contemporary artist, works with used materials to reflect society
    • Freda Isingoma, Art Investment Specialist, Founder & CEO, KIISA
    • Roberta Annan, Founder & Managing Partner, Annan Capital Partners
    • Wunmi Olaiya, Afro-soul artist, Creative Director of Wow Wow
    • Aina Fadina (moderator), Executive Producer & Host, I of Africa
  • 2:15-3:15pm: Discussion on Responsibility & Privilege (with special Black Yalies breakout)

DAY 5: Divine Feminine (Weds, Dec 9th)

  • 11:30-11:45am: Global Black Meditation — Dora Kamau
  • 12:00-1:30pm: Roundtable on Power in the Age of the Black Woman
  • 1:30-3:00pm: Healing into Authenticity Workshop — Leyanne Oliveira
  • 3:00-3:15pm: Break
  • 3:15-4:45pm: Queen of Keys Coronation — Lolade

DAY 6: For the Artists: Making (R)evolution Irresistible (Thurs, Dec 10th)

DAY 7: Movement is Medicine (Fri, Dec 11th)

  • 11:30-11:45am: Global Black Meditation 
  • 12:00-12:45pm: West African Dance Class with Tamara Jones, CumbeDance

DAY 8: 100 Year Plan (Sat, Dec 12th)

November 17, 2020  

NOIR FEST 2020—Themes for the Week

This year’s NOIR FEST will be like no other! With films, music, yoga and reiki, NOIR FEST 2020: Healing, Transformation & (R)evolution will be the only week-long party uniting the Black Diaspora through storytelling, discussion, and movement that heals us.

The party of the century kicks off on Saturday, December 5th. Did you get your tickets yet? Here are the themes for the week that you can look forward to:

Radical Self-Love (Saturday, Dec 5th)

Saturday kicks off with live music and a glorious invocation led by Hanifa Nayo Washington. Sonya Renee Taylor will open with a keynote talk on Alchemy, Radical Self-Love & Blackness as Technology.

Raise Your Voice (Sunday, Dec 6th)

On Sunday, we kickback a bit with some yoga, then start the discussion on how we will script the future as a collective, defining our hopes and dreams of Liberation.

We Come to Work (Monday, Dec 7th)

We’ve all watched as Nigeria’s government responded to peaceful protests to #EndSARS and #EndOpression with more brutality and repression. But the Liberation Generation is on the move. Since #RedTuesday, numerous youth political parties have sprung up: highly sophisticated international organizations that promise to deliver a New Nigeria in 2023. On Monday we will hear from them and explore the ways in which Liberation for Nigeria can mean Liberation for all Black people across the globe. 

The Treasury of Black Art (Tuesday, Dec 8th)

Black art is the greatest treasure of the world. From our films to our photography to our music to our paintings and digital art, everything produced from Black creativity has the potential to spurn economies and transform culture. Where does our art fit into our Hundred Year Plan? How can art be used to fund our Liberation? How can we empower Artists at the time we need them the most with the world in a state of relative disarray to craft a Liberated Black future from their innate creativity?

The Divine Feminine (Wednesday, Dec 9th)

Wednesday is for the laddieees and femme-identifying! Yes! All creation starts with the Divine Feminine. Wednesday features opportunities for deep healing, manifestation with powerhouse women and film screenings that inspire and awaken the Divine Feminine.

For the Artists: Making (R)evolution Irresistible (Thursday, Dec 10th)

Calling all aspiring filmmakers and creatives. This is your day. We will be joined by Meriwa Gerima along with the cast and crew of Residue and host a DOPE artist roundtable for creative in the film industry.

Movement is Medicine (Friday, Dec 11th)

Feel-good Friday will feature the best music videos of the barmy and our favorite playlists from the DJs who will be featured in Saturday’s spin-off.

100 Year Plan (Saturday, Dec 12th)

To close out the week, we will be joined by thought leaders across the Diaspora to revisit our 100 Year Plan for Liberation from within and close out with a DJ spin-off featuring revolutionary music from across the Diaspora.

Still not excited yet? Check out more details here.

Get your tickets today! General Admissions tickets start at $25, Industry Access at $50 for private events with filmmakers, distributors and press, and VIP access at $110 which includes exclusive gifts/swag and private VIP events.

November 13, 2020  

Announcing NOIR FEST 2020 Speakers—Sonya Renee Taylor, Merawi Gerima & Michael Dennis

The countdown to NOIR FEST 2020: Healing, Transformation & (R)evolution has begun! This year’s festival will be a week-long virtual party from Saturday, December 5th to Saturday, December 12th featuring legendary speakers, gorgeous films, a digital arts exhibit, yoga and reiki, uniting the Black Diaspora through storytelling and movement that heals us. Get your tickets today! General Admissions tickets start at $25, Industry Access at $50 for private events with filmmakers, distributors and press, and VIP access at $110 which includes exclusive gifts/swag and private VIP events.

We are thrilled to announce a few of the incredible speakers you will hear from during the week:

Sonya Renee Taylor (opening keynote speaker) is the Founder and Radical Executive Officer of The Body is Not An Apology, an international movement and organization committed to radical self-love and body empowerment as the foundational tool for social justice and global transformation. She is the author of The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love. Sonya’s work as an award winning Performance Poet, activist and transformational leader has been featured on HBO, BET, MTV, NPR, PBS, CNN, The New York Times and many more. Believing in the power of art as a vehicle for social change, Sonya has been widely recognized for her work as a change agent.

Merawi Gerima is a filmmaker from Washington DC. His origin informs his work and his community-centered orientation. Residue, his first feature which you can find on Netflix, was a total communal endeavor, made possible primarily by the effort of the people it attempts to portray. Check out the New York Times review of Residue here.

Reelblack founder Michael J. Dennis is an award winning filmmaker, curator and media host based in Philadelphia, PA. A graduate of both NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and The American Film Institute Conservatory, his short films and documentaries have screened globally. He has worked with Chris Rock, Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby and The Hudlin Brothers. Mike has curated film festivals since 1994, when he worked with the New York Underground Film Festival. As President of the The Philadelphia Film and Video Association and founding member of both Councilman David Oh’s Black Film Advisory Committee and Ava DuVernay’s Array, he has worked diligently to develop infrastructure for Independent filmmakers. 

You don’t want to miss the party of the century starting on Saturday, Dec 5th and running through Saturday, Dec 12th.

Get your tickets today!