2023 Queer black voices winners

AN EVENING CELEBRATING QUEER BLACK VOICES IN FILM

The 2023 recipients are I Identify As Me writers/directors Tina Colleen and Monick Monell, Collective Resistance director Isak Vaillancourt, and And They Were Loved writer/director Malik Shamar Julien. Special guest Nneka Onuorah, director of the documentary Truth Be Told will act as a mentor to the 2023 inductees. Truth Be Told will screen as the Documentary Centerpiece film on Friday, August 25 at 7pm at the Galaxy Theatres.

aGLIFF’s Queer Black Voices Fund Committee will host a special evening in the Draylen Mason Music Studio at KMFA on Thursday, August 24, 2023, awarding grants to the three filmmakers at PRISM 36, celebrating their work, and raising money for future queer black creatives. Guests will have an opportunity to meet the filmmakers, view their short films, and hear from each on the inspiration behind their films and creative process.

• 5:30pm - 7pm: Red Carpet & Cocktail Reception

• 7pm: Dinner, Screenings & Live Filmmaker Discussions

The evening includes Red Carpet arrivals and a cocktail reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. A buffet-style dinner will be served by Mashae’s Catering followed by the awards presentations and screenings.

Each year aGLIFF selects a mentor to spend time with the award recipients to coach them and consider one another's creative process. This year's QBV mentor is Emmy(r)-Award winning director Nneka Onuorah, whose new documentary Truth Be Told explores the often-conflicted relationship LGBTQ+ Black individuals have with the Black church. The film will be featured as the Centerpiece Documentary at PRISM 36. Onuorah is the program's first female mentor since its inception in 2020.

2023 QUEER BLACK VOICES INDUCTEES

To ensure that queer Black creatives are represented as part of the Prism Film Fest every year, aGLIFF launched the Queer Black Voices Fund in 2020. Created in response to the recent events surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Javier Ambler, among other incidents between police officers and African Americans, the QBV Fund will cover the costs associated with submitting and showing qualified films as part of Prism and aGLIFF’s year-round programming.

The 2023 QBV Awardees are:

I IDENTIFY AS ME | USA | 2022 | 10 minutes 22 seconds | English

Writers & Directors: Tina Colleen and Monick Monell | Cast: Charlie Trotman, Chayse Attah Lydia X. Z. Brown, Meek Jaffe, Monick Monell, Neha Ghosh, Sasha Classe, TJ Love

Through the intimate lens of eight Black & Brown Trans, gender-diverse people, and masculine-presenting women, the social concept of gender is challenged.

Tina Colleen (She/They) is an emerging director; her first short film, I Identify as Me, has been featured at some of the largest LGBTQIA+ film festivals in the U.S. and Canada including Outfest Fusion, Wicked Queer, and InsideOut. Tina is currently developing I Identify as Me into an episodic that will unpack the false notion believed for centuries - that gender is fixed and binary. Tina is the CEO/Founder of People of Color Productions, an independent production company that alchemizes art to transform the societal narrative

Monick Monell (She/Her) is a mixed-race leader and content creator for the queer and trans BIPOC community for the last four years. She works for the community as a New York City correspondent for The Unleashed Voice magazine. She commits to helping others find safe spaces and information about LGBTQIA+ shelters and medical places within the area. Monick strives to spark change in how QTBIPOC individuals are viewed, respected, and recognized by others within the queer and trans community.

COLLECTIVE RESISTANCE | Canada | 2023 | 17 minutes | English

Director: Isak Vaillancourt | Cast: "Ravyn" Ariah Wngz, "Shanese" Indoowaaboo Steele

Told from the perspectives of 2SLGBTQ+ Afro-Indigenous leaders and activists, this short documentary intends to reimagine new possibilities for relationships between Blackness and Indigeneity which is rooted in solidarity and joy.

Isak Vaillancourt is an award-winning producer and multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes photography, filmmaking, arts-based programming, and digital communication. Isak graduated (Honours, Cum laude) in Communication Studies from Laurentian University. He recently completed his Master of Arts in Media Production at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is also the Co-Founder and Director of Black Lives Matter - Sudbury, a non-profit organization committed to dismantling systemic racism and supporting cultural creation in Northern Ontario.

AND THEY WERE LOVED | USA | 2023 | 38 minutes | English

Writer: Malik Shamar Julien | Directors: Malik Shamar Julien and Emily McClanahan | Cast: Marcus Bearden, Zion Mpeye, and Jucundo Ramos

Jacundo, Zion, and Marcus are maturing into their queer identities in central Texas as they use their voices to support the Black and brown LGBTQIA+ community through sexual health advocacy, multimedia artistry, and ballroom culture.

Raised by his single mother and grandfather, Director Malik Julien grew up in a southwest coastal town Texas City, Texas. He moved to Austin at the age of 18 to study Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas. Malik worked as a crew member on several of his colleague's productions until the spark to produce his own project came to life. He was only a sophomore when he conceived the idea for a short documentary depicting the southern queer experience of Central Texas. It would become his directorial debut. His dream is to produce and direct genre films and operate his own film studio. Julien is currently in development for a series adaptation of a queer black coming-of-age drama.

2023 QUEER BLACK VOICES MENTOR

ABOUT THE QUEER BLACK VOICES FUND:

The Queer Black Voices Fund was created in response to the events of 2020 surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Javier Ambler, among other incidents between police officers and African Americans. The fund has been set up to ensure that queer Black filmmakers, directors, writers, and actors are represented as part of aGLIFF programming every year. The organization began awarding grants to cover costs associated with submitting and showing qualified films as part of PRISM 34 and aGLIFF's year-round programming. The fund also will be used to cover travel expenses to bring filmmakers to Austin for special events surrounding the festival when possible.

aGLIFF board member, Lenore Shefman of Shefman Law gave the fund a jump start by pledging to match donations made to the Queer Black Voices Fund up to $5,000, which was matched during the 2020 festival. The fund has raised nearly $20,0000 to date and aGLIFF continues to fundraise as part of its ongoing commitment to future Queer Black filmmakers.

“These stories are all Voiced by Queer Black people however, I believe they serve as a call to action to a larger audience,” said Queer Black Voices Fund Chair and aGLIFF Board Member Jeremy Teel. “QBVF is purposeful in being an example of how equitable representation in the arts can lead to reparations and justice in society. I hope people join us to support our awardees and Black Voices that are muted by prejudice by attending our dinner or donating to our fund.”

This fund has been set up to ensure that queer black filmmakers, directors, writers, and actors are represented as part of aGLIFF programming every year. This year's recipients will be given $500 with aGLIFF covering all costs involved with submitting and showing their films as part of PRISM 36 including attending the festival and screenings, participating in live forums, Q&A sessions and other special events.

Waivers and Fees:

aGLIFF does not grant waivers under any exception. Submissions must be uploaded by the deadline dates for which the paid entry fee applies. aGLIFF will NOT pay rental or screening fees for submitted and programmed works. NO EXCEPTIONS!