‘So much to be excited about': Dayton Black Women's Film Festival returns in May
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — If one thing can be learned from securing the big movie for the third annual Dayton Black Women's Film Festival, it's this: Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know.
During a recent interview with WDTN.com, festival founder and filmmaker Angelina Mitchell shared how she managed to snag a screening of documentary 'Seeds,' the festival's big name.
Directed by Wright State alum Brittany Shyne, 'Seeds' tackles the role of Black farmers in the American South. The movie won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance in February.
'I'm still kind of processing it': Wright State grad talks 'Seeds,' top honor at Sundance
Mitchell credits her mentor for the assist in landing the prize-winner.
'I just, I threw it out there as kind of like, 'Man, I really wish I could screen 'Seeds,'' she said. 'He kind of worked everything out for me and made it happen because Brittany is also somebody who's mentored by him. And he reached out to her and he connected everything, and she agreed immediately.
'That's really how it happened. I honestly just asked. And I was like, 'You know what? Why not shoot my shot?' essentially. And now we're able to screen 'Seeds,' which I'm super excited about because it is one of the most visually stunning documentaries I have ever seen.'
Mitchell calls Shyne's cinematography — she serves as well as her own DP — 'just beautiful.'
'You figure out things about this country and yourself and, things that you didn't know were happening that are still happening,' she says. 'I just think it's a documentary that everyone needs to see, because it will absolutely change your life.'
The movie, which screened at the Yellow Springs Film Festival, will be getting its Dayton premiere as part of the DBWFF's Opening Night at The Neon on Thursday, May 15.
The festival lasts through Sunday, May 18.
Mitchell laughs that she did 'bite off a lot more than I can chew' in stretching the festival to four days, but she calls it 'really great, really special.'
Among the events she is most excited about is the Black Women in Filmmaking Workshop at the Bassani Theater being held in partnership with the Dayton Metro Library. It will feature sessions on screenwriting, led by director Selina Burks-Rentschler, and direction, led by filmmaker Kailah Ware. (The event is free, but registration is required and limited.)
On Saturday, May 17, the festival is organizing a free networking brunch at The Neon
'Just come and eat for free, and you get to meet Black women filmmakers and see what they're doing and what they're working on and get connected,' she says. 'We're so supportive of each other because we are all we have in this industry.'
Hosting the festival at the Neon is a treat that Mitchell is appreciative of.
'My partnership with the Neon means so much to me, I wouldn't be able to do any of the things that I do or be able to take on a four day festival essentially, if not for Jonathan McNeal.
'Jonathan really is such a mover in the community. He will do anything when it comes to supporting endeavors of artists in any space, but specifically with film, he really has enriched the community and the culture that we have here.'
Also on Saturday: The Shorts program at The Neon, which spotlights the work of Black female students currently enrolled at Wright State. Tickets are $15.
Organizing this year's shorts program shone its own spotlight on the changing demographics of the Wright State film program for MItchell.
'There are currently five Black women in the Wright State program which is so exciting because I was the only one — and I'm still the only Black person in my entire class, my now going into our senior year class.
'Just to see the shift that's happened in such a short time of being in those spaces and pushing for there to be a difference and a change made…'
The festival concludes Sunday at The Neon with an awards presentation as well as a 20th anniversary screening of Burks-Rentschler's 2005 documentary short, 'Saving Jackie.' Tickets are again $15.
When: Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18.
More: daytonbwff.org
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Beyoncé fans react to dance captain's absence during London concert: 'Where is Amari?'
Beyoncé fans react to dance captain's absence during London concert: 'Where is Amari?' Beyoncé Knowles-Carter lit up the stage for the second night of her "Cowboy Carter" tour in London, and while fans were thrilled to see Les Twins dancing once again, many pointed out one familiar face was missing. The Grammy-winning singer took the stage June 7 for her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. During the electric performance many fans noticed that Amari "Monster" Marshall, dubbed Beyoncé's dance captain, was not among the performers onstage. One fan wrote, "What happened to Amari," and many others cosigned. Marshall began working with Beyoncé during her iconic 2018 Coachella "Beychella" performances. She eventually assumed the role of dance co-captain on the "Renaissance World Tour," where she played a key part in mentoring Beyoncé's then 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy during her stage debut. Beyoncé publicly praised Marshall for her guidance with the family dubbing her Blue's 'dance stage momma." She also took the stage with Bey during her 2024 Christmas Day NFL halftime show during the Texans-Ravens game. Marshall has continued performing with Beyoncé as dance captain on the "Cowboy Carter" tour, often sharing photos from various tour stops. However, she appeared to be absent from the stage in London, and fans especially noticed during Saturday night's show. It's not yet clear why Marshall didn't appear onstage or if she'll be making a return soon. The concert marked Beyoncé's second of six shows at the stadium. She is set to hit the stage again June 10, 12, 14 and 16, before heading to Paris for three fans know, Beyoncé first debuted her "Cowboy Carter" tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. Her shows have been filled with family, fashion, different music genres, and most notably country music and cultural commentary. Of course, Beyoncé first released the 27-track project in March 2024. It has since made history and broken multiple records. As Beyoncé's first country album, she deliberately featured country legends and emerging Black country artists alike. She became the first Black woman to win best country album at the 2025 Grammys and also took home album of the year. The nine-city tour will span the U.S. and Europe with the grand finale taking place in Las Vegas on July 26. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
Miami Herald
5 hours ago
- Miami Herald
HBCU Greek Life celebrated in shoe campaign
Under Armour has launched a new HBCU-focused social media campaign, "Sisterhood in Style," to celebrate the Spring/Summer release of its latest lifestyle sneaker, the UA Echo. The campaign spotlights historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Greek life. Shot on the campuses of Bowie State University and Morgan State University, the series highlights the creative energy and cultural pride found at these Maryland-based institutions. Baltimore photographer Devin Allen led the visual production. His work captures members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.-the first Black Greek-letter sorority for college women-styled in bold and expressive outfits. These looks honor deep traditions while showcasing individual flair. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority was founded at Howard University in 1908. The UA Echo sneaker features a striking pink and green colorway, inspired by the signature colors of AKA. It is now available for purchase online at $150. According to a news release from Under Armour, "Sisterhood in Style" goes beyond a product showcase. The campaign underscores the company's broader commitment to innovation, culture, and community. "This campaign empowers the next generation to show up boldly, break boundaries, and define their own style codes," Under Armour stated. Bowie State and Morgan State are long-standing HBCU partners with Under Armour. This initiative continues the brand's focus on inclusive design, cultural storytelling, and authentic campus engagement. Devin Allen is a Baltimore-based photographer and activist known for capturing powerful images that highlight Black life and social justice. He rose to national prominence in 2015 when his photo of the Baltimore protests after Freddie Gray's death appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Allen uses his lens to tell authentic stories of his community, blending art with activism. Committed to youth empowerment, Allen also founded "Through Their Eyes," a program teaching photography to Baltimore's inner-city youth. The post HBCU Greek Life celebrated in shoe campaign appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Chicago Tribune
9 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘She Who Dared' lovingly fact-checks civil rights history
At what point does history become hagiography? Composer Jasmine Barnes and librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton tackle that question in 'She Who Dared,' Chicago Opera Theater's world-premiere retelling of the 1950s Montgomery bus boycotts—the real story, that is. It also may be making history itself: COT has advertised 'She Who Dared' as the first professionally staged opera written by two Black women. As we're reminded — or taught — more or less immediately in the opera, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin (soprano Jasmine Habersham), brainy and brash in equal measure, was actually the first arrested for refusing to give up her seat to white bus riders, in 1955. But local activists decided she was too risky to prop up as a martyr. Colvin (by then also pregnant) was too young, too untested, too dark. Instead, the boycott coalesced around Rosa Parks (soprano Jacqueline Echols), a light-skinned seamstress respected by Black and white Montgomery residents alike. 'Let the flame burn like Claudette, but keep it inside,' activists sing to Parks at one point in the opera. The movement's dismissal of Colvin — still very much alive, at 85 — in favor of Parks is usually a one-liner in history books, if that. 'She Who Dared' elevates it to the status of a secondary conflict, using the decision as a cipher to address colorism, classism, sexism, and other stigmas within the movement. Quite like last month's fabulous 'Treemonisha: A Musical Reimagining' at Harris Theater, 'She Who Dared' ends up being not just a history lesson but a trenchant satire of respectability politics. While its thesis is serious, the opera manages to strike a consciously light-hearted tone without making light of its subject matter. The opening to Act 2 is just as biting as it is amusing, with Echols, as Parks, hammily cavorting around Montgomery. At one point, a police officer tips his hat and offers Parks the crook of his arm. The opera's principals further represent the nuance of the movement in Montgomery. Susie McDonald (mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter) is a wealthy, white-passing widow; she was in her 70s at the time she was arrested. We follow Jeanetta Reese (mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd) — an original plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, the resulting 1956 Supreme Court ruling striking down segregation on public transportation — as she decides, agonizingly, to withdraw from the case, representing those who stepped away from activism out of fear for their lives. 'She Who Dared' is already strong, but it's further vaulted by COT's strong cast. Habersham's explosive, easily combustible soprano captures Colvin's fire. Like Parks herself, Echols is a master of reserve and release, stoking her big Act 2 aria like a slow burn. As McDonald, Dexter is pointed and iridescent. Meanwhile, Byrd's wide dramatic palette and flexible voice make the most of thankless roles as the movement's deserter and Montgomery's white power brokers. Filling out the cast were mezzo-soprano Chrystal E. Williams, bringing poise and chutzpah to the role of Aurelia Browder, Browder v. Gayle's lead plaintiff; lightning-bright soprano Lindsey Reynolds, another singer with local credits, as Mary Louise Smith, another young voice in the boycotts; and mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel as Jo Ann Robinson, a calm anchor through the opera's storms. Barnes has already marked herself as a composer to watch at other city institutions like the Chicago Symphony and Ravinia. In her first evening-length opera, she's already a natural, grazing gospel, tango and even klezmer in an ever-lively orchestration, guided with lyricism and grace by pit conductor Michael Ellis Ingram. Whether crackling with humor or invoking prayer, Mouton's text says what it means — not a subtle libretto, but one which drives the action forward well. In a marked improvement over October's 'Leonora,' 'She Who Dared's' set, designed by Junghyun Georgia Lee, was a stirring example of minimalism done right. Its centerpiece is a faithful rendering of a 1950s Montgomery bus, rotated by stagehands dressed as repairmen. Likewise, Yvonne L. Miranda's costuming embraces the show's scale, rather than working against it. In some scenes, characters donned just one extra piece of clothing to temporarily step into another role: a suit jacket to turn Robinson into Fred Gray, the boycotters' attorney, or a hat, shades and nightstick to turn Reese into a Montgomery city cop. It gave the opera the feel of reminiscing among friends — an appealing and deft way to handle historical retelling. Timothy Douglas's insightful direction supported this reading, squeezing as much characterization as possible out of the seven principals while keeping the action buoyant. The opera needs some TLC to land its ending. 'She Who Dared' loses its narrative drive in the final two scenes, defaulting to platitudes ('We brought a movement to Montgomery!') and cloying tunes. After reenacting the initial district court trial — in which Colvin, Browder, McDonald and Smith testified—the opera skims over the Supreme Court decision upholding the ruling. But it was that court which ended the boycott and desegregated public transit systems nationwide, not the district courts. (Plus, the appeal process alone almost doubled the length of the boycott — a significant sacrifice by the protestors.) That ending also evaded a darker coda to the bus boycotts, acknowledged in the show's comprehensive program notes: Black commuters faced vicious harassment once they resumed riding city buses. Some even maintained the old bus rules, just to avoid trouble. 'She Who Dared's' finale tries to nod at this, but it's too heavy-handed: The woman wait for the bus, then sing another number aboard it, noting there's 'so much change left to make.' A lighter touch would go further: boarding that bus, but acknowledging that we, to date, still don't know where it's going. Save a slightly racy account of Colvin's affair with an older man, 'She Who Dared' carries a kid-friendly approachability. In this political climate, that's an asset. I could see future stagings — and let's hope there's many more of those — inviting school groups to runs. With civil rights education under attack nationally, the arts are poised to step in, even as they wear new targets themselves. In fact, 'She Who Dared' itself received $30,000 from an NEA grant that has since been canceled. But general director Lawrence Edelson struck a note of defiance in his opening remarks on Friday, to cheers. 'We've already received the money,' he told the audience, 'and, as I've said before, they're not getting it back.' Hannah Edgar is a freelance critic. Review: 'She Who Dared' (3.5 stars) When: Through June 8 Where: Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets: $60-$160 at
