By Mabel Pais

Opening Night in-person celebration features World Premieres of

Tarabu Betserai Kirkland’s “100 Years from Mississippi,”

Glenn Osten Anderson’s “Coogan’s Way,”

North American premiere of Anne Via McCollough’s “Full Circle.”

16th Edition, May 6-9

The 2021 Harlem International Film Festival (“Hi”) has its 16th edition – a hybrid event – May 6-9.

The film festival will open with an audacious presentation of two triple-header screenings at the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 Theaters (2309 Frederick Douglass Blvd) with the first Opening Night featuring the world premieres of Tarabu Betserai Kirkland’s “100 Years from Mississippi,” and Glenn Osten Anderson’s “Coogan’s Way,” as well as the North American premiere of Anne Via McCollough’s “Full Circle.”

The second Opening Night trio features films making their New York premieres including; “Voodoo Macbeth,” a film project from the University of Southern California Graduate students collective, about the first all black cast (in 1936 Harlem) to perform Shakespeare’s MACBETH, directed by a young and arrogant Orson Welles; Rebecca Heidenberg’s “Queens of The Revolution,” a Cuban documentary which is a moving portrait of Mejunje, a cultural center in Santa Clara that paved the road for LGBTQ+ rights in that county, highlighting the bravery of people who have fought for their lives and identities for decades; and Celine Parrenas Shimizu’s “The Celine Archive,” which looks at the remarkable story of Celine Navarro, who was buried alive by her community in 1932. The story exposes issues that still haunt Filipinax American communities today.

The red carpet in-person event will kick off the film festival’s celebrated showcase of relatively undiscovered international cinematic gems and local New York filmmaking talent and lead into virtual screenings of 71 films and more (31 features, 32 shorts, 2 VR/360 projects, and 6 webisodes) representing over 17 countries.

The Harlem International (Hi) Film Festival will also offer its signature curated presentations of curated Harlem Uptown and local New York produced and themed short films preceding each of the features screening during the Opening Night event. Harlem International (Hi) Film Festival’s Program Director, Nasri Zacharia, said, “We are thrilled to return to the theater, have a red carpet welcome for our filmmakers, live audiences and Q&As, and experience the magic of film festival discovery in the company of one another the way we did prior to the pandemic. At the same time, we will also utilize the virtual presentations to not just introduce our audiences throughout the state of New York to films from around the world, but also to interact and connect with filmmakers from all over the globe. And, of course, we’ll continue our efforts to truly showcase the filmmakers and the setting of our beloved home neighborhoods of Harlem, Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, which we call the HUB.”

TICKETS, PASSES

For Film festival passes, tickets, and more information on the Harlem International Film Festival go to HarlemFilmFestival.org

OPENING NIGHT TRIPLE FEATURES SELECTIONS

“100 Years From Mississippi”

DIR: Tarabu Betserai Kirkland l USA l 59m l World Premiere

Mamie Lang Kirkland was seven years old when she fled Ellisville, Mississippi in 1915 with her mother and siblings as her father and his friend, John Hartfield, escaped an approaching lynch mob. John Hartfield returned to Mississippi in 1919 and was killed in one of the most horrific lynchings of the era. For over 100 years…. Mamie vowed never to return to Mississippi. Yet with Mamie’s son, Tarabu’s remarkable find, he urges his mother to finally confront her childhood trauma by returning to Ellisville.

“Coogan’s Way”                                                                 

DIR: Glenn Osten Anderson l USA l 1h 7 m l World Premiere

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, NYC’s Washington Heights neighborhood was considered the epicenter of America’s crack cocaine epidemic. “Coogan’s Way” is the story of how a small bar and restaurant that welcomed all races, religions, and interests became a force for good in the community. And how decades later, when the owners were faced with the challenges of a rapidly changing NYC real estate market, their diverse and dynamic clientele fought for this beloved institution.

“Full Circle”                                                                                         

DIR: Anne Via McCollough l USA l 86 min l North American Premiere

This stunning documentary celebrates one woman’s triumph in conservation, the Great Gull Island Project, Helen Hays’ 50-year quest to save two species of threatened seabirds – Roseate and Common Terns – on a small, uninhabited island in Long Island Sound. The film highlights the myriad of volunteers inspired by Hays over the decades; her extensive collaboration with scientists in Argentina, Brazil and the Azores; and also her remarkable & heartwarming connection with a small fishing village on the north coast of Brazil.

“Voodoo Macbeth”                                         

DIR: University of Southern California Graduate students collective l

USA l 1h 48m l New York Premiere

In 1936 Harlem, the first all black cast to perform Shakespeare’s MACBETH, directed by a young and arrogant Orson Welles, battles to make it to opening night.

“Queens of The Revolution”                                                      

DIR: Rebecca Heidenberg l Cuba l 1h 18 m l New York Premiere

This moving portrait of Mejunje, a cultural center in Santa Clara that paved the road for LGBTQ+ rights in Cuba, highlights the bravery of people who have fought for their lives and identities for decades.

 “The Celine Archive”

DIR: Celine Parrenas Shimizu l USA l 1h 9m l New York Premiere

Adulteress, traitor, heroine, or prey? In 1932, Celine Navarro was buried alive by her community in Northern California. The filmmaker digs up Celine Navarro’s story, exposing silences that haunt Filipinax American communities today, along with Celine Navarro’s family, community members and scholars who know different details about this largely untold event in American history.

ADDITIONAL FILMS

In addition to the Opening Night films, there are 11 Narrative Features, 13 Documentary Features, 7 HARLEM/UPPER MANHATTAN/BRONX SHORTS, 18 Other Shorts, 5 Animation Shorts, 2 Virtual Reality Screenings, and 6 Webisodes.

ABOUT THE HARLEM INTERNATIONAL (Hi) FILM FESTIVAL

Celebrating the art of cinema in the home of the Harlem Renaissance, The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) inspires and entertains by honoring dynamic films by anyone about anything under the sun. Conceived from the belief that we all have unique experiences and perspectives to share, the Festival actively seeks and exhibits fresh work. Hi is committed to exemplifying the eminence that Harlem represents and is dedicated to bringing attention to the finest filmmakers from “Harlem and across the globe.”

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)