A team of New York City slam poets compete for the 2016 National Championship with pieces about police violence and the whitewashing of black culture in Don’t Be Nice, playing at the Roxbury International Film Festival. Photo by Bowery Poetry Studios

 

What? Roxbury International Film Festival

When? Thursday, June 20, through Sunday, June 29

Where? Depending on which screening(s) you choose, there are four venues: Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Ave.), Hibernian Hall (184 Dudley St.), Haley House Bakery Cafe (12 Dade St.), and the Berklee College of Music Bruce C. Bolling Building (2300 Washington St.).

How much? $10-$25 per screening, $150 for a Silver Pass (includes all screenings, workshops, and events except “Dinner & A Movie”), $165 for a Gold Pass (includes all screenings with reserved seating, workshops, and events, including “Dinner & A Movie,” and closing brunch.) Purchase tickets in advance online. Select screenings are free.

Why should I go?

The Roxbury International Film Festival, New England’s largest film festival celebrating people of color, was created in 1999 to showcase independent films and diverse experiences throughout the world. The annual volunteer-run production will hold 68 screenings of feature-length, short, documentary, and animated films. The 10-day lineup kicks off with Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, a documentary about the Pulitzer Prize–winning author’s life and literary career on Thursday, June 20, at 4:30 pm at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Besides watching films, festival-goers can attend workshops and panel discussions with the filmmakers (which are open to the public), receptions for networking, and Q&A sessions. For those looking to dine while they watch, “Dinner & A Movie” at Haley House Bakery Cafe includes three film screenings over a meal and dessert for $25 on Tuesday, June 25, from 6 to 11 pm.

Stay tuned for the award certificate winners in the categories of Audience Favorite, Narrative Film, Documentary Film, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Youth, and Emerging Filmmaker, and a special award named after the late award-winning documentary filmmaker Henry Hampton, which will be announced at the end of the festival. The Roxbury International Film Festival also honors rising filmmakers of color by highlighting films by Boston Public School students and Lynn’s RAW Art Works Program, as well as students and after-school programs from across the country.

Check out the synopsis for each film before buying tickets here.

Read the blog post as it originally appeared on BU Today here.