BY JOHN MORRISON To understand the nature of jazz as an expression of both the cultural wealth and political aspirations of Black America, one need not look further than the life and career of the drummer Max Roach. A relentless experimenter, in his early days, Roach...
BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR Philadelphia-based artist Walé Oyéjidé is the definition of a multi-hyphenate–he is a talented fashion designer, filmmaker, speaker, photographer, musician, and lawyer. Oyéjidé utilizes his art to celebrate marginalized communities, with a focus on stories of African migration. Along with designer Sam Hubler, he...
BY HANSEN BURSIC Over the course of just 24 hours, Feña, the lead character in Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s award-winning film Mutt, is thrown into an emotional rollercoaster marked by family drama, the sudden appearance of an ex, and a slew of bad luck. What emerges once the...
BY HANSEN BURSIC When Philly-based filmmaker Rea Tajiri set out to make a film about her mother who was diagnosed with dementia, she couldn’t have imagined the decade-long journey she would be undertaking, or how it would impact the way she viewed aging. In fact, she...
BY GABE CASTRO A matriarchal tale of womanhood, art, and love, Alma’s Rainbow showcases Black joy and sisterhood through laughter and drama. The story is told through the eyes of three remarkable women: the straight-laced and independent mother; the artistic, french-speaking, free-spirited aunt; and lastly, the...
BY AARON HUNT Every day before filming, director Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing and her cinematographer Thae Zar Chi Kang crossed a military checkpoint into a village in Rakhine State. Hlaing grew up here; her auntie even introduced her to the eponymous midwives, Hla and Nyo-Nyo. But...
BY ALEX SMITH “What’d I do today? Oh my god, I got some new jeans.” This triumphant opening line is the start to Brontez Purnell’s 100 Boyfriends Mixtape, the first moment we see the film’s lone subject: a gay Black man named DeShawn, played by Purnell...
BY HANSEN BURSIC In the movement for abolition, new media narratives are vital to combating years of misinformation. Yet, due to a lack of collaboration with movement leaders, many documentaries on topics like the prison industrial complex end up failing abolition activists because they do not...
BY DIANA LU The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival—the largest of its kind on the East coast—returns for its 14th year. The 2021 festival goes hybrid, with many impressive showcases and panels of diverse filmmakers both IRL and in the comfort of your home. What...
BY GABE CASTRO “We will now purge. We will torture you and violate your flesh. Remove your skin and share in your blood. This is the American way.” - Uncle Sam (Purge: Election Year) For nearly a decade, the fictional murderous release known as the Purge has...