By Dr. Sharon H. Porter | Saturday, September 9, 2023 | 3:05 pm ET
The March on Washington Film Festival (#MarchOnFest) takes place September 24th through October 1st, 2023 in Washington, DC. The festival will host a packed lineup of inspiring programs, including the World Premiere of “One Struggle” featuring filmmaker Rokhaya Diallo, Dinner and a Movie Under the Stars at the Hi-Lawn Rooftop, appearances from powerful artists like Four-time Grammy Award-winning Gospel Music Legend, Yolanda Adams and award-winning “Mudbound” composer Tamar-kali, change agents like Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, intimate Q&A panel discussions, interactive virtual reality (VR) salons, and more!
The March on Washington Film Festival will kick off its weeklong run with the Opening night film Silver Dollar Road followed by a fireside chat with the film’s director Raoul Peck and Jamal Simmons. Admittance is by invitation or VIP All-Access Pass only.
Raoul Peck is a Haitian filmmaker, of both documentary and feature films. He is known for using historical, political, and personal characters to tackle and recount societal issues and historical events. Peck was Haiti's Minister of Culture from 1996 to September 1997.
His Oscar-nominated 2017 film I Am Not Your Negro reinvigorated the astonishing legacy of essayist and critic James Baldwin through a dramatization of notes on his relationships with such civil rights luminaries as Malcolm X, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King Jr.
Silver Dollar Road, Peck’s latest film, focuses on one Black family’s decades-long legal fight to maintain ownership of their coastal property in North Carolina.
Silver Dollar Road will be released in cinemas on October 13, 2023 and on Amazon Prime on October 21, 2023.
One Struggle's screening will take place on Tuesday, September 26 at 7:00 pm at Edlavitch Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St NW, Washington, DC.
The screening is followed by a stimulating panel discussion featuring:
Rokhaya Diallo, filmmaker, author, broadcaster and Opinion Columnist, Washington Post
Peter Geffen, Founder and Executive Director, KIVUNIM
LaNitra Berger, Associate Professor of History and Art History and director of African and African American Studies at George Mason University
Rokhaya Diallo is a French journalist, writer and award winning filmmaker, widely recognized for her work in favor of racial and equality. Her tireless activism has made her "one of France's most prominent anti-racism activist" according to the New York Times.
Raised in the working class neighborhoods of Paris, she grew into a committed woman who with determination and conviction has made her mark on France and the rest of the world. Making the most of her natural curiosity and hands-on methods, she has hosted radio and television programs, directed films, authored several books and numerous articles and participates regularly in high-level conferences around the world. As a figure to be reckoned with in the public arena, Rokhaya is one of the rare women of her generation whose voice has become an integral part of the world of media.
Panelists:
Rokhaya Diallo | filmmaker, author, broadcaster and Opinion Columnist, Washington Post
Peter Geffen | Founder and Executive Director, KIVUNIM
LaNitra Berger | Associate Professor of History and Art History and director of African and African American Studies at George Mason University
Brooklyn born and bred artist Tamar-kali is a second-generation musician with roots in the coastal Sea Islands of South Carolina.
As a composer, Tamar-kali has defied boundaries to craft her own unique alternative sound.
As a performer, Tamar-kali speaks her lyrical truth with a supreme passion and a voice that will shake your foundation and shatter your expectations with its soulful intensity.
In 2022, she debuted work from multiple commissions; the LA Opera digital short, We Hold These Truths’ directed by Peabody award winner dream hampton, a solo cello piece ‘Little Bear Awakens’ for acclaimed cellist Matt Haimovitz’ Primavera Project alongside composers Josqin des Prez and Philip Glass as well as a return to the stage to perform ‘Melancholy Ghosts and Other Mothers’ a Beth Morrison Projects commissioned song cycle.
In 2023 , she released the Catapult Opera digital short, ‘SWANN’ in homage to William Dorsey Swann the first American on record to pursue legal and political action to defend the LGBTQIA community's right to gather.
March on Washington 2023 Awards Gala
Wednesday, September 27, the Festival will honor visionary leaders in the fight for Civil Rights.
Receiving The John R. Lewis Lifetime Legacy Award is Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock .
Senator Warnock was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in the January 5, 2021, special election runoff, and took the oath of office on January 20, 2021.
Senator Warnock is a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, where he chairs the important Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade, as well as the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, where he chairs the key Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection subcommittee; Senator Warnock also serves on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the Senate Aging Committee, and the bicameral Joint Economic Committee.
The March On Lifetime Achievement AwardT be given to Reverend Al Sharpton.
As one of the preeminent civil rights leaders of our time, Reverend Al Sharpton serves as the founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), anchors Politics Nation on MSNBC, hosts the nationally syndicated radio shows Keepin’ It Real and The Hour of Power, holds weekly action rallies and speaks out on behalf of those who have been silenced and marginalized. Rooted in the spirit and tradition of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., NAN boasts more than 100 chapters across the country to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunity for all.
Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post contributor and host of The Sunday Show on MSNBC, will serve as Master of Ceremonies.
Several attendance options are available. For more information click HERE!
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