BLACK MUSLIM GIRL FLY 2020 Festival: FREEDOM

Sunday, December 13th, 2020

Worldwide Virtual Festival

This year’s festival theme will be centered around freedom. We believe that storytelling is freedom. When you tell your story, you set the truth free. When you experience someone else’s story or share your story, freedom is found -- from personal bias, from ignorance, from a rough world, from a limiting society, etc. When we see ourselves reflected in the experiences of others, we can see the importance of sharing the stories from more diverse points of view.

Guest Panel Discussion - “Black Muslim Narratives Matter”

Opportunities for Black women writers and directors, and specifically Black Muslims in America, need to be opened. “Hollywood” has a current model that is NOT designed for our success. For Black women, and people of all communities who are marginalized, our filmmaker conversations and panel discussions are held to answer and address HOW to create true equitability and access in the entertainment industry. We seek to create authentic stories that center Black and Muslim people, on the Hollywood landscape and beyond. This is an open dialogue for audiences to learn and participate in the conversation on:

Black Muslim centered storylines and where to watch them
Creating authentic content FOR US, BY US
Coronavirus’ impact on the industry for people of color
Crowdfunding for Independence
Audience Engagement and Demand for fresh content

Our panelists include: Producer/actress Amatus Karim-Ali, award winning writer/director Nijla Mu'min (JINN), writer/director Qasim Basir (MOOZ-LUM), trans-media activist/filmmaker Sultan Sharrief and filmmaker Malikah A. Shabazz (CONSTERNATION).

2020 BMGFly Film Fest official selections have been announced! Check out the lineup!

TSMOzziePic (1).jpg — **KEYNOTE SPEAKER**

Thembisa Mshaka
Creative executive, author, producer, filmmaker, voice actor, activist, and entertainment branding specialist Thembisa S. Mshaka has been in love with words, music and media for as long as she can remember. She founded Mshaka Media to house all her creative endeavors. A contributor for POISED, ShineYourCrown.com, Okayplayer.com and the *Huffington Post*, her newest work is featured in the acclaimed anthology *UnCommon Bonds: Women Reflect on Race and Friendship* (Peter Lang). Thembisa’s writings have been published in print and online, in text books (*25 Hip- Hop Icons*, Edited by Mickey Hess, Greenwood Press), anthologies *Sometimes Rhythm, Sometimes Blues* (Edited by Taigi Smith, Seal Press), and in business non-fiction through her own book, *Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business* (Grand Central Publishing), named among the Top 15 Hip-Hop Lit titles by AOL and slated for its 10th anniversary re-release by 2021. Her first feature screenplay, *Islamic Speed Dating*, is complete, and she has pilots in development for multiple TV projects.

Judges include: TV/Film producer Effie T. Brown (DEAR WHITE PEOPLE), award-winning actor/producer Fanshen Cox(Pearl Street Films), producer/director Quan Lateef-Hill (BLACK GIRLS ROCK) and actor Hisham Tawfiq (NBC's "THE BLACKLIST)

The Black Muslim Girl Fly Festival 2020 Categories

Narrative Feature
Narrative Short
Documentary Feature
Documentary Short
Experimental Feature
Experimental Short
Animated Feature
Animated Short
Best Digital Series
Best Screenplay

Get Tickets to 2020 BMGFly Film Fest.

Screen more films and series by our diverse community of independent filmmakers on Black Muslim Girl Fly Fest TV!

Watch Films from BMGFly Film Festival.

ABOUT THE BLACK MUSLIM GIRL FLY FILM FESTIVAL

The Black Muslim Girl Fly Film Festival (BMFF) is an annual one-day event of film showcases that profile stories by Black Muslim Girl filmmakers and creative talent in the film, television and digital space. Originally founded in February 2018 with the purpose of creating a platform to showcase film content by Black Muslim women filmmakers, BMFF is also designed to create opportunities to network with industry professionals and cultivate community among Black Muslim Girls in film around the world.

On a mission to expand cinematic narratives to be more inclusive of Black women and shine a light on untold stories, the annual festival showcases dramas, documentaries, short films and episodic projects that tell the stories of Black Muslim women across the globe. Program highlights also include a diverse panel of film industry professionals and consultants, and a musical performance. Past speakers have included CEO of GameChanger, Effie T. Brown, Pearl Street Films’ Development Executive, Fanshen Cox, in addition to guest judges like Blacklist actor, Hisham Tawfiq, Director and Producer, Oz Scott. Performers including Alia Sharrief and Sa-Roc The Goddess MC have been a part of the Festival lineup.

“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”

— - El-Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X)