Vertical connections — with our elders and ancestors — and horizontal connections — with our peers and friends — shape who we are and who we can become. Accessibility: Closed captions available Thank you to our screening partner:<a href="https://www.bigpicturealliance.org/" target="_blank"> Big Picture Alliance</a>

Auspicious Return is a film that follows our main character Sayeed and his yearning for answers about himself and his family’s past. Sayeed is a 13-year-old boy on his annual vacation on Martha’s Vineyard with his family. He has recently taken up the teenage habit of perpetually wearing earphones and wandering off to nearby bodies of water. His connection to, and obsession with, open waters has been concerning and perplexing to his family, except his grandmother, who holds a secret only Sayeed can access. While navigating a confusing time in his life, Sayeed begins to ask questions about his maternal ancestors. Through his dreams, we get closer to the answers about his lineage and name.

Auspicious Return

Laissa Malih — a renown Maasai filmmaker — returns to the community her parents left behind in this deeply personal look at how the lands of her forefathers are being reshaped by climate change.

ENCHUKUNOTO (The Return)

Embodying the Mohawk value of Tentsítewahkwe, Jessica Shenandoah goes on a knowledge-gathering journey across all four seasons to reinvigorate the healing, land-based practices of her ancestral grandmothers — knowledge that boarding schools, forced religion and land theft may have suppressed but could not destroy.

Tentsítewahkwe

A transcendent and playful documentary journey following three generations of a Sámi family united across time via joik — a distinct Sámi oral tradition that combines song, storytelling and reciprocity.

Áhkuin

After a breakup, filmmaker Michael navigates the intricate landscape of Black queer love in the experimental short film What Channel Is Love? Unraveling conventional beliefs, the film explores the dynamics of an elder Black lesbian couple, challenging notions of unconditional love. Through a captivating blend of footage and interviews, Michael’s journey becomes a poignant exploration of love’s multifaceted nature.

What Channel is Love?

In a Reunion Island housing project, as the time of the sacrifice for the Aïd el-Kebir approaches, Ibrahim, 12 years old and of Comoran descent, is bullied by Evan, a neighbor of the same age, who accuses him of being an animal killer. When Ibrahim learns that a goat is about to be delivered to his building he decides to save it . . . but Evan is watching.

Scapegoat

United States of America

Concatenate (Shorts) 

Virtual Admission

BlackStar Projects1901 South 9th StreetBok 414Philadelphia, PA 19148267-603-2755 Phone

Donation to BlackStar

Donate

Gift Cards

These are all the passes tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_pass_link|Looking to buy more passes?}}

These are all your purchased tickets. Open this page on your phone, and at the door tap the "Show Barcode" button and show your screen to the attendant. Prefer paper? You can always print the PDF attached to the order confirmation email, or click one of the gears below and select "Download tickets PDF". If purchasing multiple tickets for an event, be sure to print or show each unique ticket barcode.

10-Ticket Bundle

All Access Pass

One Day Pass

BlackStar @ the Mann 

Virtual Screening Pass

None available

Passes

BlackStar Film Festival an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities globally. 

All panels are recorded in-person and will be posted within the week of the festival.