The Black Alphabet Film Festival ( BAFF ) returns for its third annual showcasing of films and other works that highlight and explore the Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer ( LGBTQ ) and Same Gender Loving ( SGL ) experience.
The group stated: "With growing interest and attendance, BAFF is excited to not only expand the number of feature and short films, but also the number of days the festival will be hosted in the city of Chicago this year."
Featuring more than 35 films from around the world, BAFF is honored to present several screenings that cater to the interests of everyone who makes up the LGBTQ rainbow. Among these films, several are receiving their official Chicago premiere including The Same Difference, a documentary directed by Nneka Onuorah that opens dialogue about discrimination and double standards associated with gender roles, performative expectations, and the silent disciplining that occurs within the African American lesbian community; Subways, a dark comedy directed by Dane Joseph, about a disgruntled casting assistant/aspiring writer coping with love and loss after a series of unfortunate events; BAIT, directed by Lee Hayes, a dramatic thriller about an attractive psychopath's use of a new dating app to desperately search for love but whose journey takes an unexpected turn after much disappointment; Black is Blue, a short film, directed by Cheryl Dunye, that quietly follows Black, and African American Trans man, over the course of his typical day, a journey that reveals how Black's past life as Blue is always in the back of his mind; The Year We Thought About Love, directed by Ellen Broadsky, is a documentary highlighting the cast of True Colors: Out Youth Theater as they transform their struggles into performance for social change; Bumming Cigarettes, directed by Tiona McClodden, a short film about a brief and intimate encounter between a young Black lesbian woman and a middle-aged Black gay HIV-positive man.
There are also several films making their Chicago debut such as Fixed ( Dir. Porsha Evans ), Out on the Tracks ( Dir. Michael Burlingame ), Take 5 ( Dir. Jasmine L Callis ), We Came to Sweat, I Believe in Me: Fighting for Trans Rights in Prison ( Dir. Leslie Von Pless and Erik Roldan ), and Mirror Mirror: Limitation of Life ( Dir. Baillie Walsh ).
This year BAFF's international film festival will begin on Thursday, July 23 at the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts and close Sunday, July 26 at Center on Halsted. Tickets are available for purchase. For more details on the film schedule and where to buy tickets visit blackalphabet.org or visit Black Alphabet on Facebook.
Established in 2013 and named precisely due to the many letters used to create LGBTQ/SGL inclusivity, Black Alphabet ( BA ) is a non-profit Chicago-based collective of individuals committed to art, culture and entrepreneurship in the "Black Alphabet" community. Its mission is to empower the Black LGBTQ/SGL community by celebrating, promoting and nurturing untold stories that are often forgotten in the broader LGBTQ/SGL landscape.
To keep up with the latest about Black Alphabet and the film festival, please visit:
Website: blackalphabet.org .
Facebook: facebook.com/blackalphabetCHICAGO .
Twitter: @BlackAlphabet .
Instagram: instagram.com/Black__Alphabet .