INDIANAPOLIS — In honor of Black History Month, a local university is providing an opportunity for folks in Indy to explore their love of documentary film.
The festival, happening this weekend, will share stories centered around the lives of African-Americans.
“They’ve not been seen as being important," Dr. Eric Winston said in regards to Black people's stories.
The founder of the Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival says so much African-American history is forgotten, ignored or overlooked.
That’s why he created the festival five years ago.
“The films have gone the gauntlet of subject matter. We welcome that. Our films are submitted by people who’ve put together a film about Black life, but it’s not just Black people,” he said.
The films can range in topics: Tyler Lumar’s death while in police custody, issues Black women face in the workplace for their hair, or the history of black jazz musicians in France.
IBDFF is one of the few festivals of its kind in the country, pushing these stories to the forefront.
“We don’t want just African-Americans. We want everybody. We not gonna turn the table until everybody knows that these kinds of situations are being swept under the rug. And they’re being swept under the rug everyday," Winston said.
The main festival is held every August.
There will be a two-day mini festival this weekend in honor of Black History Month, in partnership with Martin University.
“Martin University and the Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival just fit. We are about projecting these experiences of African Americans and it just seemed like a great fit. We’ve become partners in this," Faculty Lead for the Healthcare Management Program Marva Hunt said.
Founded in 1977, Martin University is the only predominantly Black institution of higher education in Indiana.
“We are just shy of our 50 year anniversary and we want everybody to know that Martin University is not only about the Black experience but the Indianapolis experience," Hunt said.
The mini festival is this Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday Feb. 24 at the Hardin Gathertorium.
Tickets range from $10-$25, depending if you’d like to buy tickets to one film or a day-pass for all of them.
- Greenwood: A Dreamland Destroyed - Directed by Brian Day
The history of Greenwood, a prosperous black town in Oklahoma, that was destroyed, burned to the ground, in 18 hours by a large violent white mob in June of 1921.
Runtime: 44:45 - Just Wait - Directed by Ira Mallory
A woman has hidden her breast cancer diagnosis for a year and decides to wait until to the inaugural Sister Shrut Breast Cancer Walk in Indianapolis to finally go public.
Runtime: 39:24 - Jazz My Home - Directed by Beraat Gokkus
A feature documentary about African American jazz musicians who live in Paris. It's a story about jazz, Paris, immigration, racism, and home. Runtime: 1:39:22 - Remembering Tyler Lumar - Directed by Kai Contractor and Evan Sato
This tells the tragic story of Tyler Lumar, a young black man who was arrested and detained because of a parking ticket. Tyler's wholly unnecessary death, while in police custody, reveals the flaws in our criminal justice system. Runtime: 14:56 - Tuskegee Airmen In Indiana - Directed by Owen Hollander
This tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American air-force troop, and their time stationed in Indiana overcoming the pressures of World War Two and racism in their own ranks. Runtime: 13:50 - Free to be Free - Directed by Damien D Smith
Listen to black women and girls throughout the State of Louisiana as they tell their personal journeys about the heavy social, economic, and health implications that they face regarding their hair. Runtime: 25:1
