Black Lens Program at 2019 Milwaukee Film Festival

The Black Lens program welcomes acclaimed filmmakers and explores a diverse slate of topics and themes at the 2019 Milwaukee Film Festival.

Emmy nominated filmmakers and Milwaukee natives Michael Starrbury and Terilyn Shropshire will be attending this year’s Festival to participate in a talk with moderator Amanda Porterfield about the Emmy winning series When They See Us. This year, Starrbury was nominated with Ava Duvernay for an Emmy in the Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special category.

“It is quite exciting to have two people in the film industry with Milwaukee ties, Michael Starrbury and Terilyn Shropshire, attend their hometown’s festival and discuss their involvement in a project that has generated a great deal of conversation,” states Donte McFadden, Black Lens community programming and education coordinator. “I look forward to learning more about their contributions, and what they have made of the response to When They See Us.”

"This year's going to be fun! I'm typically a modest guy, but between the selection of films, forums, late-night events, and guests, I think we've really outdone ourselves this year,” adds Geraud Blanks, community festivals and Black Lens director.

Scheduled guests also include film producer Lisa Cortes, who will be attending the Festival with two standout films this year: The Apollo, a documentary on Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater and directed by Academy Award-winner Roger Ross Williams; and The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion, a film that illuminates two women’s underrated impact on hip-hop style since the ‘80s.

The program also brings a spotlight to entrepreneurship and financial literacy in black communities through two films and forums. Boss: The Black Experience in Business, and Legacy Lives On each has an accompanying community forum that features local Black business owners discussing the challenges and opportunities that come with doing business in Milwaukee.

Boss is one of two films in the Festival directed by Emmy award winner and MFF alum Stanley Nelson, whose biopic on legendary musician Miles Davis: The Birth of Cool will also screen as part of the Black Lens program.

New events this year include the Black Lens Lounge, a series of four late-night social mixers hosted by XO Parlor and sponsored by Miller Brewing Company offering opportunities for Festival goers to meet and network after the screenings and panels have ended.

Titles in the Black Lens program include:

• #Truth
• 1 Angry Black Man
• Always in Season
• The Apollo
• Black Lens Shorts: Family Matters
• Black Lens Shorts: Find Yourself
• Boss: The Black Experience in Business
• Burning Cane
• Jezebel
• Miles Davis: The Birth of Cool
• Premature
• The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion
• Vision Portraits

About Milwaukee Film
Milwaukee Film is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to entertaining, educating, and engaging our community through cinematic experiences, with a vision to make Milwaukee a center for film culture. Milwaukee Film operates the magnificent Oriental Theatre, a historic cinema palace committed to high quality and accessible film and education programming. The 11th annual Milwaukee Film Festival will take place Oct. 17-31, 2019. For more information or to become a member, visit mkefilm.org