The 16th Annual International Black Film Festival (IBFF) was held Thursday, December 2 through Sunday, December 5, 2021, with virtual and limited in-person screenings, panels, networking events, and entertainment. The winners were announced on Sunday, December 5. Here are those winners, by category, with a brief description:
Best Narrative Feature: Life Aint Like The Movies A Black, introverted high school teen named Chone faces love, disputes with friends, tragedy, and issues with his family. Robert Butler, Director.
Best Narrative Short: Life The interpersonal fragility of a psychologist’s life is revealed as she helps others navigate through the issues in their own lives. Mirlande Amazan, Director.
Best Long Documentary: 100 Years From Mississippi Mamie was seven years old when she fled Ellisville, Mississippi in 1915 with her mother and siblings as her father and his friend, John Hartfield, escaped an approaching lynch mob. John Hartfield returned to Mississippi in 1919 and was killed in one of the most horrific lynchings of the era. 100 years later Mamie returned to confront her childhood trauma, and honor those who succumbed. Tarabu Betserai Kirkland, Director.
Best Short Documentary: Out Of The Dark Raven Saunders Olympic shot putter Raven Saunders shares her childhood trauma, the intensity of her 2016 Olympic experience, and the pitfalls of celebrity that challenged her mental health. She found the strength she never knew she had and became a leading advocate for mental health dialogue among athletes. Sarah Klein, Tom Mason, Directors.
Best Social Justice Film: House on Carter Road At the height of redlining in 1968, a black couple and a white couple try to buy the same suburban house in New Jersey. Directed by Shawn Gerrard
Best International Film: Leaving Isiolo In the border-town of Isiolo, East Africa, a young Kenyan businesswoman and a young Chinese miner prepare to leave town to begin their new life together. Irungu Mutu, Director
Best Inspirational Film: 1chance An up and coming boxer must prove his naysayers wrong after he’s diagnosed with type one diabetes days before the biggest fight of his career. Joseph Austin II, Director.
Best Tennessee Film: The Little Death A doting young married couple ride the emotional wave of infertility & miscarriage. Justin Harrison, Director.
Founders Award: Motions The energy exchange of 3 New Yorkers, victims to their thoughts and daily life motions, collide on the train in stories of anxiety, heartache and redemption. Starr Nathan, Director.
Honorable Mention: Uprooted Feature-length documentary celebrating the history, lineage, and future progressions of jazz dance. An honest conversation about jazz dance addressing topics such as appropriation, racism, socialism, and sexism. With Debbie Allen, George Faison, Chita Rivera, Camille, A. Brown and Thomas F. DeFrantz. Showcasing the works of the Nicholas Brothers, Pepsi Bethel, Jack Cole, Katherine Dunham Bob Fosse and Gene Kelly. Khadifa Wong, Director.
Audience Choice: Message Read In the afterlife material possessions cease to exist. For those who can’t let go, there’s one stop before that final resting place and it’s called Firth. Message Read tells the story of a father who desperately misses his son and must decide between moving on to finality or spending another eternity stuck in Firth. Spencer Glover, Director
Best of Festival: 100 Years from Mississippi
For more about the International Black Film Festival (IBFF), visit their website: ibffevents.com
