Welcome to the
2019 San Antonio Black International Film Festival
The San Antonio Black International Film Festival (SABIFF) welcomes Black filmmakers and audiences from around-the-world to participate in the first of many SABIFF events to take place in the 7th largest city in the United States. SABIFF is pleased to present SABIFF 2019, our second Black film festival on October 10 - 13, 2019 our event listings are below.
Co-Sponsored by| UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2019 9:00 Am – 6:30 pm
2019 Film Competition
Selections Screening
Buena Vista Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
Purchase All-Day | Pass $20.00
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
Purchase All-Day | Pass $20.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 - 9:15 AM TO 10:55 AM
A1. BLOCK "LOVE & HAPPINESS" NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
Buena Vista Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
(Click Posters to view Film Trailers)
A HAPPY DIVORCE
Directed by: Jamal Hodge (NY) TRT: 23:56 Intelligent, beautiful, defiant, Jenny has the courage to follow her desires to get what she wants, but at what price? When our deepest desires lead to emptiness, and we sacrifice those we love, can hope survive? |
STUCK
Directed by: Praheme Praphet (CA) TRT: 17:12 STUCK is a romantic comedy that follows two strangers (Ebony and Dre) who become physically wedged in the act of a “one-night stand”. Their only path to separation is to be vulnerable and share a secret with one another. |
ONE LAST SPIN
Directed by: Ali Matlock (NY) TRT: 19:59 An engaged couple struggling with the financial pressures of the upcoming celebration, receive an unsolicited package. The package contains a peculiar item that has the potential to significantly change their lives. |
Shh!
Directed by: Okema T. Moore (NY) TRT: 8:32 Synopsis: When he sees things in black and white, but she sees them through rose-colored lenses, what is the true color of love? And...is it enough |
Bewildered
Directed By: Gregor Wilson (NC) TRT: 8:32 Starring Keith David (Greenleaf, Cloud Atlas,) and Maria Howell (The Color Purple, Saints and Sinners), “Bewildered” depicts the journey of world famous, husband and wife jazz vocalists – Joseph and Sara Honoré – from the peak of their career and marriage, into the turmoil and anxiety brought on by Joseph’s fall into dementia. |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 - 11:00 Am TO 12:40 PM
A2. BLOCK. NARRATIVE DOCUMENTARY & STUDENT FILM
Buena Vista Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
(Click Posters to view Film Trailers)
WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE
TRT - 01:15:00 Directed by: Emily Harrold (SC) Synopsis: What does it mean to be young, Black, and Democrat in the Southern Republican state of South Carolina? Through experiences of politician Bakari Sellers, WHILE I BREATHE, I HOPE unravels that question. This is portrait documentary of a young African American millennial set against the landscape of race and politics in the American South. The film follows Bakari Sellers- one of the youngest sitting members of the South Carolina House as he campaigns to be the first African American elected to hold a statewide office since in 2015. |
SANKOFA
TRT: 27:53 Directed by: Princess Garrettt, (PA) Synopsis: This documentary is about the loss of identity and its systemic impact on black males. By exploring the complexities of mental slavery, Sankofa calls its audience to free themselves from the system in which they were born. |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 1:00 Pm – 2:40 PM
A3. BLOCK "FOR SHE WILL RISE" NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
Buena Vista Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
(Click Posters to view Film Trailers)
HEAVENLY
Directed by: Ya’ke Smith TRT: 12:30 Crystal, a former ballet dancer, returns home after being sex-trafficked and struggles to shake the physical and psychological trauma she endured while "in the life." |
BALLET AFTER DARK
Directed by: Barbara Asare-Bediako (D.C.) TRT: 19:06 When you're still a work in progress, is it possible to heal others? An eccentric Black Ballerina from Baltimore starts a dance therapy movement for Trauma Survivors. An opportunity arises, that forces her to take control of her own healing. |
SOUND
Directed by: Tawab Bazemore (CA) TRT: 14:48 This is a story about Photographer Isabelle Pisano, a woman who became hearing-impaired after a violent car accident. As she struggles to cope in the muffled and scary new normal, something beautifully-terrifying happens. |
THEM
Directed by: Okema T. Moore (NY) TRT: 16:31 Synopsis: Upon the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter fight to reprogram themselves after a long hiatus, which has forced them to acknowledge the generational curse of fractured maternal relationships in their family. Will the cycle stop here? |
RESPECT & LOVE
Directed By: Angelique Webster TRT: 15:02 It has been said that Gloria was the first African-American woman to sue the Catholic Church when a trusted priest molested of her daughter. In this emotional documentary, the daughter jeopardized by this scandal utilizes film as therapy to unravel being taken advantage of in her youth. |
BREAKING BROKENNESS
Directed by: Cedric Thomas Smith (TX) TRT: 21:40 After her release from prison, Frankie tries to reunite with her daughter, who has lived in a world sheltered by secrets and lies. The healing begins when the secrets end. |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 - 3:00 Pm – 4:25 PM
A4. BLOCK "THE BIRTH OF DECEIT" NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM
Buena Vista Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
(Click Posters to view Film Trailers)
THE BIRTH OF DECEIT
Director by: Yaw Agyapong (NY) TRT: 1:25:00 A peaceful town where all seems to be normal, lies a dark cold secret that took the town by surprise. When a couple befriends their neighbor’s granddaughter for their own psychopathic needs, the protagonist Ambar along with her friends are on a fight for their lives. |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 - 4:45 Pm – 6:15 PM
A5. BLOCK "FAMILY MATTERS" NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
Buena Vista Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
POSTAL
Directed by: Davon Gilliam (PA) TRT: 15:31 Synopsis: A vet Mail Carrier takes action in solving his beloved daughter’s murder |
A NIGHT AT THE TABLE
Directed by: Tamara S. Hall (NY) TRT: 15:31 A mother prepares food for a seemingly normal family night dinner, but as the conversation between her and her kids grow more peculiar, tension mounts between the three, unveiling a lurking threat at the table. |
I’M SORRY
Directed by: Marcelius Cox (CA) TRT: 14:20 A man who spends his last free day before heading to prison, apologizes to everyone near and dear to him for betraying their trust. |
THE FIX
Directed by: Michael Melvin (MD) TRT: 11:12 Tracy Martin has a very special surprise for her husband Kyle. She receives an unexpected surprise of her own, when she is greet by Carla, matters take a turn when she discovers that Carla is pregnant, and is able to give Kyle what Tracy has been unable to give him, a family. |
SOLOMON’S DILEMMA
Directed by: Michael Jackson (SA) TRT: 20:00 Solomon, a young man trying to stay on track. To be the first person in his family to go to college. When his street hustler brother. Gets caught up with two corrupt narcotics officers . |
KNOCK OUT GAME
Directed by: Jamal Hodge (NY) TRT: 21:04 The Knockout Game: A disturbing and Brutal game amongst teens, targeting whites and immigrants in Inner city communities. |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
B1. BLOCK "BEING GLADYS" NARRATIVE DOCUMENTARY FILM
Aula Canarias Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
(Click Posters to view Film Trailers)
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 - 10:30 AM – 12:40 PM
B2. BLOCK "BARRIER BEFORE US" NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
Aula Canarias Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
FREEWORD
Directed by: Dat Mayne Dee Wayne Goodloe (SA) TRT: 15:00 A future exists where poetry and other forms of artistic written and verbal expression have unjustly been deemed illegal. Despite prohibition restraints, people |
CHICKENS
Directed by: Bryian Keith Montgomery, Jr. (US) TRT: 12:24 Synopsis: Two racist cops try to cover up killing an unarmed black teen. Things don’t go as planned… |
RACE ANONYMOUS
Directed By: Melanee Murray (Canada) TRT: 13:00 An alternate Universe where anything can happen, Race Anonymous is one part political treatise and one part trek through the strange, taboo twilight zone of race in North America. |
SHATTERING REFUGE
Directed by: Sonari Chidi (US) TRT: 24:03 Shattering Refuge explores media representations of refugees & migrants, through firsthand interviews with refugees, asylum seekers, journalists, and NGO workers, and envisions the way forward in a world where the very idea of refuge has been shattered. |
RAHEEL
TRT: 30:00 Raheel , an Afghan national, has illegally traveled to Iran to look for her husband, but there comes up some problems that leave her no hope to move ahead. |
CLEATS
Directed by: Abdullah Sahin (Turkey) TRT: 10:31 lyas and Ahmet are two close friends. Syrian refugee Emir joins them. Ilyas wants to make the tryouts for a local football team and and saves money to buy new cleats. |
BROOKLYN IN JULY
Frank Walker, an African-American WWII veteran is drawn to NY by the promise of a better life, only to find work as a chauffeur. A man haunted by a past that is lurking skin deep, he finds himself confronted by the same realities, fear, and hatred he hoped he had left behind in the south. |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 1:00pm – 2:15 PM
B3. BLOCK "THIS IS THE BASH" NARRATIVE FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Aula Canarias Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
(Click Posters to view Film Trailers)
THIS IS THE BASH
Directed By: Mario Lathan (CA) TRT: 01:14:00 This is the Bash. For Haitian Jazz sensation, Jowee Omicil, love serves as the basis for his thematic rhythms called the “Bash” sound. Only this spiritual narrative is more than a theme. Manifested through performance and family, this documentary portrait explores the realization of patience. The triumph of remembrance. How does love sound? |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 - 2:30pm – 4:00 PM
B4. BLOCK "STRONGHOLD" NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM
Aula Canarias Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
(Click Posters to view Film Trailers)
STRONGHOLD
Directed By: Cardell Jackson (CA) TRT: Cardell Jackson Rooster a gang affiliated young man from Compton aspires to become the top drug dealer in the hood. His state of mind is constantly haunted by his inner demons from a turbulent past. It isn’t until he meets Tisha a smart, witty young lady who exposes Rooster to new lifestyle and outlook on life. |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2019 - 4:15 PM - 6:00 PM
B5. BLOCK "SNAP SHOTS OF SABIFF" SHORT FILMS
Aula Canarias Theater (UTSA Downtown Campus)
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
501 W. César E. Chávez Blvd, BV 1.328. SA, TX 78207
BUBBLE
Directed by: GOURAV GHOSH (W. Bengal) TRT: 10:34 Bubble is a satirical comedy where we portray how a toy in the name of a gun can destroy millions of lives that too without the knowledge of the person who is in charge of the toy! At the end , the toy turns disastrous as it changes hands and leads to personal loss of the previous anchor of the game! |
UNDER THE BLADE
Directed by: Javid Farahani (Iran) TRT:14:51 The story of a woman director who wants to make her film but there is a rape scene in her script, and there are social and religious red lines no actress is willing to cross to play the role. All are afraid they might get into trouble with the law. Attention... Mehr / Mehriyeh (alimony) In Islam, Mehr has money to marry a woman. Which is determined before marriage. The woman determines it, and the man is obligated to pay the property when the separation is made, otherwise the prison is the alternative. |
I Am Not Your Enemy
Directed by: Bruce Nix (AL) TRT: 8:00 In order to save his own life, a gangbanger being held hostage must appeal to the empathy of his kidnapper |
BRANCH
Directed by: Kelly Gray (TX) TRT: 12:48 Aretha's bookstore becomes a victim of a hate crime, but she finds a way to seek out revenge through a secret coded langue enslaved African’s used to communicate called Tut. |
CYCLES
Directed By: La Tajh Weaver (CA) TRT: 8:00 Following a youth advocate and a victim of violence, CYCLES unravels layers of internal impacts and the obstacles to intervention in Oakland, CA. |
ONE HITTA QUITTA
Directed By: Ya’Ke Smith (TX) TRT: 8:00 A teenage boy's addiction to Internet violence, leads him to act out violently himself. |
THE RECKONING
Directed By: Chris Reese (CA) TRT: 11:06 In order to save his own life, a gangbanger being held hostage must appeal to the empathy of his kidnapper. |
LAST TABOO
Directed By: Emily Blake (CA) TRT: 12:40 An ode to Toni Morrison's, "The Bluest Eye," and based on a true story. The Last Taboo explores the themes of colorism and unrequited love through seventeen year old Jonathan, who goes mad after suffering intolerable rejection, humiliation, and pain. |
TOGETHER
Directed By: A.W. Scott TRT: 11:12 After celebrating their 50th anniversary, a couple is deciding where to go on their "trip of a lifetime". But the unexpected happens, and a choice must be made between two unacceptable outcomes. |
Purchase A1 Block | Pass $10.00