Schedule of Events:

September 14, 2023

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm: "Melting Greenland", "Salut, Gadou!"

Melting Greenland

On August 14, 2021, unprecedented rain fell for the first time in recorded history at Greenland’s ice sheet summit, dumping 7 billion tons of water, which is enough to generate hydropower. A study by NASA revealed that Greenland’s ice is melting on average seven times faster than it was at the beginning of the study period. Climate change is inevitable. Led by O’right CEO Steven Ko, the team visited 11 towns to conduct in-depth interviews with experts, scholars, government officials, and local residents from all walks of life by reporters. The documentary reveals how climate change has affected Greenland’s society, economy and livelihood. When it comes to fighting climate change, we are all in this together. We hope that this documentary can resonate with society and galvanize public awareness on the worsening climate crisis and empower people through environmental education to drive change and transition to a sustainable society.

run time: 61 min
Chief Director Steven Ko

Salut, Gadou!

When she learns that the local youth centre is in danger, Geneviève refuses to give in without a fight. She tries to convince her friend Gadou to participate in the movement to save it.

Salut, Gadou! is a fictitious tribute to the Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighbourhood’s history of community involvement (downtown Quebec). It is based on a novel by the same name by Malcolm Reid, published in 1982. Reid’s novel was inspired by the neighbourhood’s Saint-Gabriel movement (1976) and the operation to rescue what is now the community’s youth centre.

run time: 38:00 min

directed by Hélène Matte, in collaboration
with the filmmakers of tomorrow
Co-directed by Jérémie Thibault

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5:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Filmmaker Mixer / Conversations at CANA Cuban Parlor and Cafe

Opening night of the 21st Oakland International Film Festival will consists of a lot of going back in forth.
See the films at The Historic Grand Lake Theater and then walk over to CANA – Bar and Parlor for a more in-depth conversation with filmmakers and the film community.

Enjoy a V.I.P experience – Open Bar and Complimentary appetizers

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5:30 pm - 8:00 pm: "Rhythms of The Land" and "We Have Just Begun"

Rhythms of the Land is a valentine to generations of Black farmers in the United States from the enslavement period to the present, whose intense love of the land and dedication to community enabled them to survive against overwhelming odds. They struggled from the beginning without support or recognition, and have been written out of the dominant narratives of US agriculture.

In 1920, there were over 920,000 Black families farming in the United States, although the majority were sharecroppers and tenant farmers. Today there are just over 48,697, a 95% decrease in 100 years. Black farming families have lost their land and their stories are quickly disappearing and should be preserved so that we may understand the history and nature of lives on the farms.

The goal of this documentary is to preserve their stories and honor their lives and agrarian legacies.

Directed by Dr. Gail Myers

Location: The Historic Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA

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9:00 pm - 11:30 pm: "Black Moon" & short film: "That Kid From Oakland"

BLACK MOON is a fiction feature film based on real events. The vicissitudes of a brave community that fights for the preservation of its existence and future.

It is enough to navigate the river Jalcomulco, with its overflowing riverbed, to witness, perhaps, one of the most impressive spectacles of nature that one can witness. It is enough to walk its streets to fall in love with this magical neighborhood; hidden, almost lost in the recondite, and in that journey, to discover its humble inhabitants, but I do not speak of humility as economic status, but as a superior human quality, intrinsic of its people that makes them unique.

BLACK MOON is a tribute to a people and their cultures. A story that narrates the daily life of its characters. Chronicles that intertwine with each other, and one begins to understand the yearnings and frustrations of beings who try to survive the determinism of a political system that oppressed them for many years; the consequences and scars remain forever.

It is at the same time a journey about the individual, which leads us to question who we are and the need to be better.

When the plot concludes, you mourn the grandfather and hope for a promising future for little Santiago. You long for the protagonists to be saved, you end up admiring their fortitude and you want to go out to fight with them and meet the river; a character of nature that acquires a soul. You end up falling in love with the torrent of water, trying to help it at all costs.

BLACK MOON is a story dedicated to the courage of these inhabitants, who despite living on the margins for so many years, have not lost their dreams!

This makes it a unique film that narrates a universal drama.

The question is: will we survive at the end of it all?

Directed by
Yonatiuh Garcia

That Kid From Oakland

A 12-minute character driven story about former basketball star and community leader Joe Henry, the “Oakland legend you’ve never heard of before.”

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September 18, 2023

5:15 pm - 7:30 pm: "Bella" and short film: "Maud", "Walk A Mile In My Shoes"

"Bella"

A feature-length film about the life, work, influence and impact of California-based choreographer/Arts Activist Bella Lewitzky. Described as “…one of the greatest American dancers of our age,” (Walter Terry) Bella Lewitzky was a talented, strong, out-spoken artist, who dedicated her creative life to protect the rights of every American citizen.

run time: 98 min
Directed by  Bridget A Murnane

Short film: "Maud"

June 2020, Washington DC. Maud, a widowed white woman lives alone, playing the piano for solace. CNN and the ghost of her husband keep her company. She has spent a lifetime timidly doing what others expect of her. Yet on Juneteenth, as crowds buoyed by protest and celebration move down her street, Maud starts to imagine that there might be a place for her in this changing world. Gogo music competes with Bach. Maud argues with her dead husband, and tentatively asks a young man killed by police violence for insight into the world “out there.” When Ella, an older black woman, is hurt outside her door, Maud cares for Ella, discovering that she too can take action. Fueled by her newly unleashed capacity for bravery and compassion, Maud leaves her house, joyfully joining the celebratory protest and community she discovers outside her door.

run time: 13 min
Directed by Jessica Bauman

Walk A Mile In My Shoes

“Walk a Mile in My Shoes” is an abstract look at racism and the chasm that has been created between Whites, Blacks and Brown people. The film is shown by following a pair of sneakers and the young man wearing them – on the most crucial day of his life.

run time: 9 min
Directed by Cb Smith-Dahl

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8:15 pm - 10:15 pm: Powering Puerto Rico , People's Park , Ghaminah, Russell and Lorraine

Powering Puerto Rico

Eugene Smotkin, a Northeastern University professor, was home in San Juan for the summer when two disasters struck: His wife had a stroke and Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, leaving more than 3 million people without electricity. After days of powering a cell phone and a small fan with a car battery, Eugene and his wife were finally able to make it to Boston for the medical treatment she desperately needed.

Back on campus, he has an idea: In conjunction with just a few solar panels, Eugene believes he can make a fully functional, affordable, renewable nanogrid system powered by reconditioned hybrid car batteries. And he wants to do so all over Puerto Rico, giving back electricity to a neglected energy populace at a fraction of the current cost.

This is a film about Puerto Rico’s resilience through hardship—and one man’s ingenuity in bringing power to the masses.

run time: 41 min
Directed by Adam Fischer

People's Park

A detailed collection of the voices, struggles, and events at People’s Park in Berkeley, California. The footage, recorded between February and October of 2022, highlights a transitional period of the park and its historically marginalized community. The observed human experiences illustrate a grounded portrait of a larger tendency in the West.

run time: 54:00 min
Directed by Isaac Castillo

Ghaminah

The war on terror, the 7/7 bombings, the loss of the son’s mother and the allegiance to either Islam or Britain. What will unfold. Family, Duty or Honour? A heated argument occurs when Abdullah (Mikhail Sen – House of Dragon, A Suitable Boy) declares he is joining the British Military to the shock of his pacifist father Omar (Adil Akram – Spectre, What’s Love got to do with it?) and anger of his fundamentalist older brother Moh (James El-Sharawy – Tyrant, EastEnders). As their debate unfurls past resentments and revelations rise to the surface, boiling to a point where they can no longer contain themselves.

run time: 9 min
Directed by. Sai karan Talwar

Russell and Lorraine

Following the events of Frozen Mind, Russell and Lorraine move in together, however things get a bit chaotic for Russell as believes she might be pregnant.

run time: 19 min
Directed by RC, Hakim Morris

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September 19, 2023

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm: Almost Home, Resettlement: Chicago, Pivot

Almost Home

Almost Home is a feature-length documentary that examines the many challenges individuals face when they get released from prison and the positive impact they can have if given the opportunity to succeed.

In the United States, more than 600,000 people return home from incarceration each year, often with little support or stability. For people who live in the shadows of their criminal records, overcoming the extensive legal restrictions and social stigmas is a daunting task. Once released from the prison gates, individuals face staggering rates of unemployment, discrimination, and homelessness. Without the support needed to overcome these devastating barriers, people often return to illegal activities just to survive.

run time : 1:27:00
Directed by Bill Wisneski

Resettlement: Chicago

Several years after the U.S. government’s forced incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII, the Yamamoto family runs a struggling dry-cleaning business in Chicago.

Run time: 15:04
Directed by Reina Higashitani

Pivot

Leo, a young father and former high-school basketball star, works at a local grocery store. He’s an aspiring professional basketball player in his early 20’s. He believes the upcoming NBA G-League tryout is his chance to make it to the NBA. Leo wants to provide for his daughter Kyn, and his mother Hera, but his ego and short temper often cloud his decision-making. Leo is in the process of transforming into an adult and needs guidance. He is desperate and will risk everything for a chance to fulfill his dream. Concurrently, Leo’s desperation will put him in a dangerous position. Leo will have to reconsider his motives to be present when his family needs him the most.

run time: 13:02
Directed by  Blake Williams

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8:15 pm - 10:30 pm: "Fantastic Negrito: Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?" , “Somos Esenciales”

Fantastic Negrito: Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?

Iconoclastic bluesman Fantastic Negrito faces his demons as he records his third Grammy-winning album. Digging deep into his turbulent past, he searches to answer the question: in a sick society, how do you keep from going crazy?

run time: 1:31:00
Directed by Yvan Iturriaga, Francisco Nuñez

“Somos Esenciales” tells the stories of Latino Essential Workers

> at the Mission Food Hub and Latino Task Force of San Francisco. The
> film shows the resilience and self determination of the Latino
> community in response to the COVID pandemic by relying on cultural
> practices such as food pathways, healing circles, lowriding,
> volunteering and arts practices to address the health disparities of
> Latinos which were neglected by the city of San Francisco.

run time: 25 min
Directed by Rafael Flores

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September 20, 2023

5:30 pm  -7:45 pm: Born For This, In Search of, The Basics of Love, Flat Earther

Born For This

Determined not to become another statistic of the Black maternal health crisis, Janeé Washington and her husband Josh choose the rare option of hiring an experienced midwife and doula and planning to give birth at home, away from the hospital and all of its interventions. But the baby has other plans, and despite all of the team’s efforts, they end up transferring to the hospital at the eleventh hour. This is the story of the birth of one baby, with its family caught between two very different approaches to childbirth.

Run time: 71 min
Directed by Jen Gilomen

In Search of

Detective Angelica Lang questions Tina Burnett, a suburban Mom, after her daughter goes missing only to discover she has become a victim of one of the largest child trafficking rings.

Run time: 9:11
Directed by – Leanne Melissa Bishop, Leigh Rachel Faith

The Basics of Love

After getting caught amidst a robbery on New Year’s Eve, Liz and Lefty, co-workers in the city sanitation department, are caught off-guard by feelings for one another that they didn’t know they had. Will they work up the courage to tell each other?

run time: 17:42 min
Directed by Joshua Nathan

Flat Earther

Martin and Cassandra’s promising second date takes an unexpected turn when their conversation challenges personal beliefs and their assumptions about each other. By the end of the night both will find they are living in a world much different than what they believed it to be.

run time: 10:20
Directed by Brian James Crewe

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8:15 pm - 10:15 pm: "Good Side of Bad", "When It Reigns"- The New Parkway

Good Side of Bad

WHEN A YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER HAS A SEVERE MENTAL BREAK, HER SIBLINGS COME BACK TOGETHER TO HELP HER HEAL.

run time: 96 min
Directed by  – Alethea Root

When It Reigns

“When it Reigns” is a short narrative film about a young woman, Reign Bishop, who falls in love unexpectedly, and is forced to choose between romance and dance, when her two worlds collide.

run time: 17:06
Directed by Jamaica René

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September 21, 2023

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm: A Rising Tide

Through the eyes of Black children, their families, and the helping industry that has developed out of the housing crisis, A Rising Tide follows the strategies of families and service providers struggling with homelessness. Discussions on housing include impacts on social, emotional, educational, and medical conditions families are facing.

Directed by Cheryl Fabio

Location: The Grand Lake Theater

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5:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Filmmaker Mixer / Conversations at CANA Cuban Parlor and Cafe

the 21st Oakland International Film Festival will consists of a lot of going back in forth.

See the films at The Historic Grand Lake Theater and then walk over to CANA – Bar and Parlor for a more in-depth conversation with filmmakers and the film community.

Enjoy a V.I.P experience – Open Bar and Complimentary appetizers

Buy Tickets

6:15 pm - 6:45 pm: “Twin Flame” and short film: S.P.I.C.

S.P.I.C. will start at 6:15 p.m. Twin Flame will screen after S.P.I.C.

JOHNNY is a 12-year-old Latino boy whose mom, an undocumented immigrant from Colombia, has been arrested by I.C.E. She needs an immigration lawyer, but a good lawyer costs $5K.

EMILIO, Johnny’s dad, asks ÁLVARO, a drug dealer, for a loan. But Álvaro knows Emilio can’t repay $5K. So Álvaro offers Emilio a job instead — work for his drug enterprise and Álvaro will give him the money he needs. But Emilio hesitates at the offer.
With the clock ticking, Johnny decides to do the job on his own, and sneaks away to work in Álvaro’s enterprise. When Emilio discovers Johnny has done this, he rushes to get his son back. On this fateful day, both father and son learn the realities before them and the choices they must make to survive.
Inspired by true events.

Directed by Heidi Miami Marshall

Twin Flame

After the death of his parents, young Siji Martin finds himself displaced to his Aunty Iyabo’s home as a “houseboy” in Lagos, Nigeria. Siji struggles to fit in with his peers at his new school who refer to him as “garbage”. Luckily, he befriends comical classmate Claxton and develops his first crush on the ever-studious Tiwa.

Fast forward to the present. Determined to rise above his impoverished status, adult Siji opts to navigate the upper-class business world in Nigeria. In the process of corporate climbing, he gets engaged to Zola, a rich social media influencer from a very powerful and connected family.
Shortly after Siji’s engagement, Tiwa returns to Lagos for a trip after living her adult life in Oakland, California, United States. The two reunite and feel the sparks of an unrequited love, almost two decades old. Siji must now face his strong feelings for Tiwa and decide which is more important to him, true love or wealth and power . .

Directed by Bolaji Tijani-Qudus

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Location: The Historic Grand Lake Theater

9:30 pm - 11:30 pm: Presents Short Film Night at Grand Lake Theater

Champion

It’s 1997, and 9-year-old Jimin just moved to California. Despite her mother’s imploring, Jimin refuses to speak to her father who stayed behind in Korea. However, when a major financial crisis devastates their home country, all hopes that he can join them in America dissipates. Now, Jimin must gather the courage to take the next steps alone.

When it Reigns

“When it Reigns” is a short narrative film about a young woman, Reign Bishop, who falls in love unexpectedly, and is forced to choose between romance and dance, when her two worlds collide.

Don’t Block Your Blessings

Eighty-one-year-old Jauncie has Alzheimer’s Disease and is lost for almost 24 hours. Her family searches frantically for her without success. Sometimes tragedy links people unexpectedly.

Rite of Passage

A teenage boy must endure a series of challenges and trials on his quest to become a man.

How To Deal With Fame

A masculine-presenting actress has been given the role of a lifetime as the star in a Broadway-bound production, where she plays a character that dresses and presents quite the opposite of her. When her mother comes to town for the performance, she is reminded of how she falls short of the traditional expectations of womanhood.

Unsound Play

A grandon and grandmother bond over a magical game of musical chess.

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September 22, 2023

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Clarissa's Battle

“No matter what your zip code is, no matter what school you sign up to, every single child deserves to have the same quality education.” – Clarissa Doutherd

Single mother and organizer Clarissa Doutherd is building a powerful coalition of parents. Driven by her own experience losing child care and becoming unhoused with her infant son, Xavier, she seems to be everywhere at once – at hearings, election rooms, and rallies from Oakland, California to Washington, DC. But juggling this work with raising her son pushes Clarissa into a personal health crisis far too common among stressed, working mothers, especially women of color. When the lockdown pushes more families into desperate circumstances, Clarissa and her coalition redouble their efforts, with the stakes higher than ever. Clarissa’s Battle gives us insight into an erupting movement, as communities across the country follow Clarissa’s successes, setbacks and indomitable resilience.

run time: 90 min
Directed by Tamara Perkins

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Date: September 14 and 18-22, 2023

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