Ilker Savaskurt

Voodoo Macbeth leads filmmaker awards for Harlem Film Festival 2021 after ushering NYC back into the theater

Harlem International Film Festival Program Director Nasri Zacharia said, “Our 16th edition marked the return to in-person, in-theater screenings in New York City, and our hybrid approach allowed us to continue to invite audiences throughout the state of New York to the unique blend of global cinema and local films that we have built a reputation celebrating for a decade and a half now. Harlem emphatically is a center, magnet, and inspiration for the arts, and we embrace our role in that vital and vibrant legacy.

Tarabu Betserai Kirkland’s 100 Years from Mississippi Opens 2021 Harlem International Film Festival announces triple feature kicking off film lineup for May

Harlem International Film Festival’s Program Director, Nasri Zacharia, said. “We are thrilled to return to the theater, have a red carpet welcome for our filmmakers, live audiences and Q&As, and experience the magic of film festival discovery in the company of one another the way we did prior to the pandemic. At the same time, we will also utilize the virtual presentations to not just introduce our audiences throughout the state of New York to films from around the world, but also to interact and connect with filmmakers from all over the globe. And, of course, we’ll continue our efforts to truly showcase the filmmakers and the setting of our beloved home neighborhoods of Harlem, Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, which we call the HUB.”

FILM FESTIVAL NEWS: Daniel Peddle’s GARDEN OF THE PEACEFUL DRAGON Opens The 12th Harlem International Film Festival with style to spare

The 12th Harlem International Film festival’s Opening Night Afro Punk celebration, highlighted by the world premiere presentation of Daniel Peddle’s GARDEN OF THE PEACEFUL DRAGON featured more style on the red carpet than most. The impressive looks on the carpet showed that these filmmakers have figured out that the attention you get in front of the photographers and interviewers there can be useful to get attention for your film when it plays in the fest – and beyond.

FILM FESTIVAL NEWS: Daniel Peddle ’s GARDEN OF THE PEACEFUL DRAGON opens the 12th Annual Harlem International Film Festival (May 4-7) unveils its schedule

“This year’s lineup is typically diverse, both in content and the filmmakers responsible for the films, bookended by personal profiles that hit close to home both because of their redemptive themes and because they get to the heart of what is the best in humanity,” said Harlem International Film Festival Program Director Nasri Zacharia, “In our 12th year, the festival will once again provide a forum for wonderful storytelling and exciting moments on the big screen created by talent all around the world.”