Ebony Roberts, local filmmaker and founder of the ‘United We Heal’ short-film festival has announced the return of the event on June 23, 2024 at Underground Arts on 1200 Callowhill Street from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The evening will feature screenings of social justice-themed short films made by selected filmmakers of color from the Greater Philadelphia Region as well as New York, Florida, and California. Underground Arts has been a staple of the local music and art community for over a decade, operating as an inclusive space for free artistic expression of all kinds.
This year’s selected filmmakers and films are:
· Pedigree by Brittney S. Harris, Russ Fulmore
· Condemned to be Free by Rin Jung, Richard Rivera
· Nice to Meet You by Hendreck Joseph
· I Just Hope You Listen by Marquett Ferrell
· The HoodTrophy Bino Story: Breaking the Generational Curse by Sam “Gebar” Gebremiche
· Waiting Onna Punch by Victoria Wilcox
· Simmer by Joshua Afiriyie
· A Cup of Tea by Gabriel Noble
· Inadequate by Elya Randrianavio
· Let if be a Tale by Omar Ali Khan Hutchins
· Shopping Spree (Black Friday) by Jeta Stephens and Donnoven Rios
· Run Away by Chico Bennett
The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the filmmakers. There will be three prizes for the winning filmmakers, including a jury-selected award and an audience-selected award. The jury members are actor, Thomas Anthony Jones; arts worker and advocate, Stephanye Watts; and journalist, Tennyson Donyea. This year, the festival is announcing a brand-new music video category, which audience members will be able to vote for.
“I am so excited and proud that United We Heal is back for a third year. My goal for this film festival has always been to give a platform and a voice to Black and Brown filmmakers who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to showcase their art,” said Roberts, Creator and Director of the United We Heal Film Festival. “I hope to keep the spirit of social justice and healing alive and continue to empower filmmakers of color to create meaningful work and broadcast their messages.”
Roberts, a Coatesville, PA native, has spent her career in the TV & Film industries, holding a love and affinity for the art of storytelling since she was a young child. Roberts owns a production company with her sisters and works in the live television industry by day. The United We Heal Film festival was spurred from Roberts’ short film, “United We Heal” which is a representation of Roberts’ frustrations of racism in America fused into a film. Roberts’ documentary, United We Heal, is a journey to Black freedom, shifting the focus from trauma to hope and has been screened at Comcast, QVC and Temple Health. Now the United We Heal Film Festival carries forth Roberts’ mission and serves as a platform of exposure, healing, and celebration for marginalized filmmakers.
General admission tickets for the festival cost $25, and VIP tickets cost $55. Tickets can be purchased here. Sponsors include Chatterblast, GroundFloor Studios, Maquina Coffee Roasters, and Cashman & Associates.
Media Credentials available upon request for covering media.
ABOUT UNITED WE HEAL FILM FESTIVAL
The United We Heal Film Festival started as a short film of the same name, which was first screened in 2021. Moved by the social unrest of 2020, filmmaker Ebony Roberts turned her frustrations of racism in America to art. United We Heal is a journey to Black freedom, shifting the focus from trauma to hope. It has been screened on Comcast, QVC and Temple Health. For more details, visit www.unitedwehealshort.com and follow on Instagram at instagram.com/unitedwehealfilmfestival.
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