The Honolulu African American Film Festival returns this week to the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Doris Duke Theatre with feature films, documentaries and short films that reflect the wide variety of the Black experience in America and the world.
The festival includes 11 features and documentaries, and a collection of short films. Screenings will be Thursdays to Sundays, through Feb. 26. Tickets are $15 per screening, $12 for museum members. For a complete schedule, visit 808ne.ws/haaff.
Here are a few highlights:
“Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power”
6 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Feb. 26
The festival kicks off with an opening-night reception at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by a 7:30 p.m. screening of this documentary about the local residents and student organizers who fought for voting rights and Black power in Lowndes County, Ala. Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the county was 80% Black but had no Black voters.
The Feb. 26 screening will be accompanied by the short film “Racial Discrimination in Housing (In A Mid-Sized Northern City),” followed by a panel discussion featuring Hawaii-based attorneys and other experts on housing discrimination.
“On the Line: The Richard Williams Story”
2 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Feb. 11
The life story of Richard Williams — father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams — from poverty to Wimbledon, disrupting the mostly white tennis establishment.
HAAFF Shorts 2023
2 p.m. Feb. 5 and 7 p.m. Feb. 24
The bill features: “Little Trumpet,” in which a 9-year-old living in the 7th Ward of New Orleans wants his brother to teach him to play the trumpet; “Four Women,” featuring dancer Linda Martina Young’s interpretation of jazz artist Nina Simone’s ballad about four women who represent common stereotypes of Black women in America; “The Invitation,” a look at The Links Inc., an international nonprofit consisting of more than 17,000 professional women of African descent dedicated to the advancement of African Americans and people of African ancestry; and “Dear Mama,” which explores the reactions of a father and his artistic daughter to the death of Tupac Shakur.
“Blurring the Color Line”
7 p.m. Feb. 10 and 2 p.m. Feb. 16
Director Crystal Kwok, a Chinese American who had a successful acting career in Hong Kong and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, created this documentary about her grandmother’s family, who ran a neighborhood grocery in the Black community of Augusta, Ga., during segregation.
“Beyond Bars: Prison Women Speak”
7 p.m. Feb. 18
More than 75% of Hawaii’s incarcerated women are mothers, 40% are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders, and 60% are victims of physical, mental and sexual abuse. This documentary lets some of these women tell their own stories.
A panel discussion will follow the screening. This event is free, but advance registration is required.
Family Sunday: “Akeelah and the Bee”
2 p.m. Feb. 19
Akeelah Anderson, a girl from south Los Angeles who loves words, competes in spelling contests despite many obstacles, eventually ascending to the Scripps National Spelling Bee with the help of a mysterious coach. Stars Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett and 11-year-old Keke Palmer in the title role. Free admission; no advance registration needed.
“The Inspection”
7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Feb. 9 and 2 p.m. Feb. 18
A young, gay Black man with little hope confronts prejudice and arduous basic training when he joins the Marines, but he also finds fellowship and support. Inspired by writer/director Elegance Bratton’s experiences.
