AFROPOP

COVID-19 has forced us to change how we approach most of our foundational norms. Yet, despite medical professionals, public health organizations, and patients’ efforts to promote the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations, there has been an acceleration of misinformation, especially targeting Black communities. The uncontrollable spread of misinformation only adds to the African American community’s historical distrust of the public health system. This four-part series uncovers the raw, uncut, and unfiltered opinions of a collection of individuals who represent the fabric of Black Baltimore’s diverse communities.

There’s no stopping legendary artist Betye Saar, now in her nineties, whose intricate collage and assemblage works explode stereotypes of Black femininity.

Are black folk green? What does going green even mean? BLACK FOLK DON’T is a web series exploring the grey areas between truth and stereotype.

Inner Wound Real relays the story of three BIPOC folks who self-injure, then find new ways to cope. The animated documentary short has 3 different visual styles, one for each participant.

THE BLACK DISQUISITION is an affecting true story of the traumatic event in a boy’s life that fractures his self-image and the difficult conversation his parents must have with him about race in America. With its avant-garde narrative structure and rotoscope animation, this film illuminates how a brief childhood encounter can alter a life well into adulthood.

For nearly fifteen years, Bilal worked as a steelworker at the area’s largest oil refinery. His documentary film, Midnight Oil, draws on this experience. The film chronicles his struggle to reconcile his love and kinship for his distressed refinery brothers and sisters and his growing awareness of the surrounding communities of color, fighting for environmental justice. Midnight Oil was a 2020 Official Selection at the BlackStar Film Festival and a Doc Society NYC grantee. The film can be seen on the new streaming platform, ARGO.

PORTAL is a documentary short about the lack of touch for single people during the first year of COVID-19 and how two queer, BIPOC friends sustain each other through verbal communication and connection.

In this captivating film portrait, we are introduced to Betty McDaniel, the spirited owner of Lakeside Treasures, an antique and vintage shop nestled in Rogers Park, Chicago, IL. What began as a post-retirement dream has blossomed into a cherished establishment that has served as an essential part of Betty’s life and the vibrant community of Rogers Park, as well as the wider Chicago area. With unwavering determination, unyielding devotion, and an abundance of heart, Betty personifies the essence of perseverance.