Milwaukee Film Offers Black History Month Screenings

Milwaukee Film has a slate of screenings and events planned to celebrate Black History Month this year.

These events will be in person after being virtual in 2021. It’s the fourth year that the non-profit has developed a showcase for Black History Month.

“I know it sounds cliché, but this year, our fourth Black History Month celebration, is special,” said Geraud Blanks, Chief Innovation Officer for Milwaukee Film, in a statement. “In 2021 the program was virtual, so to be back in person, with all we are dealing with as a community, while challenging, feels more significant  than ever.”

Six feature length films will be shown throughout the month. These include: Zola, The One and Only Dick Gregory, Citizen Ash, Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America, The Loyola Project, and Sankofa.

Two short film series are also being shown. One is titled, “Black Love Through a Black Lens” and the other “Family Matters.”

“This year’s robust Black History Month program builds on the work of Milwaukee Film’s Black Lens  program, which has presented films and events featuring Black filmmakers and community leaders since  2014,” the non-profit said in a press release. “In 2019, Milwaukee Film established its Cultures and Communities initiative to engage the entire community in the nonprofit’s mission and programs, including Black Lens.”

Along with screenings, the month will include three public events and one private event.

These include a panel discussion Feb. 1, “featuring local Black creatives and  entrepreneurs, followed by a brief engagement activity that fosters connection for artists of all sectors of the city,” according to Milwaukee Film.

On Feb. 12, the non-profit is hosting a conversation between Shelah Marie, of the show Love & Hip Hop and Dr. Kristen Warner, an associate professor of communication at the University of Alabama. Marie will “reflect on her time on Love & Hip Hop, as well as portrayals of Black women in media more broadly. The two will further delve into inspiring  topics of healing and wellness pertinent to all women, such as body positivity, self-love, and self care throughout the evening.”

A Black Film Trivia night followed by an R&B dance party will be held Feb. 18. Then, a private reception is being held following the screening of Sankofa on Feb. 26 at America’s Black Holocaust Museum.

Tickets for the screenings and public events are $12 for the general public and $9 for Milwaukee Film members.