By Monique
One of the coolest events is happening in Los Angeles tomorrow (Sat. Aug. 29) called the Blackout Music & Film Festival. The event, which will take place primarily at the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live, will feature tons of entertainment, but also a socially conscious message of awareness and activism.
The festival is supported by the Grammy Museum as well as so many of the grassroots and mainstream organizations that work to end racial discrimination and racial policies in America. Such groups include Black Lives Matter, ForHarriet.com, the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, ColorOfChange, The Root, Indiewire, VIBE Magazine, the Dream Defenders, Million Hoodies, and many more. Here’s the full list:
Presenting partners: PICO Network, Campaign for Black Male Achievement and ACLU of Southern California
Principal partners: Live Free, Black Lives Matter, TEC Management Consultants, inc, The Blacklist, Cue the Creatives, LA Voice, ARRAY, The Ella Baker Center, Million Hoodies, Dream Defenders, In The NINE, The Law Offices of John L. Burris and ColorOfChange
Media partners: Variety Magazine, The Root, VIBE Magazine, Indiewire, AllHipHop.com, ForHarriet.com, Urban Cusp, Bright Ideas Magazine, and Music Industry Quarterly/Urban Network Digital.
Blackout for Human Rights, the group behind the creation of the event, includes the minds of Michael B. Jordan, Donald Glover, Ava DuVernay, Jesse Williams, David Oyelowo and many others in the entertainment industry.
Blackout for Human Rights is a collective of filmmakers, artists, activists, musicians, lawyers, tastemakers, religious leaders and concerned citizens who commit their energy and resources to immediately address the staggering level of human rights violations and injustices against fellow Americans throughout the United States. Blackout is comprised of both high visibility and everyday citizens. Members include Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Charles King, Nate Parker, Donald “Childish Gambino” Glover, Ava DuVernay, Jesse Williams, John Burris, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosa Clemente, Michael McBride, Shaka King, Scott Budnick, David Oyelowo, Pastor Michael McBride, Bradford Young and more.
The event itself will feature tons of amazing events, including a special screening of Dear White People, a panel led by Black Lives Matter, a Signature Artist Showcase, and plenty of other panels and important screenings, as well as appearances by Amandla Stenberg, Lalah Hathaway, V. Boseman, Tessa Thompson, Justin Simien, Ryan Coogler and many more.
Blackout Music & Film Festival tickets are priced between $10 and $18 and are available at https://blackoutfestival.eventbrite.com. There’s so much to love about this event; just check out the press release to get the full picture.
ARTISTS AND ACTIVISTS UNITE FOR INAUGURAL BLACKOUT MUSIC & FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATING STORYTELLING AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, August 29, Blackout for Human Rights – a collective of actors, artists and activists dedicated to justice for all, will present the first annual Blackout Music & Film Festival at the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles. The festival will feature a diverse and exciting collection of thought-provoking films, panels, art installations and live musical performances meant to foster a sense of community, creativity, and culture.
The festival kicks off with a special screening of Marc Silver’s Sundance Film Festival award winning documentary “3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” presented by PICO National Network’s Live Free Campaign. In addition, there will be a special screening of Justin Simien’s award winning film “Dear White People.”
“With Blackout Music & Film Festival, our goal is to create a space for the exhibition and exploration of art that provides a springboard for critical analysis, community building and creative collaboration,” stated filmmaker Ryan Coogler, founding member of Blackout for
Human Rights.The Signature Artist Showcase includes work from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Adrian Franks, Hank Willis Thomas, Synthia SaintJames, Bayeté Ross Smith, Damon Davis, Shikeith, Mariella Angela, Nikkolos Mohammed, Basil Kincaid, Darryl King, Whitney Alix of Rebel Citizen and spoken word performances by Leo Breckenridge, Donté Clark and actress/musician/artist Amandla Stenberg. The “#SayHerName Voices for the Cause Music Showcase,” features live musical performances by Grammy Award winner Lalah Hathaway, V. Bozeman (Empire), PJ (Atlantic Records) and more.
The three featured panels throughout the day will cover a wide range of topics including the importance of diversity in media representation, the role of art in activism, effective solutions for racial justice, and more. The storytelling panel features actress, Tessa Thompson, The Blacklist founder, Franklin Leonard, director, Justin Simien, actor and director, Nate Parker, actress, Tracie Thoms, Entertainment Tonight co-host, Kevin Frazier and more. The panel will be moderated by Indiewire’s editor-in-chief, Dana Harris.
Michael Latt, Director of Blackout Music & Film Festival, said, “We’re excited to bring the Los Angeles community together to celebrate the power of storytelling in film, music and art in illuminating our shared humanity and exploring the complex social issues of our time. Centered on the intersection of social justice and storytelling, the Blackout Festival reflects our commitment to the idea that all of our stories deserve to be told and all of our lives deserve to be valued and protected in policies and laws.”
The social justice panel features Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors, ACLU lawyer, Peter Bibring, Black Lives Matter activist Ashley Yates, Urban Cusp Founder, Rahiel Tesfamariam, The Root Associate Editor, Danielle C. Belton, Artist Damon Davis and Exec. Dir. of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, David Johns. Presented by ACLU Southern California and Black Lives Matter, the panel will be moderated by UCLA professor, Dr. Marcus Hunter. The musical panel features VIBE Magazine’s editor-in-chief Datwon Thomas, Digital Underground Producer Jimi “Chopmaster J” Dright, Music Producer Focus, Artist V Bozeman and Artist Damani Nkosi. The panel will be moderated by ASCAP, Associate Director Mir Harris.
As part of their presence at Blackout Music & Film Festival, ACLU Southern California and Black Lives Matter will host the Social Justice Panel, Campaign for Black Male Achievement will host the Storytelling Panel and VIBE Magazine will host the Music Panel. All ticket proceeds will be donated to support PICO Network and Mobile Justice CA, a Joint Project Between The ACLU of California and The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.
Julian 