Friday night, the Hip Hop Film Festival takes it to the streets with visually stunning and captivating stories of urban life, struggles and triumph from the streets. “Street movies” (etc. Juice, Boyz in the Hood, Belly, Menace 2 Society, Higher Learning) are a bonafide genre and cult phenomenon in the Hip Hop community. These are movies that explore the gritty, beautiful and sometimes humorous but complex stories that reflect the social ills of society.
SCHEDULED MOVIES
BLOCK 1 : 12:30pm – 3:00 pm
Looking Through the Windows (Cris Thorne) – A dramatic comedic web series about “adulting” Sam and Denise recently tied the knot and have purchased their first house. With their crazy circle of family and friends now just around the corner, perhaps they moved a little too close to home….
360 L.I.F.E. The Series (Deshawn Wright) – 360 Life chronicles the life of corrupt criminal defense attorney Max Monday, his associates and clients. Max is the self proclaimed capo dei capi of criminal defense law, his clientele are the who’s who of New York City’s underworld, getting into Max’s inner circle is the creme de la creme of criminal networking and there is a very high price to pay for it. Although everybody that comes across his path has a unique background, everybody’s story is interwoven.
Lift Every Voice (Monet Gray) – The Regents Exams are Mandatory assessment tests for every student who wishes to graduate from a New York State/City High School. This movie sheds light on how a teacher was able to get her students motivated and interested into the exam and their education by incorporating RAP and HIP-HOP lyrics into her lectures!
Beautiful (Nicholas Rhule) – Follow the day in the life of a young beautiful woman who is struggling with accepting a life not defined by her outer beauty. ‘Beautiful’ Is about young beautiful woman who, has a hard time facing her self much less other people.
Peaceful Action (Terrell Childs) – Lana goes out on a second date with Wes. She likes him but doesn’t think he’s a good match for her, especially when it comes to conflict.
BLOCK 2 : 3:30pm – 5:30pm
Tunnel Vision (Sara Downey) – A journey of one man hustling on the streets and out maneuvering some of the biggest criminals in the world, only to find out that his lawyer is the biggest crook of them all. Tunnel Vision” is based off of the real life hustle of Antonio Salvatore Servidio (fictitious name Johnny Russo). Culled from true reports from the FBI, ATF, DEA, and The Department of Justice.
Little Angel (Dashia Imperiale) – When the unspeakable death of a child occurs in the Lower East Side of New York, an entire city searches for answers. An answer that brings a chill up the spine of anyone strong enough to ask the question. Who killed Little Angel? An homage to the Film Noir genre. A true thriller that delves into the pain, revenge, anger, death and heartbreak, that ultimately leads to insanity.
BLOCK 3 : 6:00pm – 7:30pm
The Black Fatherhood Project (Jordan Thierry) – First-time filmmaker Jordan Thierry offers context and conversation in this honest exploration of fatherhood in Black America. Through a telling of his own story and interviews with historians, he traces the roots of the fatherless Black home and reveals a history much more complex and profound than is often told. Putting that history into perspective is a dialogue among fathers discussing their experiences, inspirations, and insight on how communities can come together to ensure the power of a father’s love is not lost on America’s Black children.
BLOCK 4a : 7:30 – 10pm
Black Box Theater
The Barre (Terrell Bobbitt) – The Barre. A small common wealth town where crime and drugs run rampant. A mixture of hustlers from the big city collide with each other and the locals, breeding an endless cycle of violence, sex and murder.
There Is a Man in the Woods (Jacob Streilein) – An elementary school teacher struggles to contain a rumor frightening the students in his class.
King of Newark (Alonzo Herran) – The King of Newark movie is about a character named Malcolm, an adult black man who was a Mayor’s aide, running for Mayor of the great city of Newark and focusing on raising his pre-teen son. His past is tries to come back to haunt him. Starring: Clifton Powell, Jason Weaver, Miguel Nunez, Omar Gooding, Blu Gem, Jo Jo Simmons, Vado and Maino
BLOCK 4b : 8:00pm – midnight
Temple Theater
Brave (Reggie Talley) – A young NY street performer battles against adversity while pursuing his passion over profit.
Six 2 Six (Cassandra Riddick) – In a 24-hour period, Monte Vincent and Damien Jones, two young men who grew up in the gritty streets of Baltimore, cross paths throughout the day until ultimately they come face to face under unfavorable circumstances. An event that can change the course of both of their lives forever.
Snitches (Steve Rahaman) In a world with only one rule, the crime boss of Queens, Alphonse Trapani, discovers that there is a snitch in his house that has been helping dirty cops to put the heat on his family, and all the crime families in New York.
BLOCK 5 : 10:30 – midnight
Rules & Regulations (Ralph McDaniels) * WORLD PREMIERE * – The conflict of two generations of hustlers in the streets of NYC. OG Eazy comes home from jail after a 15 year bid to find out his block has a young grimey crew with no respect for him or the community. His homie Gee has it under control from dirty cops to disrespectful youth, but YG Dub sets off an all out war against the old crew . The fallout will be a lesson in rules and regulations that will change their hood and families forever.
