Black Media Story Summit - Texas
Co-presented by Austin Film Society and Black Public Media
The 2nd Black Media Story Summit-Texas, following the inaugural summit held during the 2019 Houston Cinema Arts Festival, at the historic DeLuxe Theater in Houston's 5th Ward, will be a virtual affair, and part of the Sundance Film Festival's "Beyond Film" Sundance Satellite programming. This free virtual conference will bring together 100 guests, including filmmakers/content creators of color, foundations, tech, distributors, and social justice leaders on the Eventive virtual platform for a day of collaboration and discussion about new strategies designed to support diverse black stories. The Texas summit is one of several regional events that continue the conversation started at the inaugural Black Media Story Summit in 2018 originated by Black Public Media, and aims to galvanize local efforts to amplify black stories. This is co-presented with Black Public Media and Austin Film Society.
The summit will include a workshop with Michele Stephenson and Joe Brewster, (directors of 2021 Sundance Film Festival New Frontier Virtual Reality project, The Changing Same: Episode 1), a workshop with Channing Godfrey Peoples and Neil Creque Williams (director and producer of Miss Juneteenth), and a Happy Hour Mixer.
For more information, please contact admin @ cinemahtx.org
Special Guests
Michele Stephenson
Michèle Stephenson pulls from her Panamanian and Haitian roots and international experience as a human rights attorney. Her most recent film, American Promise, was nominated for three Emmys and won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Joe Brewster
Joe Brewster is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who uses his training in approaching the social issues he tackles. His film American Promise was nominated for three Emmys and won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Channing Godfrey Peoples
Channing Godfrey Peoples is a Writer/Director. She is a MFA graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts and one of Filmmaker Magazine “25 New Faces of Independent Film“ for 2018. As an African-American woman, her films are character-driven stories focusing on the resilience of the human spirit, often featuring black women at a turning point in their lives. She is a Sundance Fellow, Austin Film Society Fellow, SFFilm/Westridge Foundation Fellow, King Family Foundation Recipient and has served as a Time Warner Artist-in-Residence. Her short film, Red, is a DGA Student Jury Award Winner, among other honors. Channing wrote two episodes on Season 3 of Queen Sugar (OWN Network). She also wrote and directed a short film, Doretha’s Blues, that was made possible by the support of Refinery 29 and Level Forward in their Shatterbox Anthology series. Most recently, her feature film debut, Miss Juneteenth, premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won the Louis Black “Lone Star” Award at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival.