Video essays have served a crucial role in the Black Lives Matter movement. Through their reappropriation of film and media to honor Black lives while critically examining such issues as racial violence, police brutality and systemic inequality, video essays serve as a format for Black visions and voices to be seen and heard. The Black Lives Matter Video Essay Playlist has collected these works as they are found online in diverse contexts: from journalism and social media to academic scholarship and video art. This program presents exemplary works from the playlist, with their creators in dialogue with the playlist co-curators Will DiGravio, Cydnii Wilde Harris and Kevin B. Lee.

Cotton — The Fabric of Genocide | Cydnii Harris | 2018 | USA | 4’
I Feel, Therefore I Can Be Free | Nzingha Kendall | 2017 |USA | 7’
New Forms of Racism in the Post-Cinematic Dispositif | 2017 | Jace Alexander Casey | USA | 4′
UNLOCKED | Jazmin Jones | 2020 | USA | 4’
Lessons from the Screenplay : Get Out — A New Perspective in Horror | Michael Tucker | 2018 | USA | 13’
Real Talk: Is Breadtube Discussing Race “Right”? | Professor Flowers | 2020 | USA | 20’

A Q&A with Nzingha Kendall, Professor Flowers, and Jazmin Jones hosted by Cydnii Harris, Kevin B. Lee and Will Di Gravio.

All revenue from ticket sales for this event will be donated to Black Minds Matter.

Please be advised that a film within this programme contains images of violence and real dead bodies which some viewers may find distressing.

Please note: this event will be as a livestream and is available worldwide. The event is ticketed and booking is required. Ticket holders will be sent a password protected link to access the event 1 hour before the event start time.

Image credit: Cotton (Cydnii Harris)

“Will DiGravio is a podcaster, video essayist, and writer based in the United States. Cydnii Wilde Harris is a film scholar and video essayist whose work is largely concerned with the representations of marginalized communities, specifically the representations of BIPOC women and femmes. Kevin B. Lee is a filmmaker, video essayist and media scholar based in Germany.”