Afrofuturism in Cinema: Infinity, Creativity and Beyond is a series of film screenings and panels at New York Film Academy (presented in partnership with Carnegie Hall) that explore how the foundation laid by our artistic ancestors has given birth to a new generation of filmmakers intent on using cinema to challenge, provoke, break us down, build us up and introduce to infinite possibility.
What is Afro-Futurist Cinema?
While megahit Black Panther brought Afro-Futurist Cinema to the mainstream, the concept was introduced more than 100 years ago and grew through Black creativity in literature, technology, music and the visual arts.
W.E.B. Du Bois’ 1920 science fiction novel The Comet is the godfather of Afrofuturism and its progeny – the work of authors Samuel R. Delaney and Octavia E. Butler, built on that foundation. The music and experimental films of Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and George Clinton expanded the paradigm and set the stage for an explosion through the medium of cinema. From the work of filmmakers Shirley Clarke and The Black Audio Film Collective, to the music videos of Missy Elliot to the genre-defying work of Terrance Nance, Afro-Futurist Cinema breaks open new possibilities of cinematic storytelling through the use of innovation and imagination.
Upcoming Events: Afrofuturism in Cinema at NYFA
1) What Makes You Scared? (Film Screening & Panel Discussion)
Tickets: Book here
Date: Wednesday, February 16th, 2022
Time: 6:30pm
Event: Screening of horror feature PHLO directed by Jim Fielder and produced by Tim Fielder.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion
Panelists:
- Randall Dottin (Moderator)
- Jim Fielder – PHLO Director
- Tim Fielder – PHLO Producer
About PHLO
PHLO is a fiction feature film that chronicles the life of a young child who is taken and raised by his kidnappers who also happen to have an insatiable taste for blood.
PHLO is a horror film that explores a journey of a young man caught in a crucible between false loyalty and freedom. Ezekiel was but a child when he was abducted and raised by his kidnappers. Now as a teenager on the verge of manhood, Ezekiel is torn between going away to live his life, young love and staying with his kidnapper parents.
2) A New Era? (Panel Discussion)
Tickets: Book here
Date: Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022
Time: 6:30pm
Event: A panel of black filmmakers discuss the growth and impact of the Afrofuturism
movement in cinema.
Panelists:
- Mishka Brown (Moderator) – Film Producer
- Reynaldo Anderson – Co-Founder, Black Speculative Arts Movement
- Jonathan Gayle – Professor at Georgia State University
- Tim Fielder – Artist, Film Producer
- Jim Fielder – Director, Producer
About the Panel
In this panel of tastemakers, artists, filmmakers and scholars, we’ll explore whether the current wave of Afrofuturism represents a new era in Black Cinema or whether what’s happening now is simply the evolution of a continuum that has been brewing for more than a century.
3) Infinity and Possibility (Film Screenings & Panel Discussion)
Tickets: Book here
Date: Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022
Time: 6:30pm
Event: This event will showcase 4 Afro-Futurist works from around the world followed by a
panel discussion.
Panelists:
- Randall Dottin (Moderator)
- Tim Fielder
- Jim Fielder
- David Kirkman
This event will showcase 4 Afro-Futurist works from around the world:
Opal by Alain Bidard – 15 minutes
Battledream Chronicle by Alain Bidard – 15 minutes
Hardware by David Kirkman – 30 minutes
The Dieselfunk Show by Tim and Jim Fielder – 30 minutes
Following the screening, there will be a panel moderated by Randall Dottin, Chair of the New York Film Academy Screenwriting Department, will explore the impulse and the desire to create Afro-Futurist Cinema.
This screening is a mixture of classic films that define the genre as well as new works, we plan to explore what makes a film a part of Afro-Futurist Cinema.
4) The Expanded Universe (Film Screening & Panel Discussion)
Tickets: Book here
Date: Wednesday March 9th, 2022
Time: 6:30pm
Event: Screening of documentary feature Black Metropolis: 30 Years of Afro-Futurism. The
screening will be followed by a panel discussion.
Panelists:
Reynaldo Anderson (Moderator)
Tim Fielder
Jim Fielder
Afro-Futurists and twin brothers Tim Fielder and Jim Fielder have made contributions to the genre for more than 30 years. The documentary feature, Black Metropolis: 30 Years of Afro-Futurism charts the journey of Tim Fielder’s career as a visual Afro-Futurist and is screening in conjunction with an exhibition in Harlem.
BLACK METROPOLIS: 30 Years of Afrofuturism, Comics, Music, Animation, Decapitated Chickens, Heroes, Villains, and Negroes. A feature length documentary on the life and career of OG Afro-Futurist Tim Fielder. The film features revealing interviews with groundbreaking cultural critics, afro-futurists, colleagues, and family who saw the OG playing the art game during the burgeoning Hip Hop, Black Rock, and Digital Animation movements. A cinematic experience for the ages! Feature Directed by StudioVisceral’s Jim Fielder.
A conversation between Tim Fielder and Jim Fielder, moderated by Reynaldo Anderson will commence following the screening.
For all ticket booking for these events, click here.
Note: This is a vaccinated and masked event. You will be asked to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination including booster (if eligible).
Due to the ongoing pandemic, please note that event details might change and will endeavor to communicate any potential changes at the earliest time possible.