The Oakland International Film Festival is presented by The Oakland Film Society, a non-profit corporation based in Oakland, California.
Our mission is to promote independent filmmakers and the stories they tell to empower people locally, nationally and internationally.
Our Story
The Roach Brothers produced the film : Sydney Byrd- Private Eye and showcased the film in several theaters and film festivals in the United States with a vision of bringing some of the cultural attributes film festival’s presented in other places to the city of Oakland.
The Oakland Film Society was founded in 1996 to expand our ability to showcase independent films at various venues in the Bay Area. The Oakland Film Society later partnered with The Film Life, which presents The American Black Film Festival to launch Black Cinema Cafe in Oakland, CA.
In 2002, the first Oakland International Film Festival took place at the Grand Lake Theater.
Since those days, we have presented the Oakland International Film Festival at several venues including: Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, The Jack London Regal Theater, The Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Holy Name University, Luka’s Lounge, Grubb’s Community Center, The Black Repertory Theater, The Bal Theater, Oakland’s City Hall, etc.
The 21st Oakland International Film Festival kicks off September 14th-23rd, 2023.
Theme is “Rediscover Oakland through film”. In short, this theme, is our personal journey of navigating the changes in Oakland since COVID. i.e., a few places we have hosted screenings, mixers, etc., have gone out of business.
Who is left or still standing?
Still standing does not just mean in a physical sense, like who is open for business. Still standing also represents a group of people, despite the “covid lockdown” still working, writing, directing and dreaming of manifesting a better day.
A prime example is the 20- year vision of Familyhood and its do- now strategy 1st Saturdays – The Official Monthly Volunteer Day at Schools.
Prior to COVID, 1st Saturdays – monthly volunteer day events were held at various schools in Oakland. CA. When COVID prevented gatherings at schools, instead of waiting for the powers to resume things again, I wrote The Familyhood Handbook to serve as a guide to define what Familyhood is and a systemic approach to get there.
You can read it today for free! Download it here!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, “Violence is the voice of the voiceless”
If this statement is true, we must amplify the voices of our youth.
This year we asked for films that spoke to youth leadership and community development and are excited to screen the film: Salut, Gadou!
Team
David N . Roach – Co- Founder / Director
Randolph Belle – Director of Partnerships
Myron Potier – Graphic Design
Rhea Settles – Volunteer Coordination
Advisory Board
Samm Styles
Jacquie Taliferro
Tamara Perkins
Chiho Sawada
Lathan Hodge
D’wayne Wiggins
Carolyn H. Williams
Helen Wyman
Terri j. Vaughn
Board of Directors
Dr. Mack Roach III
Paula Harrell
David N. Roach
Randolph Belle