YEAR-ROUND EVENTS | The 23rd Oakland International Film Festival

Thursday, September 5th at Northeastern University

Powering Puerto Rico — Bridging Perspectives Film Series – 7:30 – 9:30pm

Powering Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico, 2017: It all started with a storm and a car battery.
Eugene Smotkin was home in San Juan for the summer when two disasters struck: His wife had a stroke and Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, leaving more than 3 million people without electricity. After days of powering a cell phone and a small fan with a car battery, Eugene and his wife were finally able to make it to Boston for the medical treatment she desperately needed.

Back on campus, he has an idea: In conjunction with just a few solar panels, Eugene believes he can make a fully functional, affordable, renewable nanogrid system powered by reconditioned hybrid car batteries. And he wants to do so all over Puerto Rico, giving back electricity to a neglected energy populace at a fraction of the current cost.

This is a film about Puerto Rico’s resilience through hardship—and one man’s ingenuity in bringing power to the masses.

First Monument & Billy X — Bridging Perspectives Film Series Thursday, October 17, 2024, 7:30 – 9:30pm

Presented by Northeastern University and Mills Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Oakland International Film Festival.

A special screening of two short films discussing the legacy of the Black Panther Party, which was founded in Oakland, California on October 15,1966. The films will be followed by a question & answer session with filmmaker Damien McDuffie and David Roach, founder of The Oakland International Film Festival.

Into the Archives: the First Monument
Until 2021, there were no official monuments to the Black Panther Party in Oakland, the city where they became legendary. This finally changed through an effort led by Fredrika Newton, the widow of Minister of Defense Huey Newton. Following sculptor Dana King from conceptualization through unveiling, The First Monument chronicles the creation of the Huey Newton bust now raised in West Oakland.
Run Time: 15:54

Into the Archives: Billy X
In an unassuming house in Sacramento, one of the most com- prehensive private collections of Black Panthers material sits on the shelves of original Party member and archivist William “Billy X” Jennings. Featuring images of Tupac Shakur, Maya Angelou, and many other familiar faces, Into The Archives gives you a rare glimpse at a historical exhibition of Bay Area history, most of which has still not been digitized.
Run Time: 9:33

Damien McDuffie
Damien McDuffie is a digital archivist and creative technologist from Oakland, CA. He is the Founder of Black Terminus, an augmented reality (AR) platform for Black Art and the Cultural Archive. He is building the world’s first AR studio and Black migration agency for visually immersive tours and virtual archives that bring Black history, migration, and creativity to life. Inspired by his work as a Black Panther Party archivist and a need to share the archives with disparate family members abroad, he built a platform that uses the virtual archives to tell script-driven, oral history-driven, or personali- ty-driven narratives centered on the rich history of Black experience. He is a classi- cally trained writer, multi-platform storyteller, and lover of Oakland, driven by stories that inspire community, connectivity, and creative courage.

Champion, Broken Drawer, my own mecca — Bridging Perspectives Film Series Thursday, November 14, 2024, 7:30 – 9:30pm

Presented by Northeastern University and Mills Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Oakland International Film Festival.

Champion, Broken Drawer, my own mecca — Bridging Perspectives Film Series Thursday, November 14, 2024, 7:30 – 9:30pm

Presented by Northeastern University and Mills Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Oakland International Film Festival.

The Fall 2024 Bridging Perspectives series closes with an evening featuring a selection of powerful films that highlight the creativity, diversity, and storytelling of female filmmakers. Following the screening, the filmakers will join David Roach, founder of the Oakland International FIlm Festival, for a question and answer.

Champion
It’s 1997, and 9-year-old Jimin just moved to California. Jimin refuses to speak to her father who stayed behind in Korea, but when a major financial crisis devastates their home country, all hopes that he can join them in America dissipates. Now, Jimin must gather the courage to take the next steps alone.
Run Time: 13:09

Kim J.Y. Han
Kim J.Y. Han is a Korean American writer-director with a passion for socially con- scious stories and pushing boundaries in genre or form. Prior to becoming an independent filmmaker, Han was a Manager of Scripted TV Programming at NBCUniversal. She was also a Creative Executive fellow with Film Independent Project Involve, where she produced several short films that premiered and won awards at major festivals, including Berlinale and SXSW. Han most recently shot Champion, a short film about a girl seeking to mend her broken heart after moving to California without her father.

Broken Drawer
Following a sudden breakup with his fiance´, Arjun Singh must confront childhood trauma hidden deep inside his family’s heirloom. Inspired by true events and a tragic hate crime, Broken Drawer explores the power of love and letting go.
Run Time: 14:20

Rippin Sindher
Rippin Sindher is a multi-hyphenated South Asian storyteller. She participated in the Ryan Murphy HALF Directing Program as a directing fellow on “Ratched.” Her script “Namaste Bride Ji” was a Top 20 for Lena Waithe’s 2021 Rising Voices Program and previously, her romcom script was a finalist for the Sundance New Voices Lab and the AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women. She has directed festival-winning films including “Broken Drawer”. California without her father.

my own mecca
Oakland native, Dre, must contort himself in order to safely navigate through life. We follow Dre as he comes to terms with the relationship between his vessel and his world.
Run Time: 10:54

Alba Roland Mejia
Alba Roland Mejia is a writer, producer, and director based in Oakland, CA. She has an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University (SFSU) with a focus in directing narrative. Alba’s work focuses on the African diaspora and strives to capture the true essence of storytelling by pulling from real life experiences.

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Bridging Perspectives: Exploring Social Justice with the Oakland International Film Festival is a transformative three-part film screening series that delves into pressing social issues of our time: climate change, racial and gender justice. This series, presented by Northeastern University and Mills Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Oakland International Film Festival, offers a unique lens on pivotal movements and challenges, fostering dialogue and inspiring action.

“Bridging Perspectives” is more than just a film series—it’s an invitation to reflect, engage, and act. Each screening will be followed by a curated conversation with the filmmakers and community leaders.

Don’t miss this opportunity to broaden your horizons and be part of a community dedicated to social justice and positive change.