For Immediate Release
Contact: David Dodd
david.dodd@blackalphabet.org
Black LGBT Film Organization Hosts 2nd Annual Black Alphabet Film Festival
Initiated Crowd-Funding Campaign to Raise Funds for Two-Day Event
(Chicago, IL – April 15, 2014) – The Black Alphabet Film Festival (BAFF) is back for another exciting year showcasing films and other works that highlight and explore the African American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) and Same Gender Loving (SGL) experience. The international film festival will take place before the Independence Day observance on Wednesday, July 2 and Thursday, July 3 at the DuSable Museum of African American History and Center on Halsted, respectively. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning in June.
“We are to glad to be able to provide another year of wonderful programming to share with Chicago’s African American LGBTQ community and beyond,” stated Janelle Allen, executive director.
Established in 2013 and named precisely because of the mouthful naming LGBTQ/SGL inclusivity can be, Black Alphabet (BA) is a non-profit Chicago-based collective of black sexual and gender minorities committed to art, culture and entrepreneurship in the “Black Alphabet” community. Its mission is to empower the African American LGBTQ/SGL community by celebrating, promoting and nurturing untold stories that are often forgotten in the broader LGBTQ/SGL landscape.
In its inaugural launch, BAFF featured a combination of 15 shorts and features from around the world. Highlights included the official Chicago premieres of films such as Friend of Essex, a documentary meditation on the continuing influence of poet activist Essex Hemphill and Glitterboys & Ganglands, a documentary about transgender life on the South African beauty pageant circuit.
This year, BA plans to create an even bigger and better celebration of storytelling, art and community for all to enjoy. To achieve this goal, BA needs the community’s support in raising the funds necessary by contributing to the crowd-funding campaign on the website, Indiegogo.com. By donating as little as $5 can assist in BA’s efforts to reach its target funding goal. The link to donate is http://igg.me/at/baff/x/6792431. Donations through this site will be accepted until Thursday, May 9.
“This film festival was created for our community. BA needs their assistance to ensure that we can continue to tell our stories that are a part of a rich legacy that builds upon our past, informs our present and prepares us for the future,” she continued.
Black Alphabet is also currently accepting film and video submissions. For details on how to submit a film or video, visit blackalphabet.org/submit. The deadlines and entry fees are as follows:
Official Entry Deadline (Postmarked): Friday, May 2, 2014
Entry Fee: $15 (Adults)/ $10 (Students)
Late Entry Deadline (Postmarked): Friday, May 30, 2014 Entry Fee: $25 (Adults)/ $20 (Students)
Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Download the sponsorship package at blackalphabet.org/sponsorship.
For assistance, contact Black Alphabet marketing managers Langstan Smith at or via email at langstan.smith@blackalphabet.org and Brenikki Floyd, at or via email brenikki.floyd@blackalphabet.org.
For general information about the organization and the upcoming Black Alphabet Film Festival, please visit blackalphabet.org. Connect with Black Alphabet on Facebook (BlackAlphabetChicago) and Twitter (@BlackAlphabet).
