‘Faith You Can See’ Playing at The Empress Theater in Vallejo
By Carla Thomas
On July 13, the 30th annual S.E. Manly African American Film Festival was hosted at the Regal Jack London Theater in Oakland.
The event served as a fundraiser for Tech Exchange (formerly known as OTXWest), an organization that provides green tech solutions aimed at closing the digital divide.
Produced by BHERC, the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center based in Los Angeles, the full-day festival screened 19 films. including “Locks,” a student project by Oakland’s own Ryan Coogler, set in Oakland.
Also showing was “Sulê and the Case of the Tiny Sparks,” an animated story by sisters Shawnee Gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs from Oakland. Their film, part of the festival’s “Youth Block,” encouraged audiences with the message that even small actions can yield big results.
While the majority of films shown were shorts, “A Rising Tide,” was the only 90-minute feature-length film that delved into Oakland’s complex homelessness crisis.
Filmmaker Gianfranco Fernandez-Ruiz moved audiences to tears as his 15-minute film “Jerome” showcased the intense feelings of a young man suffering from the absence of a father in his life. Inspired by his own life, Fernandez-Ruiz says creating the film was therapeutic.
“Initially I made the film for myself, but once completed the film is a gift to the audience. It’s all theirs for interpretation, reaction, and emotion,” he says. After watching the film, some audience members suggested that it could be a great tool for men’s healing groups and those raised by single mothers.
“The Bond,” written and directed by Jahmil Eady, shared the plight of an incarcerated woman giving birth while shackled to a bed, a standard in half of U.S. prisons. The film, Eady says, exhibits the inhumanity, danger, and humiliation of the practice.
“This is my own mother’s story of birthing me,” said Eady.
As advocates for more humane treatment of pregnant women in prison, Eady and her mother speak to audiences around the country.
BHERC was founded in 1996 by Sandra Evers-Manly to advance the mission of Black filmmakers and highlight the diverse contributions of Black film and television artists who bring dignity and professionalism to even the most menial of roles, according to the organization.
“These films introduce people to engineering, ethics, and the beauty of intergenerational relationships between grandparents and children,” said Manly, who produced the film “Passage,” highlighting an uprising of captured Africans who fought back on a ship during the slave trade era.
“Passage,” was directed by David Massey, the first African American in the history of the Academy Awards to be nominated for an Oscar in the Live-Action Short Film category.
Tech Exchange was founded by Bruce Buckelew, a pioneer in addressing the digital divide through green technology solutions. After retiring from IBM, Buckelew began volunteering at Oakland Technical High School. For nearly three decades, Tech Exchange has provided free and low-cost refurbished computers, digital literacy training, low-cost internet navigation, and multilingual tech support to low-income communities.
“We appreciate elevating the importance of digital equity and how that is all interrelated in film, arts, and technology,” Buckelew said.
“The base of filmmaking is digital now and making technology accessible through the arts will give rise to the next generation of creators,” said Mackey, who is responsible for connecting the three organizations.
For more information visit: bherc.org and techexchange.org.
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