Festival← Blackstar Projects
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2026
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Festival Staff

A headshot of Akua Maat. She is wearing a white shirt and in front of a salmon colored backdrop, looking directly at the camera.

Akua Maat

Senior Operations Manager

Antoinette's head shot.

Antoinette Stewart

Box Office Manager

An image shows a portrait of Antonio Wooten.

Antonio Wooten

Merchandise Manager

Autumn Faith Valdez

Business Director

A headshot of Catherine Lee. She is an Asian woman, she has a short black bob. She is smiling softly at the camera.

Catherine Lee

Chief Operations Officer

headshot of Akili Davis

Akili Z. Davis

Operations Manager and Associate Editor, Seen

Daniel Jackson

Lead Photographer

Eugene Haynes

Industry Liaison

Lo's headshot.

Lo Lloyd

Onsite Technical Production Coordinator

Cobbina Frempong

Lead Videographer

Program Committee

Jamal Batts

Feature Documentary

Headshot of Janaína Oliveira

Janaína Oliveira

Feature Documentary, Chair

Melissa Bisagni

Feature Documentary

Headshot of asinnajaq.

asinnajaq

Festival Juror

Chloë Walters-Wallace

Short Documentary

Willi White

Experimental

Nyambura M. Waruingi

Short Documentary, Chair

Tzutzumatzin Soto

Short Documentary

Lyse Nsengiyumva

Feature Narrative

Jemma Desai

Feature Narrative, Chair

Kate Gondwe

Feature Narrative

Headshot of Kartik Nair

Kartik Nair

Short Narrative

Marcellus Armstrong

Short Narrative

Filmmakers

Ivy MacDonald

Director

A black-and-white picture of a woman named Maame Adjei. She stands against a plain white background, wearing a dark long-sleeved blouse with intricate, light-colored line patterns and high-waisted black pants. The blouse has a deep V-neck and is adorned with buttons. Her hair is styled in a low, neat bun. She has her left hand resting on her right arm, and her right hand gently touching her face while smiling warmly.

Maame Adjei

Director

A picture of a man named Kyhynngy Oyuur. He is outdoors wearing a rust-colored hat, sitting under a concrete structure by a calm body of water. He has long curly hair and a mustache, and he is wearing a dark gray hoodie and olive-green overalls. He is holding a camcorder in his hand and is looking directly at the camera with a gentle smile.

Kyhynngy Oyuur

Director

A picture of Jalena Keane-Lee in a serene and contemplative pose against a backdrop of soft, flowing purple fabric. Her long, black hair frames her face, and she is wearing a pair of gold, abstract face-shaped earrings. Her expression is calm and thoughtful, with a slight smile on her lips. She has a nose ring, and her hands are gently clasped under her chin, revealing a small tattoo of moon phases on her forearm.

Jalena Keane-Lee

Director

A picture of a man named Laman Time. He is outdoors and is positioned in front of a background filled with large, green, spiky leaves of tropical plants. He is wearing a white T-shirt and a black baseball cap with an emblem that reads "Stampede City Calgary, Alta." The man has a neutral expression, with his eyes squinting.

Laman Time

Director

A picture of a woman named Bea Hesselbart. She is standing outdoors with a softly blurred background of greenery and a red brick building. Bea has shoulder-length straight black hair and is wearing a black top that blends seamlessly with her dark hair. Her expression is calm and composed, with a faint, gentle smile.

Bea Hesselbart

Director

A picture of a woman named Alia Haju. She is standing indoors against a background of wooden planks with alternating shades of brown. Alia has dark, curly hair pulled up into a bun and wears large, intricate silver earrings. She is dressed in a shiny, silver sequin jacket over a black T-shirt that reads "ARABS FOR BLACK POWER" in bold white letters, along with a line of Arabic text beneath.

Alia Haju

Director

A picture of a young woman named Jazmin Renée Jones against a warm, soft, brownish-orange background. She has curly, medium-length hair that transitions from dark brown at the roots to a vivid orange midway down, adorned with several small hairpins. She is looking directly at the camera with a calm yet slightly intense expression. She wears large, thin, gold hoop earrings, and a deep red garment draped around her right shoulder.

Jazmin Renée Jones

Director

A picture of a man named Nelson Makengo. His head is tilted slightly upwards, and he is happily looking up towards the upper left corner of the image. He is smiling against a solid, yellow color background. He is wearing a high-collared, dark garment. The texture of the skin is clearly visible, with a short, trimmed beard along the jawline and chin, and a mustache. The hair is styled in short twists or locks.

Nelson Makengo

Director

A black-and- white picture of a woman named K. Nicole Mills. She has tightly coiled, shoulder-length locks cascading down the right side of her face. She is smiling brightly, revealing straight, white teeth against a solid black background.

K. Nicole Mills

Director

Panelists & Moderators

JT Takagi

Natalie Bullock Brown

Filmmaker/Professor

Zeba Blay

Eman

JJ’88

Amber Espinosa-Jones

Bashir Salahuddin

Head shot of Dr. Sarah J. Jackson

Dr. Sarah J. Jackson

Neema Githere Siphone

Chica Andrade

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