As part of an ongoing effort to support and elevate the Black storytelling community, the Denton Black Film Festival and its DBFF Institute (DBFFI) announced the expansion of its partnership with Panavision.
During the 2021 Denton Black Film Festival, Jan. 27–Feb. 1, Panavision will donate two camera rental grant packages to the winning filmmakers in the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature categories.
To further the mission of the DBFFI, Panavision will collaborate with the Institute to curate a series of workshops that aim to educate, train, and inspire the next generation of Black storytellers. The four-part educational series for 2021 will kick off during the festival, with subsequent workshops following quarterly and covering a range of technical and creative topics that confront filmmakers from pre-production through post.
Additionally, to continue amplifying the voices of Black artists, DBFFI and Panavision have created Voice x Vision, a social video series that provides a platform to filmmakers who are telling powerful stories related to the Black experience.
“Panavision has been a tremendous partner over the years,” said Harry Eaddy, who along with his wife, Linda, help lead a team of volunteers to produce the annual film festival. “By expanding this effort, we’re able to support creatives with their projects and expose their great work to a broader audience.”
Kim Snyder, president and CEO of Panavision, added, “The Denton Black Film Festival is a wonderful vehicle for creatives to showcase their work. Panavision shares the Festival’s and the Institute’s goal of empowering individuals from the Black community who aspire to or already work in the film, television, and commercial arenas. We’re excited to build upon our partnership to support, encourage, and promote the work of Black storytellers.”
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More