Michèle Stephenson

Race Flicks Panel (Q&A)

Join filmmakers of our Race Flicks films for a Q&A session.

• All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk - Angela Tucker (Director/Producer)
• Belly of the Beast - Erika Cohn (Director/Producer)
• Standing Above the Clouds - Jalena Keane-Lee (Director/Producer)
• Stateless (Apátrida) - Michèle Stephenson (Director)
• The Passing On - Nathan Clarke (Director), Lana Garland (Producer)
• Through the Night - Loira Limbal (Director/Producer)
• While I Breathe I Hope - Xuan Vu (Producer/Editor)

Moderator(s): Hannah Hearn Speakers: Jalena Keane-Lee, Xuan Vu, Nathan Clarke, Lana Garland, Erika Cohn, Michèle Stephenson, Angela Tucker, Loira Limbal

Stateless (Apátrida)

In 1937, tens of thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent were exterminated by the Dominican army, based on anti-black hatred fomented by the Dominican government. Fast-forward to 2013, the Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court stripped the citizenship of anyone with Haitian parents, retroactive to 1929. The ruling rendered more than 200,000 people stateless, without nationality, identity or a homeland. In this dangerous climate, a young attorney named Rosa Iris mounts a grassroots campaign, challenging electoral corruption and advocating for social justice. Director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary Stateless traces the complex tributaries of history and present-day politics, as state-sanctioned racism seeps into mundane offices, living room meetings, and street protests.

Directed/Produced by Michèle Stephenson, Produced by Lea Marin and Jennifer Holness

Speakers: Michèle Stephenson, Lea Marin, Jennifer Holness

SHORTS BLOCK

THE CONVERSATION: A series of short films about race in America
by Michèle Stephenson

When it comes to race relations in America, there has been no shortage of rhetoric, rage and accusations, but too few attempts have been made to elevate the conversation beyond superficial remarks. Comprised of shorts, The Conversation Series avoids a single narrative, with each piece exploring a different facet of societal perceptions that provide honest and surprising insight into the reality of our social systems.

 

FIRST LIGHT
by Adam Mazo & Ben Pender-Cudlip

First Light documents the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the first such task force in US history to investigate issues important to Native Americans. The Commission was dedicated to uncovering and acknowledging the truth about what happened to Wabanaki children and families involved with the state's child welfare system.  

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/140817010

 

LAST DAY OF FREEDOM
by Dee Hibbert-Jones & Nomi Talisman

Last Day of Freedom, is a richly animated personal narrative, and tells the story of Bill Babbitt’s decision to stand by his brother in the face of war, crime and capital punishment. The film is a portrait of a man at the nexus of the most pressing social issues of our day – veterans’ care, mental health access and criminal justice.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/49610192

Speakers: Michèle Stephenson