NIFF stands with Black Lives Matter
NIFF has always been an avid fighter for equality and it is such an easy choice for us to stand with the Black Lives Matter Movement. We believe that inequality can only be fixed by acknowledging the roots of injustice. It is no secret that some voices and narratives have been given more presence than others. It is our hope that conscious efforts to promote and highlight underrepresented stories will lead to the systemic change that needs to happen.
This year marks the beginning of NIFF’s redoubled efforts to bring representation and opportunity to all aspects of our festival. From this year on, NIFF will calculate and publish our diversity statistics - both behind and in front of the camera - in order to be as transparent as possible about the stories we are promoting. It is our hope that our community will join us as we grow and learn.
Until equality is a given, we will fight to make it so. 50% of this year’s Official Selection ticket sales will go to Brown Art Ink and the Black Independent Filmmaker app. We hope that this contribution will help bring the diverse voices we so badly need, to the big screen. It is a small step, but it is one we very happily take.
We invite discussions and suggestions and we thank you for supporting the voices that need to be heard.
Brown Art Ink is a nomadic community incubator to support the arts ecosystem for artists, cultural practitioners, and communities of color. Our work is firmly rooted in community and place as site of memory and cultural geography.
The Black Independent Filmmaker App provides a virtual platform to connect filmmakers of color in the independent film community, consolidating resources into a single app. In times like these, it is more important than ever to have our truths and our stories told and to foster a network of peers for support in collectively meeting this urgency.
The Black Independent Filmmaker App aims to build a communal family for filmmakers of color everywhere who wish to channel their ambitions and talents to produce powerful content and films that heal, mobilize, uplift, and inspire us all.