Black Film Festival of New Orleans
BFFNO serves the New Orleans community and beyond by being a champion of independent black content.
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Black Film Festival of New Orleans
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Balloon Man @ Virtual Theater
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 10:00 am CST
Online Live Screenings
The rubber met the road in the early 1970s for Bill Costen. After being drafted by the Buffalo Bills and later being sent to a Buffalo farm team in Hartford, CT, a life-threatening tragedy forced him to put the pads down. The result was a lark that led to the birth of the first African American Master Hot-Air Balloon Pilot in the nation.
Balloon Man is about more than a 6’5 ex-jock showing the world how to navigate through the clouds; who weathered the ordeal of his mom passing when he was only 10 years old; who flunked out the University of Nebraska his freshman year and moved across the country with something to prove; who warmed the bench in high school only to be drafted in the pros five years later; who survived numerous twists and turns in his life to avoid becoming another ignominious statistic. It is about flight in every sense of the word.
Told through the eyes of Bill’s award-winning filmmaker daughter, Chantal Potter, Balloon Man is a multi-layered film that displays a story untold, that will prompt a call to your nearest hot air balloon pilot right after it makes you contemplate the meaning of a dream deferred. It is a piece of history that serves as another reminder of the rich tapestry of not only the African American stock, but also humanity.
Balloon Man crystallizes the art of struggle and redemption, while providing an unofficial blueprint for not becoming a victim of circumstance. It is the manifestation for father and daughter, of a dream simultaneously realized. Four decades, thousands of passengers and countless adventures later, Bill finds freedom in flying, proving that with a bit of faith the sky is the limit.
Imagine (Short film block)
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 11:00 am CST
Online Live Screenings
This collection of 7 short films are centered around the theme of Imagination. Listed below are the titles and their runtime.
Genesis (5:00)
From Me to You (5:26)
Renaissance (4:19)
Keep Your Flowers (3:47)
Couch Coins (5:39)
Think About It (7:53)
Seeing Sounds (3:27)
Looking At The Edges (14:37)
A Place Called Desire @ Virtual Theater
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 12:00 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
A Place Called Desire have been in the making for 12 years, offers many unforgettable history lessons applicable to American history, Louisiana history, African American history, urban history, racial history, studies of neighborhoods, studies of survival, and memorable stories of love and community. Somehow the filmmaker shares hard truths with a gentle touch.
The Dreamers (Short Film Block)
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 1:00 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
This collection of short films are centered around the sometimes other-worldly happenings in the films. Listed below are the films and their runtime.
A Dream for Sale (6:51)
Rejoice Resist (5:13)
All The Smoke (7:32)
Round Table (18:00)
Such An Honor (9:11)
Silent Partner (10:00)
White Tears (23:24)
Solomon @ Virtual Theater
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 2:00 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
While living in Detroit, a struggling young white writer and a retired black psychiatrist form an unlikely friendship in the midst of the city’s changing demographics and culture, all while uncovering secrets about one another that threaten to destroy their growing bond.
Life Comes At You Fast (Short Film Screening Block)
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 3:30 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
This block of 7 short films centers around a theme of adjustment around a life altering event. Listed below are the films and runtimes for this section.
I’m Sorry (14:19)Lessons Lived (17:06)
Illegal Rose(14:06)
Blaming Cairo (15:02)
I Hate This FKN Job (17:30)
Barley (13:21)
Broke Is The Reason (8:18)
Low Key @ Virtual Theater
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 5:00 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
An unfulfilled salesman and his eccentric streetwise manager come together to navigate Dallas’ underground music world for a chance at a record deal
Feeling Some Kinda Way (Short Film Block)
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 6:00 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
This block of 7 short films are centered around difficult romantic relationships. Following the films we will have a collective Q&A with participating filmmakers. See the screening list for this section and their runtimes below.
Puppy Love (17:53)
January 14th(14:43)
Everything That Glitters (18:24)
Light In Dark Places (10:55)
Pepper Soup (10:31)
Shanks Rain (9:21)
The Trilateral Effect (10:53)
Pink Opaque @ Virtual Theater
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 7:00 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
A story of love, family, hardships, and life in Los Angeles
Fierce Funny & Fly @ Virtual Theater
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 9:00 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
Fierce Funny & Fly examines the friendship behind the first comedy festival exclusively for Black Women comics. In 2017 a group of talented women joined forces to create a safe space for their diverse comedic voices. The outgrowth of that mission became the Black Girl Giggles Comedy Festival.
A Frantic Love @ Virtual Theater
access_time Viewing Times
March 28, 2021, 10:00 pm CST
Online Live Screenings
After her terrifying ordeal with her obsessive stalker, Justin, the headstrong Ebony seeks to reconstruct her life and regain her independence, something she hopes moving into a home of her own will help her accomplish. Her friends face struggles of their own as Tracy finds herself in hot water at her pharmacy job, and Shelia’s bond with her teenage daughter, Akilah, hits a rocky patch. Ebony throws herself into her restaurant work, but when a flirtatious relationship begins to build between Tracy and her coworker, Roman, and Shelia’s romance with her boyfriend, Derrick, continues to bloom, she can’t help but feel something, or someone, is missing from her own life. Her friends hope she might be able to find that someone at an upcoming Christmas party they are hosting, and Ebony, despite the fact her invitation to the party mysteriously went missing, reluctantly agrees to attend. Besides, it’s not like Justin could possibly know about the party – Right