Black And White In Color

Well over a decade ago, my colleague at the Charlotte Observer, Larry Toppman, shared with me an anecdote relating his attempts to snag an advance screening for the latest Martin Scorsese feature. The publicist helpfully explained that a sneak preview of the Scorsese flick wouldn’t be warranted in the Queen City because research revealed that our market had never been particularly receptive to the man’s films. “However,” the publicist chirped, “when we land the next Chevy Chase movie, your city will be among the first to know!”

It’s probably safe to assume that Charlotte has matured from Chevy to Marty; what’s more, advance screenings are no longer a problem, and the city has steadily moved up in terms of its viability as a movie town. A glut of theaters pepper the landscape, with more on the way: A new venue in the Ballantyne area is set to open in a few weeks, and for years — or has it been centuries? — there’s been chatter about opening a movie theater in the heart of downtown (wake me when this becomes a reality).

But all of this relates to regularly scheduled releases. When it comes to locally produced film festivals, Charlotte’s track record remains spotty. The Charlotte Film & Video Festival was a raging success in the early-to-mid 1990s — it moved beyond regional support to garner national exposure — but its sponsors cowardly pulled the plug when a couple of homophobes complained the fest featured too many gay-themed titles. Presently, promoter Dennis Darrell continues to tirelessly offer such film programs as the “Reel Soul” series, the Mint Museum still holds its long-running “Jazzy Ladies” movie’n’music hybrid and Wendy Fishman at the Light Factory promotes the works of local indie filmmakers. But for a city this size, it’s still not enough.

That’s where the NoDa Film Festival comes in. Given its reputation as an arts district, it only makes sense the North Davidson area should house a film festival that will provide discerning film fans a break from whichever tired sequels or slasher flicks are presently jamming multiplex auditoriums. So for three days starting this Sunday, Feb. 26, NoDa’s Neighborhood Theatre will host the fest. And it wouldn’t be incorrect to claim the inspiration for this event came from high above.

“The idea for the festival originated with Christ Central Church, which operates out of the Neighborhood Theatre in NoDa,” says Jeff Jackson, the festival’s director. “It wanted to demonstrate that Christians can support the arts and progressive visions.”

With such hate-mongering hypocrites as Pat Robertson and George W. Bush continuing to give Christianity a bad name, one might be surprised to find a church bold enough to program a film fest that isn’t screening The Passion of the Christ 24/7. Yet anyone familiar with the basic tenets of Christianity will immediately realize that such a union between art and religion makes perfect sense.

“You might ask yourself why a church would be so interested in a film festival,” notes Howard Brown, the senior pastor at Christ Central. “The reason is simple: God is a creative God and He created us, as Genesis says, after his image. To be human is to be creative. When humans create, it is a deeply dignifying thing. Art and film are places where we might very well be able to see something about God and ourselves and the world. And that’s something in which any church has an interest.”

For this inaugural event, Jackson and his colleagues decided to focus on African-American films and filmmakers. “After consulting with and canvassing various critics and film fans around the country, the films were chosen by myself and Senior Pastor Brown,” says Jackson. “We prescreened a slew of movies and after much discussion, finally whittled down the list. We chose African-American films that we felt were both great movies and spoke to important cultural and racial issues. But the level of artistic accomplishment was always the most important criteria.

“Frankly,” Jackson continues, “African-American cinema gets far too little exposure both within the mainstream media and within the film community itself. There are many wonderful African-American films that people never get to experience because they are rarely screened and discussed. We hope to draw attention to them.”

Unlike other film festivals, Jackson decided this one should focus squarely on the movies themselves: “I suggested that we forget about more ambitious ideas, like having the films accompanied by lectures and roundtable and panel discussions. It’s easy for that type of presentation to make people feel like they’re eating their vegetables. It’s ‘good for you,’ but often no fun whatsoever. We wanted to create something as exciting and inviting as possible. And since we could only get the Neighborhood Theatre for three days, we wanted to show as many films as possible and not clutter the program with unnecessary extras.”

Considering the expense in securing copies of the films and showing them on a big screen, one might reasonably expect to fork over a few dollars to check out the flicks. But while some NoDa vendors will be present to sell food and drinks to patrons, admission to the movies themselves is absolutely free. It’s a strategy Jackson figures will pay off.

“Christ Central Church is footing all the financial costs, while the Neighborhood Theatre is allowing us to use its facilities for free,” says Jackson. “We felt it was important that the event was free so that as many people as possible would come experience these great movies. Since many people might not be familiar with the films we’re showing, we wanted them to feel like they could take a chance and not have to worry about spending their hard-earned cash on something they might not like.”

Of course, any help is appreciated in ensuring that more NoDa Film Festivals will come along down the road. Jackson plans to make this a quarterly event, and he’s seeking more volunteers to help this grassroots operation continue to run smoothly. Christ Central Church will continue to support the festival out of its outreach budget, although there has been talk of making the event a nonprofit function separate from the church in order for it to qualify for grants and support from philanthropic groups.

As for the themes of future fests, Jackson says topics being considered include women’s issues, local filmmakers, horror and animation. “Whatever the topic,” he insists, “our emphasis will always be on screening high-quality films that aren’t readily available anywhere else. It’s our belief that Charlotte has the makings of a great film culture. We hope to plant some of the seeds to bring that culture to fruition.”

THE FILMS

Seven movies are slated to be screened over the three-day period. The most famous is 1989’s Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee’s masterpiece about racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood on a hot summer day. Then there’s 1985’s Krush Groove, a seminal film in hip-hop culture thanks to its mix of musical performances by (among others) Run-DMC, the Fat Boys, Sheila E. and LL Cool J.

Some other titles are less known but also worthy of attention. Daughters of the Dust, which played in a previous Charlotte film series (the Mint Museum’s) back in 1992, follows a Gullah family in 1902 as they prepare to leave their isolated island home off the Georgia coast for the “civilized world.” Writer-director Julie Dash doesn’t always rely on a linear plot to tell her story; instead, she and cinematographer Arthur Jafa (earning a Sundance prize) create a series of haunting images that sweep us along with their visceral rhythms. Similarly, Charles Burnett’s 1990 offering To Sleep With Anger moves to its own beat, with Danny Glover (in a riveting performance) blending just the right touch of charm and menace as a man who visits some friends in LA and turns their household upside down.

Rounding out the schedule are Wendell B. Harris’ Chameleon Street, based on the true story of a scam artist, and two documentaries: Style Wars, about NYC graffiti artists, and The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy, a look at break-dancing.

Here’s the complete schedule:

Sunday, Feb. 26

(Hip Hop 101)

4:30pm: Style Wars (1983)

6pm: The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy (2002)

8pm: Krush Groove (1985)

Monday, Feb. 27

(Great Black Directors)

7pm: To Sleep With Anger (1990)

9pm: Do the Right Thing (1989)

Tuesday, Feb. 28

(One-Time Indie Wonders)