Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a father who was an artist, and I have fond memories of gazing at each brushstroke that made up his vibrant paintings hung all over our house. In general, however, black artists seem to be an invisible resource. They have always been here, creating anything from paintings... Continue Reading →
This Halloween season, Blumhouse released four films under the banner "Welcome to the Blumhouse." The production company known for Get Out and Happy Death Day presents tales of suspense, betrayal, and thrills with a large helping of representation. Black Box: Directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. and written by Stephen Herman, Black Box is a sci-fi... Continue Reading →
I did a presentation on Afrofuturism for the 2020 Fantasia Film Festival. If you missed it, you can watch it here. There will be other great panels available on this playlist too! And check out the festival if you're in Canada because there are lots of amazing films. If you are interested in more... Continue Reading →
Octavia E. Butler’s birthday was on June 22, 1947. She is the mother of black futures and would have been 73 years old this year. Her worlds explored Black people and situations where race, sexuality, and hierarchy determined the fates of her characters. She never sugar-coated scenarios, often bringing the worst of human nature to... Continue Reading →
The zombie genre has been played out and regurgitated for a long time now, leaving horror fans jaded and looking for a new angle. In 2014, Mike Carey (as M.R. Carey) wrote The Girl with All the Gifts, a book about a zombie plague instigated by a fungus. In 2016, he wrote the screenplay for... Continue Reading →
Afrofuturism is a term coined by cultural critic Mark Dery, but I tend to lean towards writer and filmmaker Ytasha Womack’s definition which states: “Whether through literature, visual arts, music, or grassroots organizing, Afrofuturists redefine culture and notions of blackness for today and the future. Both an artistic aesthetic and a framework for critical theory,... Continue Reading →
What happens if you want to create a fun project for your MIT class only to find that you don’t exist to your own project? This happened to then graduate student Joy Buolamwini when she wanted to create a facial recognition mirror, the “Aspire Mirror”, that would project fun filters to start your day. Because... Continue Reading →
As a programmer for The Blood in the Snow Film Festival, I have the privilege of seeing some fantastic films created here in Canada, and I feel even luckier when we acquire them. One such film, She Never Died, screened in 2019 to great acclaim. Directed by Audrey Cummings, it’s not exactly a sequel to... Continue Reading →
On a rare 29th day of February 2020, I gave a lecture for Toronto’s Black Museum: Lurid Lectures for the Morbidly Curious on The Omega Man and the inadvertently Afrofuturist themes called The Omega Man’s Utopian Dystopia. I spoke about how this classic film has an Afrofuturistic bent without seemingly trying. Sure, it was... Continue Reading →
Reviews and essays on genre film from a WOC perspective
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Reviews and essays on genre film from a WOC perspective
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Reviews and essays on genre film from a WOC perspective
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