"Reel Sisters" Film Festival Celebrates Rebirth and Healing
At Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, March 12-14
— Participants include author Terrie Williams and filmmaker Eve Sandler —

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Films by women from around the world will be among the impressive presentations at The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival and Lecture Series at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus.

The Campus’s Media Arts Department and African Voices magazine are sponsoring the three-day event, which kicks off with an awards ceremony at the Brooklyn Museum of Art on Friday, March 12. A powerful selection of 28 films and an array of panels will be offered at the Brooklyn Campus on March 13 and 14. Author Terrie Williams and filmmaker Eve Sandler will join the festival’s Heal Thy Soul Day on March 14.

For the past seven years, Reel Sisters of the Diaspora has dedicated itself to providing opportunities for diverse women filmmakers to showcase their films. It is a launching pad for women directors to gain international exposure and recognition. Monikka Stallworth, a recipient of the Reel Sisters 2003 Best Director Award, went on to have her film "Mello’s Kaleidoscope" featured in Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival. This year’s festival represents films from South Africa, China, Cuba, Ghana and Britain.

"We’re making history in Brooklyn," says Reel Sisters co-founder Carolyn A. Butts. "Reel Sisters is one of the few outlets that film lovers have to experience intellectually stimulating and empowering films by women from around the world. This year’s festival is dedicated to rebirth, healing and remembrance."

Films celebrating the lives of leaders, heroes and history makers will be presented in Reel Sisters 2004. In "All Our Sons: Fallen Heroes of 9/11," a film co-directed by Lillian E. Benson, Craig Kelly and Shannon Gee, the parents of black firefighters who died share personal portraits of their children. Director Rhonda L. Hayes explores the fascinating history of African-American midwives in "Bringin’ in da Spirit," a film narrated by actress Phylicia Rashad. Canadian director Runjoo Giri documents the lives of five women in "Her China Today," while director Betty García’s film, "Firecracker," explores the turmoil of a young mother called into active duty with the U.S. Reserves on the eve of her daughter’s ninth birthday.

In director Kim Singleton’s "The Color of Funny," five comediennes share the challenges of being a female entertainer in a man’s world, and director Carol Reel Sisters Bash pays tribute to legendary jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams in "Soul on Soul." A film co-directed by Marta Vega, "When the Spirits Dance Mambo," celebrates the history of the Yoruba-influenced religion of Santería in Cuba.

On Sunday, March 14, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Clairesa Clay, the film festival curator, will lead an interactive workshop called "Heal Thy Soul: Day of Spiritual Cleansing and Release," which will deal with issues of incest, domestic violence and molestation. In addition to filmmakers Eve Sandler ("Wash") and Shandra McDonald ("Can’t Let Go"), participants in this open conversation include publicist/inspirational speaker Terrie Williams, author of "A Plentiful Harvest: Creating Balance and Harmony Through the Seven Living Virtues," and musician/storyteller Atiba Wilson. Audience members are encouraged to bring drums and comfortable clothing to experience an uplifting workshop with dancer Novuyo Masakhane following the panel discussion.

In the spirit of remembrance, Reel Sisters will present "Books to Screen: Drawing Inspiration from Our Literary Canon." A panel of leading writers, scholars and cultural leaders will discuss the importance of filmmakers using the wealth of literature from the Diaspora as inspiration for films. Award-winning novelist Louise Meriwether ("Daddy Was a Number Runner") and internationally acclaimed performance artist and historian Camille Yarbrough will participate in the conversation.  Storyteller/activist Malika Lee Whitney will moderate the discussion.

Other dynamic workshops and panels taking place are "Speaking Ourselves: Images, Types and Womanhood," a panel challenging the stereotypes and images of black women in mainstream media. Dr. Andree-Nicola McLaughlin, a professor at Medgar Evers College, will moderate. Donnell Media Center librarian Joan Byrd will conduct a workshop on the importance of film preservation. Dorothy Thigpen, executive director of Third World Newsreel, will interview filmmaker/artist Camille Billops as a part of the Reel Sisters Director Spotlight. Excerpts from Billops films, "A String of Pearls" and "Finding Christa," will be screened.

One of the first festivals to stimulate an international dialogue on improving the status of female directors, producers and screenwriters, Reel Sisters is sponsored by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts and the Brooklyn Council on the Arts. For conference schedule, festival prices and other information, call Rodney Hurley at (718) 488-1052 or visit www.reelsisters.org.

Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus opened in 1926, welcoming a diverse population at a time when other major universities enforced quota systems against racial and ethnic minorities. More than 30,000 students currently are enrolled at the University’s three residential and three regional compuses, including more than 11,000 at the Brooklyn Campus.