Black Bottom Film Festival To Honor Academy Museum Head Jacqueline Stewart At 2023 Edition Curated By Micheaux Film Festival

EXCLUSIVE: Pittsburgh’s Black Bottom Film Festival (BBFF), hosted by the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC), has inked a curatorial partnership with LA’s Micheaux Film Festival for its upcoming sixth edition, which runs October 27—October 29.

During this year’s edition, the festival will also honor Academy Museum head Jacqueline Stewart with its Luminary Award. Alongside her role at the Academy Museum, Stewart is a professor of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago.

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Presented by Citizens Financial Group, the BBFF will unravel over three days, featuring a series of screenings and panels all focused on what organizers describe as “the essence of Black life,” curated by Courtney L. Branch and Noel Braham of the Micheaux Film Festival.

“We take immense pride in curating the 6th edition of the Black Bottom Film Festival, while also celebrating our partnership. It is both an honor and a privilege to collaborate with the brilliant minds at the Center, led by the visionary leadership of Janis Burley,” said festival curators Courtney L. Branch and Noel Braham. “Their invaluable contributions to preserving the legacy of August Wilson and nurturing emerging filmmakers, in conjunction with our joint efforts with the Micheaux Film Festival, serve as a true testament to resilience, pride, and the embodiment of black cinematic excellence.”

New additions to this year’s festival schedule include a partnership with Howard University. The fest will present films by Howard alums and graduate students curated by professors in the film department. Former Howard students include Jenn Nkiru, Hans Charles, Bradford Young, and Arthur Jafa. Fest sponsors Citizens Financial Group will also present the panel discussion ‘Reel Money: Building Pittsburgh’s Film Economy.’ Organizers have said the session will set out to explore how local industry in Pittsburgh can be elevated to match leading markets such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Atlanta.

Panelists will include Gregory Edwards, Dolly Grip, and Pittsburgh Film Office board of directors, Kevin M. Smith, director of Undergraduate studies in broadcasting and teaching professor, University of Pittsburgh, and actor-writer Roger Smith. The session will be moderated by Dawn M. Keezer, executive director of the Pittsburgh Film Office.

Janis Burley, President of the AWAACC, said: “When we started embarking on a film festival program six years ago, we knew there was endless potential to give artists a voice to share perspectives on the challenges and triumphs of Black life around the globe through film. This year, we start with the origins of Black people in front of and behind the camera with Oscar Micheaux to the future with graduate students at Howard University Film School. We are grateful to Citizens for sponsoring the 6th edition of the Black Bottom Film Festival.”

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