The Denton Black Film Festival is in its 9th year, and getting bigger.
The festival will screen 98 films, but it includes much more than cinema. DBFF will highlight Black music, spoken word, technology, and art.
"When we started this, they said, 'Well, why would you do a Black film festival?' and I said, 'Well, why not?" DBFF director Harry Eaddy said. "It's not just for Black folk. It's really for everybody."
In-person tickets are back for the first time since the pandemic.
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"What we try to do is really curate films that people will care about," Eaddy said.
Not all the films are feature-length.
"And so we just put 'em together and called it a 'Box of Chocolates'!"
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The DBFF art, in all its forms, is meant to spark conversation, inclusion, and empathy.
"We get about 20 to 22% of our audience that's not Black, which is really good...they call us a 'safe haven'. They say I can come and talk about things like race, 'cause no one really likes to talk about race," Eaddy said. "And some of them are challenging because we may not agree, but at least we're able to have the conversation."
The Denton Black Film Festival opens Wednesday night with an art exhibit, 'E=S, Existence Equals Survival' at the UNT COLAB. Artists featured are Okoro Simon Peter, YNG, Inyang Essien, Jennifer Monet Cowley, and William Toliver.
Daisha Board, Dallas' only Black woman art gallery owner, curated the exhibit.
"Just try to figure out how we can help build bridges," Eaddy said.
The Denton Black Film Festival runs through January 29 in-person, and from January 29 through February 5 virtually.
For tickets, click here. For a schedule of events, click here.
