When the Gary International Black Film Festival was founded, its mission was to bring films to the city.
In a city without a working commercial theater for decades, organizers seized the opportunity to connect residents with local and national films. Now, 16 years later, it is one of the premier organizations bridging that gap.
“Seeing filmmakers from Gary premiere their work alongside independent films from across the country and around the world is exactly what we want this festival to make possible,” said founder and director Karen Toering in the event’s press release. “Gary is not simply a place where films come to screen. Stories are being made here.”
Founded in 2011, the Gary International Black Film Festival brings more than 40 filmmakers from around the world to showcase independent films told by and about Black people across the African diaspora. Online and in person, it lets residents experience a weekend of creativity.
“My favorite part about watching film is talking to my friends about it,” Toering said, looking around the room last weekend on opening night of the film festival. In her words, she’s a firm believer in the rare way film festivals connect viewers with filmmakers; the biggest part of the small festival is having conversations about these shared experiences while watching.
Fellowship for emerging filmmakers
This year marks the fifth year of the Reel Rundown Fellowship, an intensive six-week program that gives emerging filmmakers and creatives a real look at how the film industry works, from careers to the people making decisions behind closed doors. Through mentorship, exploring their interests and talents, and meeting industry folks, fellows create an original project that reflects their own creative voice.
Led by filmmaker and the festival’s Boots on the Ground organizer, Toni Simpson, and Gary Arts Council President Mckenya Dilworth-Smith, the fellowship gives interested folks a chance to get into the industry.
“We have to be the author of our stories,” Simpson said, stressing the need to highlight these stories in a society that tries to suppress Black voices. “In the old days, we passed these stories down orally, but now we can do it with film.”
Since 2022, Simpson has created each theme to challenge and connect filmmakers to the community. This year’s theme explored the intersectionality of film and social justice.
“Because of what this country has been experiencing, I felt it necessary to keep a record and an accurate account being told by us,” she said, pointing to the cultural and historical erasure happening in Gary and worldwide. “[It’s about] having a place and a space to have open and honest conversations about these things that they’re trying to erase.”
Over two days, the organization premiered each creative’s films. With a 30-minute limit, fellows can explore a broader range of ideas for their films. This year’s cohort includes some returning fellows.
“I love film, and I wanted to challenge myself,” said fellow Jaylin Scott, whose short film, The Harvest, focused on human and organ trafficking as it relates to Black people. A returning participant in the program, he said he chose this topic because it should be talked about more, and many are scared to speak about it, which led many locations to turn him down for filming. “This is a reality that is happening right now, and [I hope it brings] discernment.”
Chicago native Sherwen Moore, whose film focuses on defining leaders in the Black community, hopes to use his film as a call to action.
“It’s like a challenge; I want to find out where we are right now as far as needing to change,” Moore said. “We can look back in the past and know we need to move forward, but what is that future really looking like?”
There were supposed to be more fellows, but many who were Gary residents weren’t able to finish their projects in the aftermath of the Aug. 11 storm.
The festival celebrated the push to get these projects out despite the strain. That push, along with the initiative to bring films back to the city, has kept the film festival going, even as commercial movie production returns to Gary.
For artist PeQue Brown, a first-time participant who drew over 170 illustrations showcased in his film, the festival let him reconnect with his hometown.
“I’m proud of where I came from, and what you know about Gary is not Gary,” he explained about representing Gary in the outside world. In his words, his film is about more than his hometown; it’s about the people or things that made you greater than your surroundings.
“There are two generations behind me that need to know that they can, when the world is saying you can’t because of the way you look,” he said. “This is bigger than me and bigger than Gary.”
Read more to learn about each fellow and the work they submitted for the festival, all of which are still available online.
The Harvest by Jaylin Scott: After witnessing a secret organ-harvesting operation, a homeless young man desperately seeks help only to discover that the people meant ot protect him may be part of the nightmare.
Where I’m From by PeQue Brown: An artist looks back at the place and people who formed him to understand his purpose and the man he has become.
Pocket Change by Sherwan Moore: To redefine their culture, a people must first transform themselves. Pocket Change spotlights five historical figures that turned personal convictions into outward progress, forging a blueprint for the Black experience in America and beyond.
Legacy Is More Important Than Life by Nathaniel Tate: What does it look like to live a revolutionary legacy every day? Through candid conversations, community gatherings, and unexpected encounters, filmmaker Nathaniel Tate follows Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. beyond the speeches. This documentary prologue brings together moments from different days of filming, offering a personal first look at the relationships, responsibilities, and work that will unfold in a larger docuseries.
The Missed Flight for Education by Angel Knight: This film explores conversations with students, staff, and parents who experience the brilliance of two top-performing schools in Gary, IN: Banneker Achievement Center and Emerson Visual and Performing Arts Academy, which has produced top professionals, Hollywood stars, WNBA and NBA players, and other successes. Both closed.
Not Another Social Justice Movie by Mary Kennedy: Fighting injustice while fighting each other for the right to define.
