The first Ottawa Black Film Festival (OBFF) is set to start tomorrow night.<\/p>\n
The organizers of the OBFF planned to have the inaugural Ottawa event in 2020 but the plans were interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After taking some time to regroup, the OBFF bringing its festival to Ottawa citizens via the virtual space this year.<\/p>\n
Andrea Este, the OBFF head programming coordinator, explained how they were able to get the festival running.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to produce the Montreal International Black Film Festival and the Toronto Black Film Festival virtually as well as Halifax,\u201d Este said. \u201cWe just felt it was the perfect time to launch Ottawa at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Este said that the OBFF is about more than just movies: it\u2019s about empowering Black professionals in the film community.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlack artists have very little opportunities so, for us, it is imperative to empower Black voices,\u201d Este said. \u201cWe do show films by Black filmmakers. There is Black talent behind the camera and in front of the camera. We also host the Black Market where we feature panel discussions that are based around industry as well as socials and community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The opening film for the festival is Ignacio M\u00e1rquez\u2019s \u201cThe Special\u201d and will become available on an online streaming service at 7 p.m. Thursday. Later that night, the rest of the festival\u2019s films will become available at 10 p.m. Este said there are a lot of gems to look forward to in this year\u2019s lineup.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI invite people to come and register,\u201d Este said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Este said she is excited for the OBFF to kick off because the community response so far has been wonderful. She said that there are some film festivals in Ottawa that amplify Black voices and she is excited to add the OBFF to this list.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving us come is just another platform to showcase Black talent. The reception has been really great,\u201d Este said. \u201cPeople are talking about us and are really anxious to be a part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n