The San Antonio Black International Film Festival will present a hybrid SABIFF 2022 from October 6-9 on sabiff.tv, and at local venues in the Alamo City’s District I & II.
The theme of this year’s festival, Animation in Black, showcases a plethora of talented animators from around the globe, with the aim to inspire new talent. Schedules, ticketed and gratis event information can be found at sabiff.tv, and with select event simulcast that will stream on multiple social media platforms during the festival run.
For the last two years, due to COVID-19 restrictions on venues and audience limits, SABIFF presented a four-day virtual film festival which attracted not just San Antonian audiences, but attendees worldwide. This year, the film festival, sponsored by the San Antonio Film Commission (@FilmSanAntonio), has elected to continue with virtual offerings, plus return to local notable venues that have partnered with the festival since its 2019 inaugural event.
The Carver Community Cultural Center and the San Antonio Public Library’s Carver Library Branch remain patrons, while SABIFF 2022 welcomes new venue partners with St. Philip’s College|Alamo Colleges (HBCU) and the Magik Theatre to present the spectrum of the Afrocentric world of animation. New evening venues include: Elsewhere Garden Bar and Kitchen and Mark’s Outing.
SABIFF 2022’s Opening Night Gala at the Carver Community Cultural Center will feature a red carpet reception, entertainment and the presentation of SABIFF’s 3rd Annual Ankh Achievement Award to multiple award-winning animation artist Bruce W. Smith, the creator and executive producer of the Disney+ Original series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, the acclaimed revival of Disney Channel’s 1990’s groundbreaking hit-animated series The Proud Family.
During his tenure at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Smith supervised animation on classic films such as The Princess and the Frog, Winnie the Pooh, Tarzan and The Emperor’s New Groove. An alumnus of the California Institute of the Arts, his additional animation credits include Space Jam, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Goofy Movie, Bébé’s Kids and Happy Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. Smith, along with his longtime production partner Ralph Farquhar, currently have a wide-ranging, multi-year overall deal with Disney that calls for them to produce animated and live-action series and movies for Disney Branded Television.
Daily schedules will include Films In Competition showcases (October 7-8) judged and selected from SABIFF’s Open Call on FilmFreeway, the world’s largest film festival platform. St. Philip’s College (SLC Bldg. #10) will host two days of Black independent films consisting of: narratives, documentaries, animation, music video and student film stories consisting of Black subjects, stories, perspectives and images presented from the U.S., Trinidad, Jamaica, Cameroon, Brazil, Egypt, Germany and South Africa.
Additionally, there will be a combination of Animation Creative interviews, workshops and panel discussions. This year’s edition spotlights a diverse mix of global films and talent that highlights the need for diversity, equity and inclusion, and animation works of animators from illustrators, gamers, virtual reality, producers, casting agents, voice-over artists and more.
The Carver Library will house free Animation in Black family-friendly events for youth on Friday, and Cinema Under the Stars will be held on Saturday on St. Philip’s Court Yard. KROV Community Radio Station’s Keith Scott will host this family-friendly event, exhibiting animated shorts and Floyd Norman: An Animated Life, a documentary on Disney’s legendary first African-American animator/artist/storyman.
SABIFF 2022 extends a big push to area schools, youth organizations, and child care centers to attend Animation in Black.
“We are delighted to be back at live venues with a festival that aims to impact, inspire, and connect audiences to international films in competition, and the magical world of animation from Black global perspectives.” said Ada M. Babino, SABIFF’s Executive Director.
The festival organizers seek ongoing donations to cover admission costs for all SA youth, and students to attend festival events at no charge.
General audience entrance fees range from $10 daily block movie passes, to $100 for local all-access-badges for local live V.I.P. attendees. All-access-passes with virtual Video-On Demand (VOD) are available for virtual audiences across the world-wide-web. Events are open to St. Philip’s | Alamo College students, and area youth 18 and under with a valid ID. Discount rates to senior citizens, groups, and students at area institutions.
Visit sabiff.tv for more details, and donation opportunities.
