New Community Leadership Foundation Proposal to Name the Fillmore Heritage Screening Room in Honor of Festival Founder Ave Montague & Son Kali O’Ray, Decade Long Director
San Francisco Black Film Festival XXV, 25 Years of Resilience and Empowerment, June 15-18 launching a yearlong celebration, joins community leaders to seek honor for late Founder and late Executive Director.
Posted Courtesy of Wright Enterprises Community Spotlight San Francisco~Dallas~~~
San Francisco-The San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF) - in partnership with New Community Leadership Foundation (NCLF) - proudly announces its approval of a proposal to operate the Fillmore Heritage Center Screening Room. This collaboration comes at an exciting time as the multicultural festival celebrates San Francisco Black Film Festival XXV, 25 Years of Resilience and Empowerment, June 15-18 launching a yearlong celebration.
To commemorate this historic time of resilience and forward visioning, the SFBFF, NCLF with longtime community leaders propose an official name change of the Fillmore Heritage Center screening room to: the Montague-Ray Screening Room (informally known as “The Mon-Ray Room). This renaming memorializes the festival’s late great founder Ave Montague, and her late son, festival director and beloved friend to the community, Kali O’Ray. Even in the midst of societal stressors causing out migration of Black residents from San Francisco, the rare Black family generational tradition of light and truth bearers of the San Francisco Black Film Festival continues as O’Ray’s daughter, Montague’s grandchild, Cree Ray carries the family torch for community empowerment.
"We are honored that the San Francisco Black Film Festival is joining with New Community Leadership Foundation and many other San Francisco leaders to make happen this well-deserved honor of family members, Ave Montague and Kali O'Ray, who were community leaders and trailblazers each in their own right and what better time than the 25th Anniversary," said Majeid Crawford, Executive Director, New Community Leadership Foundation.
The San Francisco Black Film Festival founded by Montague as San Francisco saw a consistent dwindling in Black residents, has held a high standard of excellence of and for the African Diaspora, giving the world a reason to visit San Francisco. Beyond the cultural significance of the festival, SFBFF has impacted the mainstream narrative by joining filmmakers and film enthusiasts of all races, cultures and backgrounds, giving tourists a reason to spend their time and money in San Francisco.
The iconic SFBFF has generated new business, new ideas, jobs and intellectual synergism among filmmakers and audiences. The people that have graced the screens, panels and/or attended SFBFF over the years include: Hometown native son, Actor and Humanitarian, Danny Glover; Robert Townsend; Taraji P. Henson; the late Ray Liotta; Billy Dee Williams; San Franciscan Actress, Producer, Director Terri J. Vaughn; the late Chadwick Boseman; Former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr.; late San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi; late businessman and filmmaker Charlie Walker; Cuba Gooding Jr., Barry Shabaka Henley, Mario Van Peebles; Delroy Lindo; Carl Lumbly; Loretta Divine; “The Piper;” Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson; Lynn Whitfield and other celebrities.
More than just a fun event, The San Francisco Black Film Festival has extended its footprint internationally to the South African Durban International Film Festival, created job training for youth with its SFBFF Ambassador Program and has encouraged filmmakers with its SFBFF Jeff Adachi Social Justice Award and the recent Kali O’Ray, My Dad is My Hero Award.
“The work of NCLF is commendable, transformative, and NCLF is making great strides in the San Francisco community,” said Cree Ray, Executive Director of the San Francisco Black Film Festival. “It is with honor and vision the San Francisco Black Film Festival joins with New Community Leadership Foundation to enhance the mission of our multicultural festival to provide a platform for emerging independent filmmakers and established artists to interact and destroy negative stereotypes about the worldwide African Diaspora with the motto: ‘The San Francisco Black Film Festival, Healing the World One Film At A Time.’”
The SFBFF presents this year at the African Arts & Cultural Center Complex (AAACC) and other venues from June 15-18, during the Juneteenth and Father’s Day celebrations as it launches a yearlong celebration - continuing the festival’s longstanding tradition of screening filmmakers who self-interpret African American life, culture, art, history and politics - offering films, panels and dialogue that educate and inspire, while creating an economic impact for the Black community.
Join the SFBFF and NCLF this year and help celebrate the community. This is a huge moment in San Francisco’s cultural diversity, equity and inclusion - the proposed Mon-Ray Screening Room re-naming, and the SFBFF 25th anniversary of Resilience & Empowerment with the great films and ongoing programs of the festival. As in prior years, the SFBFF is deeply committed to ensuring the Black community and, in particular, the surrounding Fillmore community have access to the festival, offering affordably priced tickets and special community programs.
For more information about the SFBFF and this year’s films and programs, please visit: www.SFBFF.org. In the film lineup includes,"Third Baptist Church"-It’s a storied history of over 170 years that Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Epps removes from the annals of overlooked treasure to present the World Premiere of “Third Baptist Church!” This new documentary is a tribute and historical deep dive into the second oldest Black Church west of the Rocky Mountains.
Founded in 1852, two years after St. Andrews AME Church in Sacramento, in the home of Eliza and William Davis, Third Baptist Church has cemented its place in San Francisco and the world as a place of worship, youth outreach and mentorship, economic empowerment and advocacy for justice and equality among a fellowship of Christian believers with the doors of the church always open to everyone. Third Baptist Church, as a vanguard of Faith and social justice historical faith-based institution, from Icons including Presidents, Governors and celebrities. Third Baptist Church’s noted attendees have included: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Bill Clinton; Kamala Harris; Harry Belafonte; Willie L. Brown, Jr.; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Arnold Schwarzenegger; Jerry Brown; Gavin Newsom; Danny Glover and others. This powerful film features extensive interviews from legendary Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, activist and long-time president of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP and national executive NAACP board member; San Francisco Mayor London Breed; and other notables. See the unique value of Third Baptist Church in its role helping to pave a righteous path of justice for all.
43:00 Minutes
Director: Kevin Epps
World Premiere!
If you’d like to get involved in the NCLF-SFBFF partnership, have ideas and/or want to learn more, please click here.
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SFBFF Celebrating 25 Years of Resilience & Empowerment, June 15-18, 2023, the launch of a yearlong celebration
FACT SHEET
https://hype.news/wright-enterprises-us/san-francisco-black-film-festival-facts-at-a-glance-waicwpaa
SF Examiner Article by Teresa Moore:
https://www.sfexaminer.com/our_sections/forum/remembering-sf-black-film-festival-founder-ave-montague/article_c7880626-b453-11ed-aa63-ff018f1d285e.html
Jackie Wright - jackiewright@wrightnow.biz | President