NEW YORK — Out of over 5,000 festivals in the world, the Hip Hop Film Festival (https://hiphopfilmfestival.org) is the only festival to focus on writers, directors, and producers who grew up in the global culture of hip-hop. This season, the festival hosts over 100 directors, producers, and screenwriters from the United States, France, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, Switzerland, South Africa, India, Japan, Portugal, Argentina, and more.
Founded by filmmaker and philanthropist C R Capers, the Hip Hop Film Festival features every genre (mystery, sci-fi, horror, action, romance, etc.), from filmmakers throughout the world. It is also the only film festival that shares the profits from the festival with the filmmakers selected to participate. Although the festival is titled "Hip Hop", that does not necessarily mean all films will be about hip-hop. Rather, the term is used in reference to the filmmakers who grew up in the elemental culture of hip-hop and the wide-ranging narratives they project to the screen, as a result of being incubated by such culture.
Every year, the Hip-Hop Film Festival takes place over four days during the first weekend in August. This year, which is the fourth year of the festival, the event is scheduled for Thursday, August 1, 2019 to Sunday, August 4, 2019. With over 150 filmmakers and 3,000 film enthusiasts coming into New York City from all over the world, this four-day epic event creates a platform for stories from the culture.
"The Hip Hop Film Festival is committed to empowering filmmakers and movie lovers that grew up in the universal culture of hip-hop," says C R Capers.
Also this year, the festival's prestigious G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) Legend in Film Award goes to acclaimed director John Singleton. He was best known for directing "Boyz n the Hood" (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, becoming, at age 24, the first African-American and youngest person to have ever been nominated for that award.
On opening night, the festival will feature the documentary entitled "This Is Love", which chronicles the story of Rudy Love, a polarizing figure in Black music. The documentary hails from Executive Producer Mick Fleetwood (Co-Founder, Fleetwood Mac), with Sinbad, George Clinton, and Marsai Martin. Rudy Love says it is family and love that got him through and made him want to keep creating, as opposed to being bitter. The fruits of his labor is apparent in his music that still lives, thanks to Jay-Z, and a grounded legacy that now even extends to Hollywood with his niece Marsai Martin making strides and putting all her youthful weight behind stories for the culture, including this documentary about her own family.
For the second consecutive year, media personality Shefik (https://shefik.info) of "Shefik presents Invocation" (https://invocation.co) will be taking the helm to host the festival's live stream, where he will be conducting one-on-one interviews with many of the festival's electrifying filmmakers, actors, and screenwriters. The live stream can be viewed at the festival's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hiphopfilmfestivalnyc), with broadcasts scheduled throughout the entire day (starting at 1 p.m. ET) — for all four days. Toni Knight will serve as Producer, while Baroness Olga Papkovitch and Mark Moore will be on-hand as Production Assistants and House Photographers, as they all aid in the coordination of the broadcasts, directed and executive produced by Shefik. Toni Knight will also serve as a Correspondent during the live stream.
The Hip Hop Film Festival is presented by 24/7 Films.tv (http://www.247films.tv) and Revolution Media. Sponsors and collaborators of the festival include BET, Revolt, 1010 WINS (CBS Radio), New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Final Draft, Ounce Water, and Octo Mobility.
The entire event will be held at National Black Theatre, located at 2031 5th Ave., New York, NY 10035. Tickets are available via Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hip-hop-film-festival-2019-tickets-62813503881), and the complete festival schedule can be viewed at https://hiphopfilmfestival.org/fourdaysoffresh/.
"I am excited to once again be a part of the annual Hip Hop Film Festival, in the heart of Harlem," says Shefik. "I continue to be amazed at the festival's worldwide impact and the amount of talent that gravitates towards the event."
Shefik is a Professional Member at the New York Chapter of National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NY Emmys), as well as a National Associate Member at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Primetime Emmy Awards). The organizations are dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational, and technical achievements within the television industry. They recognize excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Award.
Recently, Shefik was appointed Official Member to the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs, and technology executives. Membership is based upon professional accomplishments, and the council is comprised of a diverse, innovative, and extremely well-connected network of top-flight technologists.
Shefik joins other Forbes Technology Council members, who are hand-selected, to become part of a curated network of successful peers and get access to a variety of exclusive benefits and resources, including the opportunity to submit thought leadership articles and short tips on industry-related topics for publishing on forbes.com.
Shefik is celebrating over 20 years in the professional workforce. He began his career as an entertainment publicist, working with companies such as Motown Music Publishing, Island Black Music (Island Records), and Double XXposure, as well as high-profile recording artists, such as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee The Isley Brothers, 5-time Grammy Award winner Dionne Warwick, and Tony Award winner and 4-time Grammy Award nominee Melba Moore.
Shefik later expanded his skillset to technology, where he worked as Technical Producer at TIME magazine. Afterwards, he worked as Web Developer and Engineer at Condé Nast Digital (Vanity Fair, GQ, Wired), Vimeo, Columbia Law School (Columbia University), Publicis Modem (LG, Sanofi Pasteur), HUGE, and Penton Media, among others. Additionally, he has held senior-level positions at many celebrated brands, including IBM, NBCUniversal (CNBC, Syfy, Chiller), MTV World, Merck, Merriam-Webster, and Wolters Kluwer. Shefik currently serves as a Lead Developer at NBC Sports.
It is apparent that Shefik is on the cutting edge of multimedia, as he also serves as Executive Producer and Host of the nationally syndicated radio show and internationally syndicated video series, "Shefik presents Invocation". Shefik uses this media platform to amplify the voices and acknowledge the thought patterns of people across a variety of ages, ethnicities, occupations, creeds, and belief systems. The radio show is oftentimes aligned with Shefik's various philanthropic endeavors and alliances with non-profit organizations. As of this writing, "Shefik presents Invocation" has won over 35 industry awards (for audio, video, and website), many of which were awarded at the highest level.
When packaged as the radio show, "Shefik presents Invocation" is a mesmerizing and thought-provoking journey through musical discovery and appreciation that spans the decades. Each one-hour episode, executive-produced and hosted by Shefik, highlights one relatable focal point (chosen by Shefik), along with an accompanying playlist of songs (curated by Shefik), encompassing a unique thematic concept that invigorates the audience with creative impact. Top recording artists, actors, business executives, politicians, community leaders, and other special guests are invited to offer their own commentary on the topic, as a supplement to Shefik's engaging mindset. The radio show is currently broadcast on 21 terrestrial radio stations and frequencies throughout the United States. The radio show's online hub at invocation.co serves as a conduit for discussion of the show, while featuring related videos and auxiliary content.
Through various distribution agreements, Shefik also produces accompanying video content (similarly titled "Shefik presents Invocation"), which can be viewed internationally on Amazon, in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, as well as via other notable outlets worldwide, such as FUBU TV. The video content can also be viewed throughout the United States via a variety of outlets, inclusive of storefronts, medical offices, car dealerships, restaurants, salons, urgent care centers, pharmacies, malls, sports arenas, and more. Particularly, Shefik's video content can be viewed at heavily trafficked locations, such as the 10,000 seat Webster Bank Arena (Bridgeport, CT), the casino Mohegan Sun (Uncasville, CT), as well as select locations of Dunkin' Donuts.
As an award-winning videographer and producer, Shefik's work has been featured in television broadcasts and video productions for TIME magazine, The Washington Center, "Unsung" (TV One), Broadway World, and a major news station in New York City. Additionally, his photography has been featured in print and online publications, such as Daily Mail, Harvard Kennedy School Magazine, Playbill, and China Press.
The journey continues right here and everywhere.
Media Contacts
Shefik
All Knight Access
+1 (914) 548-5033
shefik@allknightaccess.com
Toni Knight
All Knight Access
+1 (914) 645-4830
toni.knight@allknightaccess.com
Last Updated: May 30, 2021
